sterling Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hi all, Wondering if anybody here is on the police call-out for deer traffic collisions. If so, what's the typical setup? I'd be particularly interested to hear from folks in West Mercia. Is there a selection process before being added to the call-out? What kind of interaction do you have with police/public prior to and after you've dispatched the animal? Do you remove the deer from the scene etc.? I've eaten roadkill deer in the past and because I'm not deer stalking currently, I thought I might be able to help out at RTC's locally and source some wild venison at the same time. Thanks for any info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I would bevery surprised if u were allowed to take the carcass home, strictly speaking it will belong to the landowners who's land it is on, council if on road side or estate or landowners if further away, i also doubt they would allow it into the food chain, even for personel consumption. I would also imagine they would be wanting expereinced stalkers who have access to a trained tracking dog too. Technically speaking lifting roadkill will be theft, nonesense i know. As an aside when i done my dsc1 the instructor told a story about picking up road kill, 1 council must have called a vet to PTS the deer by injection, the deer was left at road side to be picked up by council workers later on when they turned up it had disappeared!! They got an urgent message out over all the local radio stations, tv the lot, reckom if anyone ate it could off been game over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzy518 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) Here in Suffolk we call out deer wardens who are basically deer stalkers on the estates. Most deer, not the wardens, are shot at roadside or on verge and left. We mark the location and highways pick up the carcass at some point. Any deer euthanised by a vet generally get taken away by him. They won't risk any other animal or person eating the deer and ingesting the drug Edited January 16, 2013 by ozzy518 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hi all, Wondering if anybody here is on the police call-out for deer traffic collisions. If so, what's the typical setup? I'd be particularly interested to hear from folks in West Mercia. Is there a selection process before being added to the call-out? What kind of interaction do you have with police/public prior to and after you've dispatched the animal? Do you remove the deer from the scene etc.? I've eaten roadkill deer in the past and because I'm not deer stalking currently, I thought I might be able to help out at RTC's locally and source some wild venison at the same time. Thanks for any info! Forget it, I would never ever use the meat. Yes you sometimes get asked if you can move it BUT it must not enter the human food chain ( it belongs to and becomes the responsibility of the owner of the land its on when it dies) Yep think about that one on other counts a minute. Its not sport, its not pleasant (it isn't always just injured deer you see), it comes with risk, its unlikely to get you any stalking. Those of us who do it do it for the good of the deer. Even if the deer is clean the adrenalin will have been flowing big time and this will taint the meat so its good only for dog meat and the prep is going to be messy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I would bevery surprised if u were allowed to take the carcass home, strictly speaking it will belong to the landowners who's land it is on, council if on road side or estate or landowners if further away, i also doubt they would allow it into the food chain, even for personel consumption. I would also imagine they would be wanting expereinced stalkers who have access to a trained tracking dog too. Technically speaking lifting roadkill will be theft, nonesense i know. As an aside when i done my dsc1 the instructor told a story about picking up road kill, 1 council must have called a vet to PTS the deer by injection, the deer was left at road side to be picked up by council workers later on when they turned up it had disappeared!! They got an urgent message out over all the local radio stations, tv the lot, reckom if anyone ate it could off been game over I am aware that someone fed such a carcass to their dog, unusually they boiled it rendering the drug safe- but your correct Imobilon ( I am guessing at the spelling) is deadly in the extreme to humans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sterling Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Jesus, I hadn't thought about the vet's drug being in the meat! The roadkill deer I ate was one that was clipped in the head by our truck when I lived in the US. Admittedly the front end was a bit of a mess and dressing was a fairly bloody affair but there was very little meat lost and it kept us in venison for several months. Interestingly though, we found an expanded pistol bullet in the poor thing's neck. Thanks for the reality check though lads, this obviously isn't a good idea. I'm doing DSC1 in feb and there are deer on my permissions, so I'll just put in for a variation instead. Thanks again anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Round here I was asked if I would be available to despatch animals injured on the road. That would be cats and dogs mainly. The moan was that vets take hours to turn up and then charge about £300. Trouble was it would mean being at everyones beck and call, I didn't fancy getting phone calls in the middle of the night. Payment was never discussed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sterling Posted January 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Round here I was asked if I would be available to despatch animals injured on the road. That would be cats and dogs mainly. The moan was that vets take hours to turn up and then charge about £300. Trouble was it would mean being at everyones beck and call, I didn't fancy getting phone calls in the middle of the night. Payment was never discussed Yeah I honestly wouldn't fancy hopping out of bed at stupid o'clock in the morning to shoot somebody's maimed pet either! I think my vision of turning up to a scene, dispatching the deer, high-fiving the police and heading back home with a boot load of venison might have been a bit unrealistic. ^_^ Interesting to hear about what responding to a deer collision is actually like though. Amazing what some people do whilst the rest of us are sleeping!.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Field sports Dom did a video on YouTube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Yeah I honestly wouldn't fancy hopping out of bed at stupid o'clock in the morning to shoot somebody's maimed pet either! I think my vision of turning up to a scene, dispatching the deer, high-fiving the police and heading back home with a boot load of venison might have been a bit unrealistic. ^_^ Interesting to hear about what responding to a deer collision is actually like though. Amazing what some people do whilst the rest of us are sleeping!.. Sounds great but can be a can of worms in reality, best left to someone who is getting paid to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Round here I was asked if I would be available to despatch animals injured on the road. That would be cats and dogs mainly. The moan was that vets take hours to turn up and then charge about £300. Trouble was it would mean being at everyones beck and call, I didn't fancy getting phone calls in the middle of the night. Payment was never discussed Police round your way not have a spade? Once Vet is called there is a bill to pay...... regardless of whether they do anything of not! If its somethign you want to do speak to local vets I think most run a rota/on call system. Have a look at http://www.hsa.org.uk/ Apache will be able to advise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamefarm Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Been on the police call out register for upwards of 5 years. When I was asked, they gave me a long list of 'required equipment'. Basically, it was the BASC or somesuch's list of required equipment for a stalker. Stuff like 4x4 vehicle, large scale maps of the area, powerful torch, binoculars, deer dog etc etc..... about a page in all. When I asked why, it was so I could 'If necessary, follow an injured deer through the fields'. When I pointed out to that I would be breaking several laws the moment I set foot off the public highway and onto private land, hence could see no reason why I should cart all that kit into the middle of the night, and that the police had no authority to send me onto such private land in pursuit of deer, injured or otherwise, a lot of backtracking was done. Suitable reflective jacket, suitable weapon and plastic bags for carcase removal FROM PUBLIC HIGHWAY only was the final requirement! Since then, 90% of the (not many) calls I have had, have been a waste of time - deer long gone, or stone dead is the usual. I no longer respond to reports of 'A member of the public has an injured deer at such and such a roadside' unless a police presence is confirmed at the scene, as without fail, they are fruitless missions at my expense, and furthermore, without uniformed police in attendance, the possible results of passing motorists witnessing an armed man at the roadside, let alone firing a weapon, are horrendous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Z Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 talk to the deer initiative. They will have some information. They will also tell you that meat from injured deer doesn't make for good eating, as adrenalin pumping around the body before death makes it really tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Police round your way not have a spade? Once Vet is called there is a bill to pay...... regardless of whether they do anything of not! If its somethign you want to do speak to local vets I think most run a rota/on call system. Have a look at http://www.hsa.org.uk/ Apache will be able to advise The RSPCA will pay for a vet to attend and do what is required. If the police call me out they get a bill (and pay by BACS!). It's not a pleasant activity, but it is done as a humanitarian act. Sadly I have overheads and a business to run so if they ring the surgery then they get a bill. Boiling meat will not get rid of pentobarbitone that we use for killing things. I have no desire to take a road kill deer home. The adrenaline and stress would stop the meat setting. Fewer vets have FACs and firearms available for this purpose. You are thrust into a potentially highly charged emotional situation where people want you to help 'Bambi' and make it better (like they see on TV). Shooting it with a .410 and dragging to the side of the road is not really what they want to see. Often the police are not there, so you are dealing with the situation alone. I do it, but wouldn't recomend it. It's not something I get any enjoyment from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 The RSPCA will pay for a vet to attend and do what is required. If the police call me out they get a bill (and pay by BACS!). It's not a pleasant activity, but it is done as a humanitarian act. Sadly I have overheads and a business to run so if they ring the surgery then they get a bill. Boiling meat will not get rid of pentobarbitone that we use for killing things. I have no desire to take a road kill deer home. The adrenaline and stress would stop the meat setting. Fewer vets have FACs and firearms available for this purpose. You are thrust into a potentially highly charged emotional situation where people want you to help 'Bambi' and make it better (like they see on TV). Shooting it with a .410 and dragging to the side of the road is not really what they want to see. Often the police are not there, so you are dealing with the situation alone. I do it, but wouldn't recomend it. It's not something I get any enjoyment from. I think it was Imobalon? ( the stuff used in darting)this was reported a while back In the BDS journal, is it pure BS ? or are you taking a punt on the safe side? Just interest like- they are not for the table -period! I have only ever removed two carcasses both victims of poachers and not roadside. One shot with BB in the chest and slowly passing away through shock the other with half its back leg missing from running dogs. No way were either edible for humans but they made fair dog food. On balance it don't repay for what I have done in the past- I have never asked for nor excepted payment as I do it for the Deer. Pets? no way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Immobilon is a strong opioid (like morphine). It depends on the formulation as to how heat stable it is. I tried a google but was getting all sorts of 'unusual' websites! I wouldn't rely on it. Immobilon is hugely expensive due to supply problems - I can't see anyone investing £100 worth of drug into a RTA deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 The imobilon query may well be crossed wires its also used for darting deer, it doesn't have the license for them to ever enter the food chain despite the fact they will be perfectly safe after a certain withdrawal period. Used to euthanise a deer is very different and definitely not safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 As for the original question I've eaten a fair bit of road kill deer due to having a vet as a father who used to shoot them and anything hit front end we tended to eat, never noticed any issues with it personally but that was also in the days when the police occasionally took one back in a patrol car as they had an ex butcher in the local station, things like that definitely wouldn't happen now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 I have limited knowledge of this situation but I am aware how dangerous that particular drug is to humans after having been involved in its use. Not that unusual not all vets are bothered about cost as it depends who did the paying and what they had Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sterling Posted January 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Field sports Dom did a video on YouTube Thanks, I'll have a look at that. Cheers for the replies guys - it's all interesting info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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