|
Post by kevshell on May 17, 2023 11:01:13 GMT -5
Before I retired from active duty, I was driving along the highway in front of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. I came across multiple cars stopped along the road, and a deer that had been struck and had a broken leg. I was transporting my 1911 .45 ACP to the range in the next county, and immediately pulled over, intending to finish off the deer. Then I had an epiphany! I would make the 5 o'clock news if I shot that deer! I said to myself 'Self, don't be a dumb ass. You'll be arrested if you shoot that deer! You're in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Maryland, NOT Free America!' So, I drove on and that poor deer suffered until either an LEO or game warden euthanized him. Probably an hour or so later. My father-in-law took a lot of deer out of Aberdeen. He signed up and hunted at the proving grounds for many years. They were typically all small scrawny bucks. At least the ones he took. But to your point about Maryland, that's a lot of the reason why I left there in 2008. And it only got worse. The state implemented 26 new taxes after we left and they still can't seem to balance their budget. North Carolina is far more relaxed about firearms. And we might be moving to Montana this summer and that State is even better with their laws. But I'm with you, sadly I would have left the deer lying. Doing the right thing would have only got you in trouble. And then you hear stories about some officers that come up and can't hit the deer to euthanize it.
|
|
nicholst55
.375 Atomic
Retired, twice.
Posts: 1,130
|
Post by nicholst55 on May 17, 2023 16:37:02 GMT -5
I did my share of hunting on APG. There are a tremendous number of deer there, but they typically live in areas that cannot be easily accessed. For some reason, there are a disproportionately large number of albino or piebald deer at APG and Edgewood. I also left MD in 2008, after spending 20 years there. My oldest son still lives there. I settled in Texas.
|
|
|
Post by bigbore5 on May 17, 2023 18:24:54 GMT -5
Before I retired from active duty, I was driving along the highway in front of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. I came across multiple cars stopped along the road, and a deer that had been struck and had a broken leg. I was transporting my 1911 .45 ACP to the range in the next county, and immediately pulled over, intending to finish off the deer. Then I had an epiphany! I would make the 5 o'clock news if I shot that deer! I said to myself 'Self, don't be a dumb ass. You'll be arrested if you shoot that deer! You're in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Maryland, NOT Free America!' So, I drove on and that poor deer suffered until either an LEO or game warden euthanized him. Probably an hour or so later. I would have had to shoot and drive off on that one. But being a good ol' Southern Redneck, there's always a Bowie in the truck and I have finished a few deer with it and started more than a few hogs, too!
|
|
nicholst55
.375 Atomic
Retired, twice.
Posts: 1,130
|
Post by nicholst55 on May 18, 2023 9:13:22 GMT -5
Before I retired from active duty, I was driving along the highway in front of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. I came across multiple cars stopped along the road, and a deer that had been struck and had a broken leg. I was transporting my 1911 .45 ACP to the range in the next county, and immediately pulled over, intending to finish off the deer. Then I had an epiphany! I would make the 5 o'clock news if I shot that deer! I said to myself 'Self, don't be a dumb ass. You'll be arrested if you shoot that deer! You're in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Maryland, NOT Free America!' So, I drove on and that poor deer suffered until either an LEO or game warden euthanized him. Probably an hour or so later. I would have had to shoot and drive off on that one. But being a good ol' Southern Redneck, there's always a Bowie in the truck and I have finished a few deer with it and started more than a few hogs, too! That's just it; if I had shot that deer, I would have been arrested, I can guarantee that. The mindset in that state is that gun owners are just criminals that haven't been caught yet. They would have found at least 2-3 laws to use against me, count on it!
|
|
|
Post by bigbore5 on May 18, 2023 10:42:13 GMT -5
I believe you. It's just really different here in the South. Cops don't like to fire their guns because of the paperwork.
Outside of town it's perfectly legal to finish off car struck animals that cannot regain their feet or are otherwise wounded in a way that insures a lingering death. But laws aren't the same everywhere, no matter how much sense it makes.
In town, you can't discharge a firearm, but knives or airguns are legal to use in most places.
|
|