TexasCHLforum.com

hi-power wrote:According to my new favorite site - municode.com:

Grapevine Municipal Code wrote:Sec. 6-15. - Duty to report injury or death of animals or fowl hit by vehicles.

Every person who strikes an animal or fowl with a vehicle and injures or kills such animal or fowl shall notify the animal control department immediately after the occurrence and shall give the time and place of the injury or death, a description of the animal or fowl and the name and address of the person making the report.

(Ord. No. 88-40, § 12, 6-7-88)

I agree that a lot of LEOs would probably prefer you to put the animal down with your bullets to save them the paperwork, but of course they'd have to give you permission first.

So while I might have ultimately been ok with shooting it I need to make sure I've got my ducks in a row first.

Again, timing is everything. If I call first, as opposed to some passing motoring calling in a "man with a gun" first, I would most likely be ok.

Definitely better to get permission rather than forgiveness in this case.

C-dub wrote:In town, on or near a busy major highway, and that close to an airport? Call the police and animal control.

That is probably what I most likely would've done. If it had actually come down to it I think my general paranoia about doing something wrong would've kept me from doing something rash and stupid.

Not being originally from Texas, there is a perception in the rest of the country that Texans all run around like Yosemite Sam and shooting a coyote on the side of the road would not only be OK but expected. It is that sterotype that caused me to even consider shooting it had I hit it.

And here I thought I was going to be lighting fireworks with tracers using a whiskey bottle as a rest out here...
What would you expect from me anyway I was born in Kalifornia...
Its almost like there are normal people in Texas who are like edumacated and everything

Kidding aside...thanks for the input and God Bless Texas

Driving home this evening I came very close to hitting a coyote crossing the road. This occured on the frontage road (international parkway?) at DFW airport between Freeport and Main street in Grapevine. Thankfully I managed to hit the brakes and miss him but it got me wondering about what I would have done if I had hit it.

If I had hit it I would have pulled over to check my vehicle and to also check on the condition of the coyote, assuming it was injured badly enough to still be there. If it were horribly injured I would be inclined to put it out of its misery right then and there. Morally and ethically I believe this would be the right thing to do, but how would I stand legally? The area where this would have played out is not populated and I would call 911 immediately as I'm sure many passers by would see this occur.

Thoughts?