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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?

...in a populated area, much less headache to call the locals and let them handle it...in the country in relative privacy...I won't let an animal suffer needlessly...but in town, that suffering animal might become ME...

What Speedsix says.
If there are witnesses, always call for help (and get the witnesses to help).
All alone in the middle of nowhere, think about it and use your own best judgement.

Years ago, I was working a gas production field 10 miles out in the boonies of SE Texas. I witnessed a hit and run on what appeared to be a mangy, stray dog. The dog was down and making heart-rending screams. I went to put the stray down and my field foreman grabbed my arm and held me back. A woman and a boy came out of the woods and asked what happened. The mangy dog was their pet, they knew my field foreman (thank God) and wanted any info we could think of about the accident. I offered to drive them to town to the Vet and she waved me off. She told her son to get a blanket out of the truck and they carried the dog in themselves. I never saw their cabin or even a drive off the road we were on.

Fresh out of school... I learned a VERY important lesson that day about stopping to think before going with my gut feelings.

Diesel42 wrote:What Speedsix says.
If there are witnesses, always call for help (and get the witnesses to help).
All alone in the middle of nowhere, think about it and use your own best judgement.

Years ago, I was working a gas production field 10 miles out in the boonies of SE Texas. I witnessed a hit and run on what appeared to be a mangy, stray dog. The dog was down and making heart-rending screams. I went to put the stray down and my field foreman grabbed my arm and held me back. A woman and a boy came out of the woods and asked what happened. The mangy dog was their pet, they knew my field foreman (thank God) and wanted any info we could think of about the accident. I offered to drive them to town to the Vet and she waved me off. She told her son to get a blanket out of the truck and they carried the dog in themselves. I never saw their cabin or even a drive off the road we were on.

Fresh out of school... I learned a VERY important lesson that day about stopping to think before going with my gut feelings.

A very good lesson.

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

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

When in doubt, act as if you dont have a weapon.

If I came across a wounded or "wild" animal on the roadway/ditch, I'd call 911 for a LEO to deal with it. In Texas it is illegal for a private citizen (CHL or not) to fire a weapon on or across a public road.

I guess I'll be the first to say I've done this. Just not with a gun. I was driving from Eagle Lake to Columbus one day and saw a deer head looking up at me from the ditch. I stopped and saw a doe laying down in the ditch picking her head and looking around from time to time and generally struggling and making some horrible noises. Her legs were mangled and she had definatley been ran over. Funny thing was there wasn't a vehicle in sight that looked like it run over her. My guess it was a semi with one of those ultra heavy duty animal protection bumpers. Anyway I had a gun but also had a knife. I've had to cut the throat on deer before that had been gut shot while hunting or just wounded where they were immobilized but not dead. Anyway did what I had to do and she died very quickly once she put her head down. Sheriff's Deputy pulled over about fifteen seconds after. i told him I found her and that she was done. He thanked me and we said a "See ya". Got back into my truck and drove off.

Now I wouldn't have done that with a coyote. They can bite. She was obviously dying and imobile and I just hated to see her suffer. I didn't even have to really hold her head down at all. I have no quams about dispatching a wounded animal with a pistol if it's safe to do. I would wait until there were no cars coming by. If there was a steady stream of cars and I was out in the county I'd probably just call 911 and let them know what I was doing.

Had something similar happen when commutting to work up a back road near Liberty Hill. Saw a deer tangled in a fence and obviously had a broken leg. I drove up to the local farmhouse, explained about the deer and asked if they had a rifle so I could dispatch it. The ranched thanked me and said he would do it.

...he could have at least invited you for supper!!!

I too almost ran over a coyote last wee, on Heritage Trace Pkwy in North Ft Worth.
Very nice suburban boulevard, busy street, lots of cars. He just stepped out of the trees in the median. I had to nail my brakes to miss him

There was a similar thread here a while back where a citizen called the local LEO (Sheriff's office or DPS) and suggested the LEO put the wounded animal down.
The LEO asked the citizen to do the necessary because each bullet from an LEO's weapon carries a lot of paperwork.

When I lived in North Carolina I met a guy working at a landfill transfer station doing community service because he put down a deer that was hit by a car.

Hey, coyote. Yo mamma was a hamster!

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.