The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Would this be an illegal take or attempt to take game?

Socrates · June 24, 2006, 05:59 PM

Same reason people try and shoot stuff they can't hit: It's fun. It doesn't bother the deer, and it gives you something to focus at. We aren't talking VJay Singh here, so the deer's in the safest possible place, where the Nimrod is aiming.

Deer are REALLY tough compared to humans, and, if I can take a golf ball in the temple, at about 120-150 yards, all you are going to do with the deer is get it's attention for about 10 seconds. I actually DID hit a deer with a golf ball, on the driving range at Tilden, at about 225 yards. Buck didn't do anything other then putting it's head up, look around, and went right back to eating grass. Misquitos do more damage.

I don't see why we have to get all politically correct on this. There is no danger to the deer, and, it can be a bit of fun, trying, providing you miss about 99.9% of the time.

Also, it would be better for the deer to at least realize that
being in areas where humans are could be fatal, and, they should stay the heck away from us, when we carry, long, slender, tubular objects like rifles.

By the way, I watched a guy at the driving range squib a shot, and wound a black bird on the range, right in front of him. Accident, but watching the bird flop around REALLY pissed me, off. I hope it recovered.

Also, we have squirrels up at the range, as well. I don't hit golf balls at squirrels, rabbits, skunks, hawks, rattlesnakes, raccoons(though I suspect they'd just shake one off as well), possums, or any animal that I might actually have a chance of injuring. Hitting a golf ball at a deer, at 250 yards the deer is totally safe. The odds of actual injury are probably better for the deer then getting hit by lightning.

I think deer like driving ranges because they can eat, yet they can see predators around them, for a long way away, and they don't have any cover. They could easily feed in the long grass around the range, but, they could be easily ambushed, or as easy as it is for any cat to sneak up on a deer, not very. Given the threat of teeth, vs. an occasional golf ball bouncing by, close, they much prefer the driving range.
I keep thinking back to the poor guy that hit a deer with his car, at something like 35 miles an hour, and knocked the deer out. He thought he'd killed it, so he called fish and game. The deer woke up, in his car I believe, and kicked the stuffings out of him. Deer was just fine.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/farce/deaddeer.htm

June 24, 2006, 05:59 PM	#31
Socrates Junior member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: East Bay NorCal, People's Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 5,866	Same reason people try and shoot stuff they can't hit: It's fun. It doesn't bother the deer, and it gives you something to focus at. We aren't talking VJay Singh here, so the deer's in the safest possible place, where the Nimrod is aiming. Deer are REALLY tough compared to humans, and, if I can take a golf ball in the temple, at about 120-150 yards, all you are going to do with the deer is get it's attention for about 10 seconds. I actually DID hit a deer with a golf ball, on the driving range at Tilden, at about 225 yards. Buck didn't do anything other then putting it's head up, look around, and went right back to eating grass. Misquitos do more damage. I don't see why we have to get all politically correct on this. There is no danger to the deer, and, it can be a bit of fun, trying, providing you miss about 99.9% of the time. Also, it would be better for the deer to at least realize that being in areas where humans are could be fatal, and, they should stay the heck away from us, when we carry, long, slender, tubular objects like rifles. By the way, I watched a guy at the driving range squib a shot, and wound a black bird on the range, right in front of him. Accident, but watching the bird flop around REALLY pissed me, off. I hope it recovered. Also, we have squirrels up at the range, as well. I don't hit golf balls at squirrels, rabbits, skunks, hawks, rattlesnakes, raccoons(though I suspect they'd just shake one off as well), possums, or any animal that I might actually have a chance of injuring. Hitting a golf ball at a deer, at 250 yards the deer is totally safe. The odds of actual injury are probably better for the deer then getting hit by lightning. I think deer like driving ranges because they can eat, yet they can see predators around them, for a long way away, and they don't have any cover. They could easily feed in the long grass around the range, but, they could be easily ambushed, or as easy as it is for any cat to sneak up on a deer, not very. Given the threat of teeth, vs. an occasional golf ball bouncing by, close, they much prefer the driving range. I keep thinking back to the poor guy that hit a deer with his car, at something like 35 miles an hour, and knocked the deer out. He thought he'd killed it, so he called fish and game. The deer woke up, in his car I believe, and kicked the stuffings out of him. Deer was just fine. http://www.snopes.com/critters/farce/deaddeer.htm