Man killed by deer at Texas hunting ranch - Page 2

Art Eatman · October 9, 2009, 10:14 AM

Old Man Charles Schreiner took up about a half-million acres, originally. A lot of it went away during the Depression. By the time Charley III had it, it was down toward its present size. Kerrville has the Schreiner Bank, and maybe still has the Schreiner Hardware store. I graduated from high school at the Schreiner Institute in 1951, a military boarding school.

I used to go up there during the 1970s, visiting friends who were guides for Charley III; the ranch foreman was a Kerrville local who'd been in high school when I was. The YO was one of the first ranches to get into the exotic animal hunting business. They bred and sold quite a few blackbuck antelope. Sally the Eland was a local favorite. About horse-size; that long black tongue would wrap around a slice of bread in a heartbeat.

Back then, the combination to the gate lock was changed monthly. It began at 25-20 and "grew" monthly to 45-70.

Recent years have seen sell-offs of land, in high-priced parcels around 50 to 100 acres, IIRC.

Charley III brought about the series of 1,000 "Texas Ranger Commemorative Pistol" collectibles. SAA with 7-1/2" barrels. #1-#200 were engraved and silver plated; #201-1,000 were finished in a near-black coating. All came in a presentation box with a pictorial history of the Rangers.

Neat place...

MLeake · October 9, 2009, 10:26 AM

To those who responded to my earlier post with all the vehicle comments, please bear in mind that I was only partially quoted. The original statement was:

Quote:

that deer lead pretty much all animals in the US except dogs, when it comes to killing humans.

Not sure if those stats include vehicular accidents.

JohnKSA, in my old neck of the woods (Maine), deer coming through the windshield were very uncommon. Moose were the critters that came through windshields in collisions, due to their height. Bodies are higher than the hoods of most personal vehicles. Deer tended to get tossed more.

Brian Pfleuger · October 9, 2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jughead2

i have read that if one shoots an animal and it is lying there with its eyes shut chances are it AINT dead. any truth to that. if so it would simplify the sometimes problem.

That is true, universally I believe, for deer type animals at least. I have never seen an exception. If the eyes are closed then it is not dead.

BIGR · October 9, 2009, 08:36 PM

What a way to go. I know of one hunter that was chased by a crazy 4 point buck. The hunter climbed up on a outdoor table at his deer camp and unfortunately he had no guns on him. After yelling and screaming for a few minutes one of his hunting buddies came to his rescue and killed the buck with a pistol. When the guy first told it, I thought it was funny, but to him it was no laughing matter. Ol bucky was out for his blood. From now on that hunter packs firepower around deer camp no matter what he is doing.

Grainraiser · October 9, 2009, 08:59 PM

I once had a picture were a doe got hit by a SUV going about 75 miles per hour. She went thru the front window and ended up back in the cargo area. I don't know if the driver was killed or not but it was one big bloody mess. There was blood all over the interior of that truck. I'm sure the driver had to have some major injuries based on the pics. I always approach a downed deer from the rear with gun loaded.

**Mike Irwin** · October 11, 2009, 08:47 AM

Many years ago in central Pennsylvania a woman was killed by a deer she hit when it came through the windscreen on her VW Beetle.

jdscholer · October 11, 2009, 11:42 AM

Several years ago, I had broken the back of a small forked horn buck with a shot from my .243. by the time I got closer to him, he was pretty well jammed up in a brush pile and I decided to stick him in the throat with my knife rather than shoot him again. He seemed pretty well "out of it" until the point of my knife touched his throat, at which time he snapped his head back nearly poking my eye out with one of his horns. We struggled for a few seconds, until I got the job done, and then I got scared about what might have happened.

That could have cost me one or both of my eyes, or my life if he had got me in the throat. I respect them a little more now. jd

kron · October 11, 2009, 01:46 PM

Had a boss get killed in the city in Clear Lake, TX area when a deer crashed through the windshield of his Explorer. Cops said the impact knocked him unconscious, then the vehicle smashed into an oak tree on the side of the road.

So not sure which one actually killed him, but the deer was a contributing factor...

With regards to the eyes... Thinking back, all the deer I've killed have ended up with their eyes open. Will be something to keep in mind to check.

MLeake · October 11, 2009, 04:26 PM

are not surprising with a beetle, given the shape of its hood, or with low-slung cars like a 'vette or a prelude.

I'm pretty surprised by the Explorer, though; would guess that deer was hit in mid-leap, but maybe it was just extra tall.

Still, as a percentage of deer hit by cars, most don't go through windshields.

hogdogs · October 11, 2009, 04:52 PM

My pop once stopped on I-75 in michigan at a broke down car. It had front and rear windows broke out and it looked like someone had splashed a gallon of barn paint inside... Later we learned it was a woman and her child, when she hit the deer she instinctively ducked which also mashed the kid down. The deer went in the front and out the back glass.

Was a small compact of the mid 70's era IIRC.
Brent

troy_mclure · October 11, 2009, 06:27 PM

my brother kneecapped a cow with his toyota corolla. splashed guts from the front to the trunk, and pretty well flattened the roof.
he walked away but the car was trashed.

rantingredneck · October 11, 2009, 06:32 PM

Quote:

When people in cars get killed by trees it's almost invariably because someone drives a car off the road and into a tree.

Everything I've heard from police and paramedic friends is to "HIT THE ____ DEER!"

Chances are they won't go through the windshield of most vehicles, though it has been known to happen. However, when people swerve to miss the deer they tend to hit trees which don't give or to roll the car, risking much more severe injury.

I've hit a couple myself but by the time of impact I had slowed considerably and no damage was done to my vehicle or me, and only minimal damage to the deer apparently.

Years ago in high school a friend of mine rolled his Mustang avoiding hitting a dog in the road. A few days later he's hobbling around the school on crutches with a cast all the way to one hip. We had a guest speaker in our AP Calculus class who was a Naval nuclear engineer. He asked my friend what happened and listened to the story. At the end of it he looked my friend dead in the eye and said, "Son, every sentient being on this Earth has choices in life. When that dog stepped into the road, he made his........"

I've remembered that to this day

.

trooper3385 · October 12, 2009, 01:03 AM

I've probably worked 100+ car crashes involving deer here in Texas. Probably twice that many with people trying to avoid the collision and either striking a tree or rolling the car. Of all the crashes I've worked involving deer, I've only worked one where a deer actually went through the windshield. It was a young girl following her parents. The deer hit the side of the parents van, spun around in the air and went through her front windshield and out the back window. Luckly it hit right in the middle and went in between the driver and passenger. My recommendation, if a deer runs out in front of you, hit the breaks and don't swerve. If you hit it, then that's what insurance is for. I've never worked a crash where someone hit a deer and was seriously injured. On the other hand, some of the crashes that I've worked that drivers swerved to miss it have not walked away. Now if it's a horse or in some of your neck of the woods, elk or moose, you better take your chances swerving to miss it. I've seen a couple of people lose a head from hitting a horse and having it take the top of a car off.

Art Eatman · October 12, 2009, 11:08 AM

Realize that not all critters have read my book, "What Critters Do".

But, generally, a deer knows that safety is where it used to be. So, you're better off in a controlled veer toward the direction the deer was going, not behind the deer. "Controlled veer," I said.

Danged old cow won't want to be headed off from where she wants to go, so in general the controlled veer toward her hind end is better.

A horse? Doesn't matter what you do. Horses are suicidal, and will work to stay in front of you no matter which way you veer.

Large hogs? A lot like running over a boulder. Try not to do it.

troy_mclure · October 12, 2009, 01:12 PM

ive found that aiming AT the deer works fairly well, no matter which way they go, its not where they were. unless they just stand there of course! lol

simonkenton · October 12, 2009, 07:31 PM

That really is good advice, just hold steady and aim at the deer.
If you try to zig to miss the deer, by the time of impact, the deer will have already zigged, and zagged.
In other words, it is not possible to swerve to miss the deer.
If he is that dumb, let him take his front fender like a man, he probably won't hurt you.

An oak tree strike will hurt you a lot more than a deer strike.

October 11, 2009, 08:47 AM	#31
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Many years ago in central Pennsylvania a woman was killed by a deer she hit when it came through the windscreen on her VW Beetle. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

October 11, 2009, 11:42 AM	#32
jdscholer Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Jefferson State Posts: 1,197	Several years ago, I had broken the back of a small forked horn buck with a shot from my .243. by the time I got closer to him, he was pretty well jammed up in a brush pile and I decided to stick him in the throat with my knife rather than shoot him again. He seemed pretty well "out of it" until the point of my knife touched his throat, at which time he snapped his head back nearly poking my eye out with one of his horns. We struggled for a few seconds, until I got the job done, and then I got scared about what might have happened. That could have cost me one or both of my eyes, or my life if he had got me in the throat. I respect them a little more now. jd __________________ "We're all dummies, just in different ways." Old Okie Philosopher

October 11, 2009, 04:26 PM	#34
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	Deer through windshields are not surprising with a beetle, given the shape of its hood, or with low-slung cars like a 'vette or a prelude. I'm pretty surprised by the Explorer, though; would guess that deer was hit in mid-leap, but maybe it was just extra tall. Still, as a percentage of deer hit by cars, most don't go through windshields.

October 11, 2009, 06:27 PM	#36
troy_mclure Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2008 Location: gulf of mexico Posts: 2,716	my brother kneecapped a cow with his toyota corolla. splashed guts from the front to the trunk, and pretty well flattened the roof. he walked away but the car was trashed. __________________ There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

October 12, 2009, 01:12 PM	#40
troy_mclure Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2008 Location: gulf of mexico Posts: 2,716	ive found that aiming AT the deer works fairly well, no matter which way they go, its not where they were. unless they just stand there of course! lol __________________ There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

October 9, 2009, 10:14 AM	#26
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Old Man Charles Schreiner took up about a half-million acres, originally. A lot of it went away during the Depression. By the time Charley III had it, it was down toward its present size. Kerrville has the Schreiner Bank, and maybe still has the Schreiner Hardware store. I graduated from high school at the Schreiner Institute in 1951, a military boarding school. I used to go up there during the 1970s, visiting friends who were guides for Charley III; the ranch foreman was a Kerrville local who'd been in high school when I was. The YO was one of the first ranches to get into the exotic animal hunting business. They bred and sold quite a few blackbuck antelope. Sally the Eland was a local favorite. About horse-size; that long black tongue would wrap around a slice of bread in a heartbeat. Back then, the combination to the gate lock was changed monthly. It began at 25-20 and "grew" monthly to 45-70. Recent years have seen sell-offs of land, in high-priced parcels around 50 to 100 acres, IIRC. Charley III brought about the series of 1,000 "Texas Ranger Commemorative Pistol" collectibles. SAA with 7-1/2" barrels. #1-#200 were engraved and silver plated; #201-1,000 were finished in a near-black coating. All came in a presentation box with a pictorial history of the Rangers. Neat place...

October 9, 2009, 08:36 PM	#29
BIGR Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2000 Location: Mountains Posts: 1,385	What a way to go. I know of one hunter that was chased by a crazy 4 point buck. The hunter climbed up on a outdoor table at his deer camp and unfortunately he had no guns on him. After yelling and screaming for a few minutes one of his hunting buddies came to his rescue and killed the buck with a pistol. When the guy first told it, I thought it was funny, but to him it was no laughing matter. Ol bucky was out for his blood. From now on that hunter packs firepower around deer camp no matter what he is doing.

October 9, 2009, 08:59 PM	#30
Grainraiser Member Join Date: September 30, 2009 Location: DFW Posts: 77	I once had a picture were a doe got hit by a SUV going about 75 miles per hour. She went thru the front window and ended up back in the cargo area. I don't know if the driver was killed or not but it was one big bloody mess. There was blood all over the interior of that truck. I'm sure the driver had to have some major injuries based on the pics. I always approach a downed deer from the rear with gun loaded.

October 11, 2009, 01:46 PM	#33
kron Member Join Date: November 9, 2008 Posts: 36	Had a boss get killed in the city in Clear Lake, TX area when a deer crashed through the windshield of his Explorer. Cops said the impact knocked him unconscious, then the vehicle smashed into an oak tree on the side of the road. So not sure which one actually killed him, but the deer was a contributing factor... With regards to the eyes... Thinking back, all the deer I've killed have ended up with their eyes open. Will be something to keep in mind to check.

October 11, 2009, 04:52 PM	#35
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	My pop once stopped on I-75 in michigan at a broke down car. It had front and rear windows broke out and it looked like someone had splashed a gallon of barn paint inside... Later we learned it was a woman and her child, when she hit the deer she instinctively ducked which also mashed the kid down. The deer went in the front and out the back glass. Was a small compact of the mid 70's era IIRC. Brent

October 12, 2009, 01:03 AM	#38
trooper3385 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2005 Location: South Texas Posts: 814	I've probably worked 100+ car crashes involving deer here in Texas. Probably twice that many with people trying to avoid the collision and either striking a tree or rolling the car. Of all the crashes I've worked involving deer, I've only worked one where a deer actually went through the windshield. It was a young girl following her parents. The deer hit the side of the parents van, spun around in the air and went through her front windshield and out the back window. Luckly it hit right in the middle and went in between the driver and passenger. My recommendation, if a deer runs out in front of you, hit the breaks and don't swerve. If you hit it, then that's what insurance is for. I've never worked a crash where someone hit a deer and was seriously injured. On the other hand, some of the crashes that I've worked that drivers swerved to miss it have not walked away. Now if it's a horse or in some of your neck of the woods, elk or moose, you better take your chances swerving to miss it. I've seen a couple of people lose a head from hitting a horse and having it take the top of a car off.

October 12, 2009, 11:08 AM	#39
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Realize that not all critters have read my book, "What Critters Do". But, generally, a deer knows that safety is where it used to be. So, you're better off in a controlled veer toward the direction the deer was going, not behind the deer. "Controlled veer," I said. Danged old cow won't want to be headed off from where she wants to go, so in general the controlled veer toward her hind end is better. A horse? Doesn't matter what you do. Horses are suicidal, and will work to stay in front of you no matter which way you veer. Large hogs? A lot like running over a boulder. Try not to do it.

October 12, 2009, 07:31 PM	#41
simonkenton Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2008 Posts: 891	That really is good advice, just hold steady and aim at the deer. If you try to zig to miss the deer, by the time of impact, the deer will have already zigged, and zagged. In other words, it is not possible to swerve to miss the deer. If he is that dumb, let him take his front fender like a man, he probably won't hurt you. An oak tree strike will hurt you a lot more than a deer strike.