Had a bit of an accident today....

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Safetyfirst

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I'm in college, live in California and recently purchased a Gamo Whisper G2 air rifle in .22, which I have decided is an excellent performer. After some gripes with the scope, I decided to remove it in favor of the incredibly accurate fiber optic sights already in place. I can now hit a soda can from about 100 yards away, sitting down from an unsupported position, with just the irons.

Anyway, today I went to my relative's house which includes a sizable forest property on which to do some small game hunting/pest control. I dispatched a rabbit, squirrel, several birds... And then there was the incident.

In the past I've tagged deer with the G2 never expecting to put one down; they would consistently bound away like nothing hit them, even though I could hear the impact. Today I saw some deer in the clearing above the driveway, and took a shot through some trees. I hit one right above the front leg and heard it dash away into the underbrush just as a car pulls up full of relatives for our dinner party. To my dismay, the deer is not in a good state of mind and actually runs back towards us, out of the treeline and into the uncovered grassy hill. Turns out it was a fawn, and it was panicking from shock. Eventually it stumbled down the rest of the incline, tripped, and slammed its head into the wooden retaining fence that separates the clearing from the driveway, killing it instantly. Everyone demanded to know if I'd shot the poor creature (not a gun-friendly family by any means), to which I replied I had simply fired into the clearing and "spooked" it. Thankfully the pellet hole was not visible on the exposed side, and I quickly dug a hole and buried it before anyone could make a thorough examination.

I am curious as to the legal implications of killing a fawn on private property without a license and out of season (I assume). Also, if this is not actually considered illegal, where would I want to hit a mammal for a clean kill? Some birds will drop instantly, but all the rodents I've hit up to now will consistently panic until they bleed out, which is not agreeable to me. Do you aim for the spine or the cranium?
 
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Do you aim for the spine or the cranium?

To start with, I'd aim to getting a bigger gun. Why would you want to use an air rifle on a deer? Of course if you get caught, you wont have anything to worry about!
 
I was actually referring to smaller rodents/pests. Don't plan on shooting any more hoofed animals
 
Don't know California law, but around here poaching a protected species out of season has serious ramifications ranging from fines, to imprisonment up to and including up to a year in jail; in addition to any other fines and penalties they can throw on you (discharging certain weapons near inhabited dwellings can get you even more time in jail).

Those Gamo Whisper G2's - I have one - can hit 1300 FPS and penetrate quite deeply. They can kill a human if the person is hit in the right spot, and need to be treated as if you were shooting a *firearm*. (In Illinois, for many years, air rifles over 1000 fps required a firearm owners ID card, were declared dangerous weapons, and were *treated* as firearms for all intents and purposes - meaning, a felony if you got caught with one loaded in certain circumstances; 3-5 years in prison).

At ~1300 fps one of those can penetrate through a good 6-8" of flesh depending on density, and penetrate bone to some degree.

In my air rifle range in the basement, I have backed the backstop with old Class IIA body armor that's old and out of warranty. On the rare occasion I miss my backstop (usually a thick phone book / catalog), I've found that those .177 hyper velocity BB's will actually penetrate *14* layers of Kevlar before stopping. (That's over halfway through that vest, for what it's worth; more layers than some handgun rounds penetrate).

Because of the inherent risk to humans with these guns you need to make sure you treat shooting it no different than a firearm.

I hate to sound callous here, but shooting at animals with it for fun near a building where people reside is rather stupid.

Be glad it was a fawn you killed, and not the neighbors kid trespassing in the woods. One of those G2's can easily penetrate the human skull.

Use the 4 rules and some common sense; set up an appropriate range with a proper backstop and quit messing around with that thing, man. You want to shoot animals get a hunting license and do it the right way.
 
That, my friend, was not an accident. It was moronic behavior that had unintended bad consequences. You only shoot an animal to kill it. Why in the world would you shoot an animal that you didn't mean to kill? There are lots of reasons to kill an animal, including food and for pest control, but you always shoot for a quick, humane kill. Can you imagine how much pain and terror you caused that animal? What you did was ridiculous, childish, and inexcusable. This is coming from a lifelong hunter, and not some bunny hugger. I am a staunch, dyed in the wool, supporter of the second amendment as well, but stories like this make me wonder if maybe not just anybody should be allowed to shoot a gun after all. Let somebody shoot you with that same gun just for kicks and see how it feels. This kind of stuff makes all of us all look bad. Your story is disturbing and low road to the extreme. To top it off, you seem to have no remorse for the suffering and needless death of the animal. Your only worry seems to be whether you could get into trouble. A fine might be a lesson well learned. Please, in the future, don't kill what is not a legitimate nuisance, a menace, or food for the table.
 
Safetyfirst said:
I'm in college, live in California and recently purchased a Gamo Whisper G2 air rifle in .22, which I have decided is an excellent performer. After some gripes with the scope, I decided to remove it in favor of the incredibly accurate fiber optic sights already in place. I can now hit a soda can from about 100 yards away, sitting down from an unsupported position, with just the irons.

Anyway, today I went to my relative's house which includes a sizable forest property on which to do some small game hunting/pest control. I dispatched a rabbit, squirrel, several birds... And then there was the incident.

In the past I've tagged deer with the G2 never expecting to put one down; they would consistently bound away like nothing hit them, even though I could hear the impact. Today I saw some deer in the clearing above the driveway, and took a shot through some trees. I hit one right above the front leg and heard it dash away into the underbrush just as a car pulls up full of relatives for our dinner party. To my dismay, the deer is not in a good state of mind and actually runs back towards us, out of the treeline and into the uncovered grassy hill. Turns out it was a fawn, and it was panicking from shock. Eventually it stumbled down the rest of the incline, tripped, and slammed its head into the wooden retaining fence that separates the clearing from the driveway, killing it instantly. Everyone demanded to know if I'd shot the poor creature (not a gun-friendly family by any means), to which I replied I had simply fired into the clearing and "spooked" it. Thankfully the pellet hole was not visible on the exposed side, and I quickly dug a hole and buried it before anyone could make a thorough examination.

I am curious as to the legal implications of killing a fawn on private property without a license and out of season (I assume). Also, if this is not actually considered illegal, where would I want to hit a mammal for a clean kill? Some birds will drop instantly, but all the rodents I've hit up to now will consistently panic until they bleed out, which is not agreeable to me. Do you aim for the spine or the cranium?
Click to expand...

BTW, it isn't unusual for animals that are heart shot to go on for quite a long time. Killing is rarely quick or pleasant.

I know some guys hunt for trophies, some guys hunt for food. Some guys have livestock to protect and take predators.

What are you killing these animals for? Kicks?
 
Depending on the state this happened, the Fish and Game Commission could seize the weapon, vehicle, sentence you to prison and levy a hefty fine on you for killing spotted fawn and taking deer out of season. As far as killing birds for whatever reason, some of them are under protection as well and fines could be levied there too. I suggest to sticking to the paper targets and drink cans and leaving the wildlife alone, killing just for the fun of it is not exactly what having and owning firearms is all about. I was raised in such a way that whatever we shot was dressed and put on the table for meals. Killing to be killing is immoral in my book unless it is a coyote, predator or nuisance not on any endangered list.
 
Wow, why in the world would you shoot a air rifle at a deer. This was NOT an accident. And to top it off you lied to everyone.

You need to do the grown up thing and tell the family. Face what ever penalties you deserve and learn from them
 
Absolutely disgusting! You were going to "tag" it with a pellet? What you mean is shoot it, causing it undue pain, possibly infection.

I shot a doe about 10 years back that was limping. Her front leg from middle should almost down to the joint was gangrene. Want to guess what I found in her? A .177 caliber pellet.

I hope your family turns you in, you don't need a gun that's for sure.

It's not an accident when it's done on purpose.
 
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Can't believe what I just read - is this a joke?

If you read post #5 and think that guy is an idiot, you need to put the guns away until you gain the common sense required to operate them safely and abide by what I thought to be a standard ethical code that most hunters hunt by.
 
If I still had my moderator powers, I would have tracked you down by now and forwarded this information to your local wildlife law enforcement.

You're a poacher, plain and simple.
 
Just copying this for posterity in the event Safetyfirst decides to pull a Kuyong_Chuin on us and tries to remove the incriminating information.

Safetyfirst said:
I'm in college, live in California and recently purchased a Gamo Whisper G2 air rifle in .22, which I have decided is an excellent performer. After some gripes with the scope, I decided to remove it in favor of the incredibly accurate fiber optic sights already in place. I can now hit a soda can from about 100 yards away, sitting down from an unsupported position, with just the irons.

Anyway, today I went to my relative's house which includes a sizable forest property on which to do some small game hunting/pest control. I dispatched a rabbit, squirrel, several birds... And then there was the incident.

In the past I've tagged deer with the G2 never expecting to put one down; they would consistently bound away like nothing hit them, even though I could hear the impact. Today I saw some deer in the clearing above the driveway, and took a shot through some trees. I hit one right above the front leg and heard it dash away into the underbrush just as a car pulls up full of relatives for our dinner party. To my dismay, the deer is not in a good state of mind and actually runs back towards us, out of the treeline and into the uncovered grassy hill. Turns out it was a fawn, and it was panicking from shock. Eventually it stumbled down the rest of the incline, tripped, and slammed its head into the wooden retaining fence that separates the clearing from the driveway, killing it instantly. Everyone demanded to know if I'd shot the poor creature (not a gun-friendly family by any means), to which I replied I had simply fired into the clearing and "spooked" it. Thankfully the pellet hole was not visible on the exposed side, and I quickly dug a hole and buried it before anyone could make a thorough examination.

I am curious as to the legal implications of killing a fawn on private property without a license and out of season (I assume). Also, if this is not actually considered illegal, where would I want to hit a mammal for a clean kill? Some birds will drop instantly, but all the rodents I've hit up to now will consistently panic until they bleed out, which is not agreeable to me. Do you aim for the spine or the cranium?
Click to expand...
 
I'm guessing the OP has never been shot. If he had, he wouldn't be shooting animals with the intent to inflict unnecessary pain. Now you've killed a fawn out of season. You deserve whatever you have coming. If nothing comes of it, I hope you have the decency to realize the cruelty of your actions and stop doing what you're doing.
 
Read through some of this guy's history, particularly some of his first posts. Reeks of Mall Ninja.
I'm having a tough time of not outright calling this poster a troll, or a shill for the other side.
Absolutely disgusting.
 
I agree with Jorg on this one. First step is to shut it down.

If you are going to break the law don't post about it on a public website DUH!!

What we have here is a person who does not respect or understand the consequences of using live animals as targets. Do not post this kind of stuff on THR, it is immature, not real bright and shows a complete lack of the fundamental respect and character that are required to be a gun owner and hunter. Safetyfirst either needs to have his air rifle taken away or he needs some heavy duty training and mentoring from a responsible adult who understands what it means to be a gun owner and an ethical hunter/shooter.

If he actually did what he claims here he's broken multiple game laws, several of which could very well be felonies.
 
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