A Kansas game warden recently demonstrated a unique way to separate deer.
It’s not unusual for deer and other large animals to fight during the rut, as dominant males and younger contenders battle for mates and territory. Serious injuries can result, and in rare cases, the combatants’ antlers become permanently locked together.
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From his experience as a warden, Koch knew the situation could easily come to a grim conclusion. Exhausted from the struggle, bucks with entangled antlers often die of exhaustion or are killed by coyotes. Koch said he has actually seen coyotes eat a dead buck while another buck, locked in its antlers, dragged it around and tried to escape.
After discussing the situation with his partner, Koch decided the best solution would be to try to shoot the antlers. If he could strike the area where they were locked, both bucks would be freed.
From about 20 feet away, Koch drew his .45 Glock. “All right, boys, hold still,” he said in the video, before firing a single shot.
Incredibly, the tactic worked. Both bucks sprang to their feet and went their separate ways, leaving a fractured portion of antler behind.
There’s more at the link.
Here’s the video.
Nice shooting, sir!
Peter
Now that's what I call gun control.
yup, i'm all for gun control…when the bullets go right where you want 'em.
nice…really glad he could help those bucks out their jam.
Many do not realize that a hand gun like his can be that accurate. Cops do, they train often and understand the capabilities – and limitations – of their weapon. That's why so many bad guys quickly go down in a confrontation.
So many of Hollywood's gunfights are ludicrous… they blast away at 20-30 feet and hit nothing. That's not the way it happens in real life.
However, that's a big advantage for our cops, the bad guys think they're safe at those very close distances, while a trained officer can hit a one inch thick antler at those distances.
If they can't, he/she needs a career change.
Unfortunately, the training of law enforcement officers runs the gamut from excellent to pitiful depending on the philosophy of their organization and the resources available.
Far too many departments require little more than yearly qualification at known distance on paper targets. Those LEOs who are good with their firearms generally simply like guns and practice on their own.
Game wardens are more likely to be knowledgeable about their weapons as they generally have more opportunity to put them to use for animal control. They are also assured that their encounters in the wild with humans will deal with armed individuals, whether legal hunters or poachers.
Note to those who might not be aware, male deer shed their antlers every year so no permanent harm done in taking the shot to free them. Assuming the two avoid hunters their racks will grow back just fine the next cycle.
Isn't the lose and grow back part of the distinction between horns and antlers?
104 yard shot by an Austin police officer.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/06/austin-cop-sure-shot-stopped-crazed-gunman.html