Thanks to all for a very intersting thread.
Doing some catch up on here

Im very interested on going on a humane dispatch course.
Just a little back ground , i have worked for the local goverment highways for 30 years now , part of this job entails of being on call .
Call outs can range from trees down / flooding / RTCs involving deer and other animals.
And have attended RTCs with deer which are DOA , so being local goverment we dispose of carcases via incinerator.
On the way to work one morning a young fallow buck got clobbered and the driver drove on - deer was still alive and in a very bad way - so had to use my razor sharp knife to deal with it!! ( knife used for work purposes!! )
My thought of doing the course is of gaining additional learning .
I had 2 of my highways colegues aproach me this week and told me how a van driver drove on after hitting a fallow buck and its rear end being damaged badly and it being left in the road still alive.
These guys stopped to assist with the traffic management for the police officer on the scene.
A gentleman shortly stopped and had a firearm in transit with him , he aparently spoke to the officer on the scene and then proceeded to do a humane dispatch!!
The next bit i was told concerned me , and that is , they expected a bang from the gun but is was muted thop!!! and it looked like he put the barrel at the base of the antler !!! , and that it took 6 shots to dispatch it!!!
I was not there so cannot speculate or nor would not judge this person who has tried to help!! , but would like to say i have known the highways lads for years on the scene and to say that they dont exagerate..
They also mentioned the police officer on the scene mentioned how distressing they found it with the animal having 6 shots to dispatch it before thanking them for the traffic mangagement and help !!!
I dont prefound to be a humane dispatch professional , but when the guys told me this and how their faces looked distressed as they were telling me ,this concerned me and i felt composed to apoligise for what they witnesed and explained that those in the know - dispatch them much more swiftly to end the suffering as quickly as possible ( situation depending ).
Your thoughts will be very much appreciated!!