doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Most humane way to dispatch a bird?

I was on my way to the dump here Saturday morning . That route can take me through miles of open farm fields so after making a hard right on the edge of a public section of land, I and ran across a gang of sharpies sprinting and then flying across the road ahead of me. One hesitated long enough for me to stop and drag out my 870 truck gun. It was at some range and the 1st shot hit it but didn't kill it, the 2nd slowed it further but still didn't end it. I sprinted out across the right-of-way and gathered it up. Bleeding profusely and with a broken wing, I assumed that the end was near. I whacked it's head harshly against the Ford truck's bumper and a gout of blood flew out of it nose and mouth and It went limp, so I placed it on the passenger floor of the truck cab (the back was full of trash and smelly garbage cans).



I resumed my trip to the sanitary landfill/transfer station and began noticing signs of life. By the time I was unloading the truck, I had company...



The bird rode all the way back home with me like that and then I had to dispatch it there. More head wacking (against the deck this time), and even a bit of throttling.



Now, if this had been a ruffed grouse it wouldn't have even survived the initial shot, and then certainly not the 1st head whack, so these Sharpies are clearly made of sterner stuff. I used to wring the necks of my gamebirds but often the heads would come-off (which I found a bit harsh). What should I have done differently here?

I clearly don't want this to happen again. A clean kill is always my goal.

You can squeeze the rib cage between your thumb and index finger until the bird suffocates, a few seconds usually, or carry a Priest with you as my hunting partner does. I have been cut more than once by the flapping of a broken wing during the final death squeeze but that is how I still do it.

Lloyd,
I have tried several methods such as yours, but have found that holding the bird on it's back and pressing on the sternum firmly to stop it's breathing and heart has worked the best for me. I dispatched a very alive U.P. grouse like that and have used that technique ever since.
Enjoying your reports!
Karl

Something like what Karl described is Thoracic Compression. Basically squeezing the rib cage to stop breathing and literally prevent the heart from pumping. A bit more of a trick on pheasant sized birds, but doable. Easy on grousish and smaller birds. Also works on mice and small rodent <~1/3 lb, with some practice. Usually, however, I wring necks, though with some care to avoid removing the head entirely, as that gets messy.

I've never tried either but have seen them when shopping for other things.

https://www.cabelas.com/p/the-finisher-waterfowl-dispatching-tool

https://www.lcsupply.com/products/bird-necker-tool

A pen knife or a small set of channel locks would probably do the trick as well

First praise Allah, then perform the dhabiha as normal to make it halal.

Ie, use a knife to slit the throat and end the animal’s suffering. The shimmy shake will start almost immediately, so hold it down with your foot so as not to make a mess.


The table worthiness of sharptails is really improved if you bleed them. They carry a huge volume of blood, and I wouldn’t recommend placing a wounded one inside of a vehicle.

Many years ago I was walking round Oxford when a tourist drew my attention to a wounded Pigeon.

I wrung its neck, and she was most upset when the head came off (I wasn’t best pleased myself).

Lloyd, it could have been worse. Many years ago I heard tell of a motorist who picked up what he took to be a dead Roebuck and put it in the back of his car.

When it came round he did not survive the resulting crash, though I am not sure whether it was the Buck or the crash that killed him.

Many years ago, when we had a healthy pheasant population, my buddy's younger brother shot a nice ringneck. It folded and fell like a rock as soon as he shot. never making even a flutter. We walked over to look at it and congratulate him on a nice shot. He put the bird in his game pouch and we all spread out and resumed hunting. After walking a bit, I saw him jumping up and down, and frantically beating the back of his small game coat. I walked over to see what was going on. Just as I got to him, the ringneck stuck its' head out of the side of the game pouch, very much alive.

I quickly wrung its' neck, and put an immediate end to any suffering and further gymnastics. The head did not come off, but if it had, it still would have been quickly and humanely dispatched. I've finished a few other birds that way, and it takes far less time than using a knife or some blunt instrument. No tools necessary, just a quick grab and twist. Squeezing the sternum to suffocate or stop the heart sounds like a much slower death. Some guys make the mistake of killing the critter with the butt of their shotgun, and manage to break the stock in the process.

To answer the question, if you hold the bird's neck between two fingers and with your thumb force the head to the side with enough force to break its neck it will die instantly. Taking care to stop when you feel the neck break avoids the head separating, together with most of the commotion if a "civilian" sees the process. With practice, this can be done with the arm hanging down by your side so it is not obvious that you are dispatching the bird, and you can still look for more doves. In some jurisdictions, it is better not to shood a bird while standing on the right of way and post it on social media. Also, picking a Roebuck up from someone else's Revier might be frowned upon.
Mike

There is probably 2-4 ounces of blood to be spray painted around the inside of your vehicle for every sharp tail that exsanguinates.

That’s why you kill them before you put them in the car.

If the dog brings a bird back and it’s alive, it is incumbent upon the hunter to dispatch it immediately.

Say the prayer, and stick a pointy knife under the birds tongue and cut the arteries. (Like processing a homegrown turkey)
It will pump itself out in the grass, painlessly expiring.