Don't question yourself Fowler, you did what was necessary. Sorry it had to be under those circumstances, and not to make light of the situation but, "sh-- happens, not your fault. You did the humane thing.

I know of a Pastor, a VaARNG Officer who has a felony conviction for doing just that. He did not realize he was on a school's property when he did it as he was physically far removed from the school building... The cop COULD have ignored it but wouldn't. That officer is now gone from that force.

PS - to my mind this is just more evidence that the world is turned upside down. I hope that you suffer no consequence for your choice.

PPS - I need to note that he was on school property, inside the city limits, within 100 yards of a roadway and a house. ALL of these are illegal here.

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Sincerely,

Hobie

I have done that several times, twice when I couldn't avoid hitting a deer. Both were on busy highways. One was the Coeur D'ALene Indian reservation and a truck full of happy Indians "stole" it from me. I was relieved that they did.
Once on I-40 between Williams and Flagstaff a small heard of mule deer ran out in front of me. I managed to dodge them but a gal traveling by herself hit a doe. It tore her plastic grill and both headlights off broken pelvis screaming deer crying lady. I told the gal what I was going to do, then did it. A Remington Mid range load out of my 4" 29 ended the deer's agony. She thanked me. I escorted her into a gas station in Williams.
In Germany another MP hit a doe crippled it. We followed procedure and waited 1 hours while that deer bleated for the local Forest Jeager to show up and pop it with a .22lr. That was legal but not very ethical.
What you did was ethical and right.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

It's not putting the deer down that would be the issue. It would be discharging a firearm within 150 feet of the center stripe of the maintained road that would be illegal. My DOW neighbor said it is very doubtful anyone would say anything but they could and you never know when Barney Fife will show up and be a prick. So doing what needed to be done and getting the hell out of there was certainly the right move. 98% of the law enforcement wouldn't be a problem but...

I know it was what needed to be done so I certainly won't lose any sleep over it but it is clarified for me now.

You could have "finished" it off, and taken it home, "Road Kill" law was passed about four years ago. Although, you probably would have to have fought 15 other people for it. "Road" kill deer don't hang around long in these parts. We commonly call it "food."

Sadly, gotta wait for an LEO to end the suffering if there is a deer/vehicle accident.

But, much like the others have posted. Sometimes 'some guy' will usually stop...'pop', get back in the truck and know one know's who that strange man was. Nor can they agree what he was driving and no one even thought about a getting his tag number.

Murphy

Many years ago, a dog got hit in the street in front of one of the mens' dorms on the Tennessee Tech campus. The dog had ribs crushed, spine broken, etc. and was suffering. I am not a person who can stand to see an animal suffer. I had a Winchester single-shot .22 in my car (slightly against the rules). A couple of the guys carried the dog over and laid it on the lawn of the dorm, and I ended its pain with a .22 short HP. On campus (also slightly against the rules). I put the rifle away and went back inside in case Sherlock (the campus night cop) showed up. If he did, I never heard anything more about it.

I guess the statute of limitations has run out on that little transgression. If someone did that today he would likely go to jail, and certainly get thrown out of school. I hope my guys in the dorm (I was a dorm counselor) learned something about compassion that night. I would certainly do it again if I had to.

Suicide in a National Forest campground in Missouri. There he was, lying dead on a gravel bar at the swimming hole of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head...