Should NEVER Happen!

This was a scene that happened to me today that I cannot get out of my head and I'm completely distressed about:

I'm at a friend's house and her dogs are barking.  She looks out of the window and says, "OMG!  Look!" and we see an adult doe walking across the street in front of my car and onto her yard.  "A deer is in my yard!"  We walk over to her garage door and open it and walk out only to see the deer turn (prior to this we were looking at it head on) and see that there is an arrow sticking out of its side and its side is completely covered in blood.  We both stare and my friend starts saying, "OMG" over and over again... as we walk out it runs (as best as it could, it really wasn't moving well) down her street, which is a cul de sac.  We're freaking out and we see blood droppings all over her yard, the sidewalk and  the street.  This doe was hurt pretty badly. It disappears under some trees near one of the houses. 

Get this... my friend called animal control, her city police, the neighboring city police and the Sheriff... She got hung up on.  She got passed around to different parties, only to be given the original number she dialed.  The Sheriff's office?  Closed at 4pm.  It was 5:30.  NO ONE could help her.

What do you do?  What do you do when there is a wild animal that is mortally wounded? 

Part of me is so very angry.  What if it was some *$%!@# kid just screwing around with his bow and arrow?  She lives in a very residential neighborhood... no reason any hunting should have been going on nearby.  What if this kid for shits and grins decides to play around and actuall shoots a deer... but doesn't kill it.  Of course it's going to run.  And that kid is probably gloating up a storm.  Oh... man, oh, man... if it was a kid playing around and I found out, I can't tell you what I might do to him/her!  All I can hope for is my belief that what goes around, comes around.  It'll be comin' round for that kid!

Part of me is hopeful.  I hope it was a hunter who shot it.  I hope it was an honorable hunter who will track it, and take care of it.  I'm not a hunter... I never will be...I don't like it...and I won't eat what is hunted...but I get why people hunt.  Not only are there way too many deer around for anyone's safety (or theirs), but many people... including people in my extended family... only make it through the winter with the bounty of venison that they hunted.  It's a source of valuable meat.  I get it.  I know that those in my family who hunt have followed a wounded deer for miles to take care of it.  I am hopeful that if it was a hunter who shot this deer that he was honorable and tracked it and took care of her. 

Part of me is so very sad. She had to have suffered something fierce. That should never happen. No animal (or human) should suffer like that.   My heart wrenches every time I remember that scene from my friend's garage.

I hope she is at peace now and not hurting anymore. 

Sorry... I just had to get that out.  *deep breath* 

Yes, I hope she is at peace and not hurting anymore.