# What's the biggest animal you've ever killed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982 "2004-05-25T13:30:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/1 "2004-05-25T13:30:17Z")
I think that the biggest animal that I’ve ever killed intentionally was a waterbug. Unintentionally, I ran over a cat with my car. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/2 "2004-05-25T13:35:29Z")
I’ve personally killed several deer that weighed over 200lbs. I also participated in the slaughter and butchering of cattle and hogs that weighed much more than that. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/3 "2004-05-25T15:03:02Z")
Biggest animal killed: a bird that decided the freeway lane 15 feet in front of my car would be a good place to stop and rest its wings. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/4 "2004-05-25T15:17:53Z")
Alligator, 14 feet, nine inches. Shot it with a .22 rifle, finished it with a knife. Dragged it down the canal with a boat to where I could pull it out with a backhoe. Had a “fish” fry with the tail, fed it to a lot of people, I was too drunk to know how many. I have the skull still, it’s in the living room, it’s one of my most valuable possesions. When Mrs. lanelee gets angry, she has been known to get a hammer and threaten the gator head. She knows ho to get my attention. The state record for alligators is a little over 13 feet. You generally don’t take something illegal to town and show it off, ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/5 "2004-05-25T15:22:37Z")
Biggest animal I’ve ever killed was a cat I accidently ran over. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/6 "2004-05-25T15:30:10Z")
I hit a robin once. The biggest thing I’ve ever killed intentionally (assuming putting a pet to sleep doesn’t count) is probably a spider. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/7 "2004-05-25T16:25:32Z")
The biggest thing I’ve ever actively, personally killed was a bird that flew into my grill on the parkway. I’ve assisted in more euthanasias than I really care to think about, and some of those dogs have weighed upwards of 200#. I’ve never been the one pushing the juice, though; it’s illegal in this state for a tech to perform euthanasia. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/8 "2004-05-25T16:37:02Z")
A deer, probably about 120 lbs. With any luck, I’ll get to go elk hunting this fall. While I’ve hunted elk in the past, I’ve never killed one. If I do get one, it’s going to be a hell of a lot more work than a deer. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/9 "2004-05-25T16:46:47Z")
Several large kangaroos, but out in the bush how do I know what they weigh. Maybe 200 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/10 "2004-05-25T17:03:27Z")
Game hunting: a rabbit Pest hunting: a large dog (killing neighbor’s sheep) helped slaughter chickens traffic: a squirrel, but I’ve also hit a dog that survived self defense (while cycling): a German Sheperd that I hit with a tire pump when it was chasing my bike. A lucky shot to the back of it’s head broke it’s neck. I needed 15 stitched to my ankle, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/11 "2004-05-25T17:24:10Z")
> [@vunderbob](#): > > self defense (while cycling): a German Sheperd that I hit with a tire pump when it was chasing my bike. A lucky shot to the back of it’s head broke it’s neck. I needed 15 stitched to my ankle, too. You’re my hero. When I tried that same move on a mutt all I did was break my pump. It did stop the dog though. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/12 "2004-05-25T17:54:05Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > You’re my hero. When I tried that same move on a mutt all I did was break my pump. It did stop the dog though. My pump was toast, but I didn’t care at the time, between the bleeding and the adrenaline. They don’t work too well with a near 90 degree fold… ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/13 "2004-05-25T18:12:09Z")
A ~30 lb striped bass. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/14 "2004-05-25T19:44:10Z")
When I was about fifteen, I used to walk downtown at night a lot. One night, I saw a lump in the road, and then the lump twitched, and in the headlight of an oncoming car I just had time to see that it was a small raccoon before the car ran over the raccoon’s rear half. I know this was stupid. Before the next car came, I lifted the raccoon by its tail and swung it over onto the sidewalk. It barely noticed: its eyes were glassy, its muzzle had a bit of blood trickling out of it. Each breath was an agonizing whistling wheeze. I was a pagan at that age, and I tried all the ritual I knew to save the raccoon’s life; but of course, it was bleeding internally, and no supplications to Diancecht were going to knit together its broken body. I realized this, realized that the poor creature was dying in great pain, and resolved to kill it. My first thought was to stomp on its head: this would be quick and put it out of its misery with, I hoped, minimal pain. But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I tried to strangle it, but after a few seconds couldn’t bear to feel its desperate attempts to draw breath past my fingertips. Finally, I twisted its neck until it broke; then, sobbing, I carried the corpse home and made a necklace from the tip of its tail and an oak tree bud. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/15 "2004-05-25T20:37:12Z")
I’ve killed a couple deer while deer hunting. The first was a medium-sized buck. Probably weighed around 150 lbs. The second was a doe that weighed about 140 lbs. One of my goals is to go **moose** hunting out west with my 50 BMG. Now _that’s_ a big animal. So big, in fact, that you can’t drag it out. You have to carve it up and cart it out in multiple trips… ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/16 "2004-05-25T21:02:28Z")
Killed a dog a long time ago. ran over it at 120 mph. looked back it through the rear view as it gasped. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/17 "2004-05-25T23:12:45Z")
Personally speaking - a slug I found on my flowers. But it was a huge, huge slug Have also arranged several contract-killings of spiders in the house (can’t get near enough to do the job myself) ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/18 "2004-05-25T23:29:46Z")
**On Purpose:** Probably a two-pound catfish or something. **By Accident:** I once ran over an otter late at night in rural Georgia. At least I think it was an otter; it was maybe five or six feet long. **Morally Got Blood On My Hands:** Thousands and thousands of cows. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/19 "2004-05-26T00:13:34Z")
Largest was a 1,800 pound bull. Many other cattle and a bunch of hogs of lesser weights. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982/20 "2004-05-26T01:11:14Z")
Largest was probably an animal of some sort I ran over one night. I’m fairly sure it was a possum, though it could conceivably have been a cat. I feel kind of bad now for not stopping to put it out of its misery (if it had any), but it was on a pitch-black country road, about ten seconds away from raining, and I was travelling around 70, and thus was about a quarter mile down the road before I consciously realized I’d hit something. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-animal-youve-ever-killed/246982.md?page=2)