Legal vs. Illegal "Would you shoot or not"

It's quieted down some in here honestly. I think opinions have run their course for the most part and I thank all who have shared. By all means though those who wish to still share do so.

 

I've been goin back and fourth reading the comments and trying to decide what I would do in this situation. Originally I voted yes that I wouldn't hesitate to shoot, but also one of the first comments I made was that if while sitting in stand I could clearly see and determine if it was goin to be a safe shot I would indeed take it even if it was 5-10 mins before or after legal shooting light. That being said I rarely sit and watch the clock while on stand mostly because I never wear a watch and don't wanna make myself into a lighthouse in the early morning hours. That being said I made it a point to check right down to the exact second it was time to shoot. I found that this morning while it was light enough out to see pretty clearly but I don't think I would have been comfortable with making shot, I found this evenings hunt to produce same results. The times would have been 6:34 am and 5:10pm for legal hours. So I guess the times put into place would pretty much cover what I would consider shooting light. This is just an observation I made today out into the woods, I'm not sure it would change my answer to the question but I've never been presented with the situation and I really don't think anyone can until presented with that, regardless of their feelings on the law. Temptation make you do unexpected things sometimes, especially when presented with say 200" buck.

 

No, no. no. you choose what you do. That is TM's point and if you choose now to do right, then there is no choice to make in the heat of your excitement later. If our young people were taught to think that way, just think of the questionable businesses and jailhouses that would be out of business.

 

I understand it's still your choice and yea you can choose to do the right thing but doesn't always mean that's what your gonna do as you say during all the excitement. The choices you make now aren't always what your gonna do, there's more that go into making a decision then jus saying ahead of time "I'll never do that." If your one of those people hey that's great all I was saying is its different for every person no matter what your plans are ahead of time, and that doesn't jus include doin the wrong thing a lot of times it happens when you should do the right thing. There's hundred of examples you could bring up but have nothing to do with this topic so why bring them up.

 

Several years ago, during rifle season, I was bowhunting my property edge and this ginormous buck walks out following a doe. I could have shot him but it was getting dark so I decide to leave him alone and try again the next morning. It was really cold, ice on the ground in Alabama believe it or not, and I hear him breaking the ice on a frozen pond as he tromps through. Easy shot and I carried my rifle that morning because I was bundled up, but he is on the neighbor's property. I was allowed to retrieve any deer that crossed onto their property that I shot with a bow but we didn't have an agreement that I could hunt on their property or retrieve deer I shot with a rifle. I was sure they wouldn't have minded and they later told me so. I could have easily shot him... I passed. I saw him one more time before the season closed and couldn't get a clear shot but I have never regretted the decision not to violate my neighbor's trust. Integrity is too important to lose over a blob of calcium. I killed a scraggly 2 1/2 year old that afternoon with one side of his rack broken off. Possibly my greatest trophy ever.

 

Respect!

 

Clearly you get it.

 

So was "getting dark" with in shooting hours? If you cant make a shot because of distance or bad eye sight i see this. I wouldnt shoot on a neighbors property either specially if land permission was on the line.

 

But, you would shoot a buck that just came from the neighbors property 5 minutes past legal shooting time? If so, didnt you just cheat the neighbor anyway?

 

I guess that would depend on how hot the neighbods wife was.

 

What does your reply have anything to do with my post? Your just trying to start and argument again

 

Pretty simple question I thought directly related to the thread topic and your post. I was simply making a point that there really is no difference in shooting across the fence or shooting the buck 5 minutes beyond legal time after he crosses the fence. The end result is the same. But you know that and decided to take the avoidance route instead rather than just answer the question.

So,...do you shoot that same buck 5 minutes past legal time if he jumps the fence?

Afterall, "its only illegal if you get causht."

 

So I've noticed a lot of people bringing up the comment of cheating your neighbor. Aren't you kinds of cheating them in a way by placing your stand on the property line? I guess since it's legal tho no one would feel as if they've done somethin morally wrong. Just a question not trying to start a argument. I myself feel cheated overtime a neighbor that only gun hunts comes out and shoots a deer I've been after the first two months of bow season, but just one them things that's part of it.

And no I don't have stands anywhere within 250 yards of property lines, I've got 500 acres to hunt and plenty of places to hang stands. And if a neighbor has one on the line that's the first place I park my truck to walk to my stand regardless of distance. On my side of course.

 

One of my favorite spots is 40 yards from the property line ... I don't feel like I am cheating my neighbor .... of course I don't have 500 acres to hunt on either

I pass on deer on the other side ... most of them cross on my farmer's side from the other property anyway ...

 

Thank you you for the civil response, like I said jus a question. I can see some situations where it's unavoidable I guess.

 

Until I lock down some more land, it is .... now if those dang PowerBall numbers woulda come in.... :D

 

that would be pretty much impossible for someone with only 40acres square, or heaven forbid - only 10, which would mean it was only about 220 yards all the way across. I really don't see how competing for the same deer is cheating if you both are going by the fair chase rules/laws...also wouldn't have any problem with you parking by my stand especially if you did it all the time and the deer would quickly figure out that you were headed into the depths of your property at that time and that it would be perfectly 'safe' near your truck Actually we have many neighbors(and others) that hunt around our 200+ acres to benefit from the food plots and nice bucks that we pass on...these bucks almost never get to make it through to the next year but we try and let them. With 5-8 people hunting this property at different times and sometimes the same time it is given that we have stands within 100 yards or less from the property lines which has nothing to do with the property lines being there but rather the deer and thier preferred travel routes and limited space. I know a lot of people who are much more limited in thier areas to hunt so I have no issue with some encroachment - trespass is a whole different ballgame and for a different thread and so is hunter harassment(by anti's and other hunters both).

 

I see all your after is an argument an i am not interested as i thought we were getting back on track. All i asked is if the getting dark was within shooting hours or not, infact i wasnt even referencing the neighbor part of his post only the part that he passed because it was getting dark. You need to relax a bit and stop looking for the argument. Everyone already knows my views on this subject so why are you coming back at me? To tell me something i havnt heard from you yet? Relax and take a deep breath man!!!!!!

 

For clarification, the neighbor and I got along well and he knew where my stands were. The deer would walk our common fence row which is about 10 yards wide. Some of the trees are on my side; some on his. His land from there spread out and I would stay off unless I happened to shoot a deer that ran over there. He would rabbit hunt the rest of it and sometimes come onto my side to stand on the pasture edge or to recover a dog. I didn't mind that. We respected each other and it all worked out just fine. Since then a thicket has grown up and I can hunt well on my side of the property. If he had killed a deer I had been watching... I would be glad for him as he would have been for me. When I choose to bowhunt during gun season... I understand that deer will get killed that I have been trying get with my bow.

As far as intentionally messing up someone's hunt because you think they are too close to your line? I don't know about that... I think cooperation would be a better approach. You should be able to trust him not to shoot across and he should be able to trust you not to shoot across. In the event a "shot" deer crosses the line... you have it prearranged as to how the recovery is handled. That's respect for one another and the only way you will likely get that is by him believing in your integrity and you in his.

 

Actually you did reference the neighbor part. You said you would not shoot onto the neighbors property either. So, I was just trying to figure out the thought process that differentiates between thinking it is okay to shoot before or after legal hours, but not okay to shoot across the property line. To me, they are one in the same. There is no argument, only questions that I have asked that never get answered. I am not attacking, just asking questions.

So, would you shoot the same buck if it crossed the property line after legal shooting time?

If it was a world record, would you lie about what time you shot it?

I am just trying to understand how you determine which laws are to be followed and which are okay to ignore. If you continue to choose not to answer, I will have my answer. Thanks.