Thats a tough one, because to me thats not your deer. All you did was slow it down and your brother actually killed it. Being that it was between family, I understand and probably would have done the same thing as your brother. But what if a neighbor would have walked up on it and killed it? Would have you guys expected him to give it to you guys? Would have that deer survived if you guys never caught up to it? That ranks right up there with someone hitting a buck and not being able to find it. Then weeks later they find the skeleton and get that bad boy mounted and brag about it(And no i'm not talking about a situation like Matt/Pa's, he never stopped looking for it) . Its just not the same and i dont give any credit to that hunter.
I guess some of us roll different then others, I would do anything to help someone retrieve their wounded deer regardless of the person. Never would I consider that deer to be mine even If It's a 200" buck and my arrow was the one that put It down. People screw up, It happens. If my deer would of ran across to the neighbors and one of them would of shot It and decided to keep It, tough luck on my part I guess being It's perfectly legal for them to take It as long as there on their own land. I guess It depends what kind of person you are, I'm not greedy In the least and I know things don't always happen the way there suppose to when hunting. I never quit looking for this deer either. At 12 years old my brother made an easy decision that many people at 40 years old would argue over on who's deer It Is, that's pathetic If you ask me! I talked with a game warden about this very exact situation and he told me straight out he can't give tickets out to hunters for being greedy or selfish and If he could the state of Minnesota would be rich. And yes chances are my deer would of lived. I'd do anything to help anyone here get their deer as long as It's legal.
No to Dub's and yes to this one...if everyone was legal. That is what my problem was with the other thread, the second hunter was not legal. I am by no means the saint of the woods but we deal with poachers and tresspassers on a daily basis and I am so sick of it that I try and toe the line. If all parties are legal them let em fly...high fives backstraps for everyone.
Put the animal down and be done with it no matter who does it. No need to let it suffer to fill some egotistical ideal. edit: After reading Will's post I'll make it clear that mine was based on the assumption that everyone has the proper tags and licenses to be in the field.
As has been pointed out, in Dub's situation one hunter was legally allowed to shoot and the other was not. Here in Colorado, if both hunters were invovled with the taking of that animal, it would be considered party hunting-an illegal act. The game laws are there to protect both the hunter and the wildlife. I personally think it's vain if you think you are exempt from the law! Duke, you say, "you are responsible for putting the animal down as quickly and humanely as possible. And you're responsible for taking on the meat as well." I agree, and this is a huge responsibility. If you cannot accept this responsibility, then YOU (verses we/us or they) should not be hunting! I run it through my mind this way: 1) If I let an illegal hunter (is not in the feild with the proper tag) shoot my game, then I am an accomplice to that fact. As such, I can be cited for any/all violation(s) that person committed. 2) If you think the game wardens aren't watching here in Colorado, think again! 3)I like my hunting priviledge. I think I'll keep it-thank you! Now, in Steve's situation I am assuming all members of the hunt are LEGALLY entitled to be in the woods in pursuit of a deer. Steve, am I right in my assumption? If this is the case, then by all means hunt the beast until it is dead! I'll own up, I was the man in Jeff's scenario. I spined a deer and it dropped in its tracks. I did not have a follow up shot and I was thankful to have Jeff quickly end its suffering. I still thought of the deer as mine despite the arrow count. It wasn't an issue for me (still isn't) because Jeff was legally in the woods. We weren't party hunting. Jeff finished what I had started. I would have been real pissed if he did this without a proper tag to accompany his shot. Colorado shares game violations with 30 states. You break the law here, your hunting rights in those 30 other states are in jeopardy as well. How does retrieving a wounded deer as a party become a life or death situation for you? Does it warrant breaking the law? If so, then we need to change the law-let's allow party hunting as voters.
do what you can to track it, then put it out of its misery. that is part of being ethical. This past gun season I came across a blood trail in the snow. So it being a slow day, I started to follow it. I came across where it had bed down, but what amazed me is that there were no foot prints following it. It was either from the evening before or that morning and no one made an effort to follow it. I did until I lost it in the pines across a road. It sorta stunned me that a person would shoot at an animal & yet not even bother to track it down. I think that is part of hunting. I'd everything I can to find that animal.
You bet Will, everyone that was with me helping me find/get my deer all had legit whitetail licenses. Jeff did exactly what should be done In my eye's. I would've done the same myself. This I did not know, wow!!
After a bowhunt 3 years ago, I picked up my kids and was driving down a major road home at night. I saw a large doe that had been hit and it's back was broken. It was literally crawling down the side of the road with hundreds of cars driving right past it. I drove past it too, then turned around because I could not stand the thought of it struggling and in pain. I pulled out my bow, distracted my kids and ended the life of that doe with my bow as cars drove past me honking ( I guess they were mad at me). I guess I broke the law by shooting that doe......but I can tell you one thing, I would not have been able to sleep that night if I had not done it.
Jeff, do you plan on telling your GW that you'd do whatever It takes license or not In situation's that have been given (Dubbya's for Instance)? If your going to ask him you might as well be straight up with him, no pussy footing so to speak. I don't look down on ya one bit Brett, I've ended the life of a few road hit deer being I usually have a knife with me. There's no way though I'd shoot a deer with a bow or gun on the side of the road around my neck of the woods. We got more cops In the county I live In then anywhere I've ever saw. They'd write me up in a heartbeat, I guarantee that!!
I once killed a doe that had been hit by a car. She was just laying there bawling. She couldn't even lift her head. I used a four-way tire iron to dispatch her. I felt it was the right thing to do even though it's illegal. On the other hand, I used to have a doe show up in my yard that had both back legs broken. One bent out sideways when she put weight on it. The other was snapped off right above the hoof and the only way she could bear weight on it was to jam that exposed bone into the mud and ice. I felt horrible for her and put out corn (back when it was legal to feed deer) She would show up every day and eat the corn. She would balance on her front legs while she ate. She was big doe and if another doe tried to horn in on her corn, she'd stand on those broken back legs and whallop them. For awhile I thought her one leg might heal enough for her to survive but as winter wore on she started getting rough. The leg with exposed bone looked like it was getting some serious infection. She had poop all over her rear end and seemed unable to groom herself. The other deer were getting bossier with her. As much as I wanted to just put her out of her misery, I never attempted to do so. I simply stopped putting out corn and after a few days she just didn't show up any more. I know killing her may have been 'right' but it would have been highly illegal. The chance of being charged with a list of violations was enough to tie my hands.
I don't care if someone I'm hunting with finishes the job if I'm unable... The people that I hunt with have the same outlook.
Jeff, the problem as I see it is simply this: The deer you are about to dispatch "this morning", be it right or wrong, is not solely yours for the dispatching (things may be different in NC. Wildlife is common domain in CO.) What is wrong with simply picking up the telephone and calling your local law enforcement for advice? My guess is they'd respond an officer to the site quickly. They might even keep the carcass for evidence. Here in Colorado, our wildlife life officers have at their disposal a complete "CSI" type crime lab. Who knows, maybe your area poacher would be caught since you took it upon yourself to make the call. Sorry man, I just don't think it is your right to be the judge and the jury here. The wildlife belongs to we the people. I would think that we the people , or an agent thereof, should decide the outcome. In Christine's case, who knows, maybe a vet at a rehab facility could have saved the deer...there is always that possibilty. After you killed the animal, would you make the call-knowing that it may help catch the area poacher? Would you be willing to take the lumps if you were cited for waste? If you kill it, aren't you suppose to eat it? It's so easy to pick up a phone. Yes, in Dub's scenario, all members are legally entitled to be in the woods, but not all are entitled to kill elk. I'll see if I can get a response form one of our wildlife officers.
Steve, I much feel the same way you do. I do feel it does take away from it, but some things cancle other things out if you know what i mean
Jeff, There is no doubt in my mind you are doing what you feel is right. I respect that. In the case of my deer, you and I both know that you did what was right under the circumstance. Moreover, we had the authority given to us by the licenses we possessed to kill that deer. I understand...I, in essence killed it and you simply sped its departure. I'm ok with that. Nobody would ever question whether we were wrong-cut and dry we were not. I'm am struggling with all the legalities, and I think that stems from my respect for wildlife and life in general. Let's say your neighbor is hit by a car as he/she crosses the road. For mercy's sake would you kill him/her without a call to your local authority-taking this farther? Isn't a deer's life as valuable to you as your neighbor's?Afterall, the deer is your neighbor too, right? If you're going to do the right thing, shouldn't you go all the way in all cases-without picking and choosing? Isn't there comfort in knowing that several people, knowing your situation first hand, blessed/authorized your actions? Again, how hard is it to pick up a phone? With the officer on the phone, it would be hard for anyone to ever accuse you of being a poacher. Criminals usually don't direct dial the police before they commit a crime, right? You would be surprised, the officer might even give you the go ahead on the trigger pressure.
As someone on the outside looking in, I see a vast difference between tracking a wounded animal, and putting a second arrow in an elk mere seconds after the first one is sent through it. The only thing I see "wrong" with this stance is, where is the line drawn? If the shot is lethal (Double lung lethal, not gutshot lethal), why would anyone's answer change (that said yes)? Stick another arrow through both lungs, it can only make it die faster. There are given situations where I would gladly break the law to do what was right, and others where I wouldn't dream of it. I wouldn't stick an arrow into the elk in Dubb's situation for a plethora of reasons, but if tracking an animal in Steve's situation....that animal is goin down.
