what would you do

[njloco]

If there is no sign of an injury, and the deer cannot get up, it might have a disease, I would shoot it and call the game warden and let them sort it all out. Either way it's suffering and if it can't get up it's going to die a miserable slow death.

Even though we don't always do a good job or the right thing, we are stewards of mother earth and have to try our best.

A few years ago I had three bucks come by me at the same time all in a line. One of them was walking with a limp, he didn't have the biggest rack of the three, but I shot him anyway, would he have recovered, maybe but if his wound got worse maybe not.

[landman]

I'd put him down and tag him.   Several years ago I was hunting on my lease and I knew there were several big bucks in the area.   An hour after first light on opening day two small bucks walked across the pasture.  One was limping so I put my binocs on him and I could see that his left front leg has been cut off above the joint, just like a surgical cut.  All healed up and everything.   I watched the two bucks browse a bit and noticed that this little fella couldn't nibble things on the ground without a lot of trouble and effort trying to brace himself.

I know what yotes will do to a handicapped animal so I shot him.   He was my black powder buck for the season and he was delicious.   Later in the year I killed another that was damn nice.

[SteveB]

I'm with jcar - let nature take it's course unless it's an animal I would shoot anyways.

[buckeye_hunter]

While I don't think putting an OBVIOUSLY suffering animal down is a "cheap excuse to kill something", there is a point to be made here.

A huge old buck was killed on the highway when hit by a vehicle. After field dressing and butchering 4 slugs and an arrow shaft were taken out of his hip, shoulder and chest. The arrow shaft had calcified in the chest cavity. I don't know how, but there were pictures. Deer are tough, who knows?

I still don't think ending the suffering of an animal is a "cheap excuse to kill something". I have shot more than one raccoon that clearly had distemper to keep it from spreading elsewhere including my animals.

[bucksdown]

guys thanks for your responses, i agree with all but two, how can anyone just stand there and watch anything suffer, for who knows how long? i have to be honest, my first thought was not to let him suffer anymore. i couldn't even see him breathing, he was not going to get up. if i thought for one minute he would, i'd let him go with my best wishes and hope to see him next year. for most of us KILLING something is not the cold hearted thing we do when hunting, it's the harvesting, and the finality of all that goes with hunting. it was only after i put him down that i even thought about whether i should call the game warden or would it cost me my tag. i wondered if he was hit by a car, or had a disease. i can't shoot a stray dog, cat, ect. but when something is suffering that's a whole new story. years ago me and my friend were returning home, his doberman ran out in front of my car, it broke his back, my friend gave me his gun to shoot him, he couldn't stand to see him howling. right, wrong or indifferent, i felt i did the right and only thing i could at the time. i didn't kill him illegal. and yes i do have a good harness and a treestand with armrest, i wouldn't have known if the world record walked by. i'm glad i'll never know, or someone would have to shoot me.

[longbow fanatic 1]

When I was a young man gun hunting with some friends, I had the same dilemma. As I did then, I would shoot the buck, tag him and tell the truth about how he was killed.

If you wait to tag him, in many states, that would be illegal. Ethical hunters would support your decision. There will always be another year for trophy hunting.

[Bowwild]

In 45 years of bowhunting from tree stands I've never gone to sleep in the stand. I have friends who do all the time. I have however been caught looking the wrong way and worse (November 12th)and allowed a deer I would shoot walk through a shooting lane unmolested.

Jcar315 makes good points regarding human emotions such as misery and suffering being assigned to beasts that creepeth upon the earth. I don't subscribe such things to wild animals. But, animals do feel, react to, and will try to avoid "pain". Just one example: electric fences with peanut butter on aluminum strips -- conditions SOME deer to avoid such areas.

Such a sight would have bothered me personally because it is very difficult to separate our feelings from those of critters. If I had a tag I would have killed the deer. I would have called the warden after to explain what I saw and what I did. Even if the deer was a monster I would not claim it as a fair chase kill.  

In most cases the warden would say my tag is filled because they don't want to open the door to "mercy killing" reasons to kill and keep tags.  

You can often tell if a deer (dead one) has been struck by auto's even if there are no external signs. In my job I've taken he hides off deer to determine this very thing - I've seen perfectly spaced rubber bumper bruises on the flesh proving auto strike vs. poacher-shot for instance. Very few wildlife officials will have the time to conduct such an inquiry.

Here's a sticky situation. What if you didn't have a legal tag for the animal?  Now what....? Some would kill it and take their chances with the warden...very risky.  You can be fined, lose your gun, vehicle and worst of all, hunting privleges for a year or more. Some would kill it and say nothing. Of course you can make the call and plead your case. I think in many cases most officers would say let nature take "her" course rather than giving you "license to kill" without a tag.

[Al Natural]

Make a telephone call to your local Conservation Officer and let him make the decision.  If you shoot the deer than you used your tag.
Al

[Archer Fanatic]

I'm probably going to get hammered . If you are hunting an animal just for bragging rights you are hunting for the wrong reasons.

[longbow fanatic 1]

"Here's a sticky situation. What if you didn't have a legal tag for the animal? Now what....? Some would kill it and take their chances with the warden...very risky. You can be fined, lose your gun, vehicle and worst of all, hunting privleges for a year or more. Some would kill it and say nothing. Of course you can make the call and plead your case. I think in many cases most officers would say let nature take "her" course rather than giving you "license to kill" without a tag."

I agree, Bowwild. In this situation, I feel the best course of acion would be to contact the warden. Let him/her view the animal themselves, so they can make the decision of whether to shoot the animal or not. They may not have the time or ability to respond, but you would never be wrong contacting the warden first. If you shoot the animal without legal justification although your heart was in the right place, you run the risk of the aformentioned sanctions.

[xtrema312]

I totally understand the feeling to try and end the suffering of an animal.  I have been there a few times.  Now I am not sure what I will do next time.

I once found a button buck that looked to have its back broken or something.  I think a buck had injured it because I had seen a buck and heard a big commotion in the direction he went earlier in the day.  That is where I found the button.  It was very weak and had raked up the ground in a good size area trying to get up.  It was foaming at the mouth, and looked to be really bad off.  I shot it to end its suffering and tagged it with a doe permit I had.  I figured it was just injured.  Later I wondered if it was sick and not injured.  I ended up not eating it just incase.  In the end I wondered if it would have been better to just let it be.

Another time I shot a doe that had an injured leg.  Turned out to be a very skinny deer with the injured hind leg nothing but skin and bone. I though it was shot by a hunter, but now think it was a car hit weeks before hunting season.  I got very little meat for the work and tag.  It was not very good eating at all.  Next one like that just lays where it drops.

A few weeks ago my friend's son shoot a buck with an amputated lower leg.  It was just hanging on by the tendon.  It was an older injury of maybe a few months.  My friend called it a mercy killing.  Then told me how the buck had run off several other bucks.  I don't think the buck needed any mercy and would have declined an offer to relieve it of its problems.  It was a decent buck so I would have shot it anyway.

Animals die all the time without our help.  We are not there to put them out of their misery.  Why do we feel we are obligated to do it when we can?  It is rare that an animal dies a quick easy death.  A hunters arrow or bullet being one of the few ways.  All things die and the vast majority die not so nice including people.  That is just the way it is; the penalty of a fallen world.  

I don't think there is a correct answer to this question other than not to do anything to get into trouble with the law.  If it was me, I would have put in a quick call to the DNR or a CO to see what they said.  If the deer didn't make it long enough to get some input from them, then it didn't suffer that long.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I would have killed him. Every season doesn't end the way you expect, and we owe it to the animals we hunt to show a little mercy, even at our own cost.

[bucksdown]

ok guys , now what would you honestly do, i've hunted ethicaly for 40 years and my intent was never to break the law. i asked everyones opinon,i agree i should have tagged him, and just checked him in and called it a year. i didn't because i trully didn't feel i did anything wrong. it's been two days now, i can't fill out my tag and take in only the head, the yotes, i'm sure have feasted on him by now. the only thing i can do now to make it right is to call the dnr and explian and pray he don't threat me as a criminal. it could be percieved as like someone stealing, feeling guilty, taking the money back and hoping they don't prosecute them. now, how many of you would call the dnr? how many would consider it a lesson learned and not make the same mistake again. i would have felt bad just watching die, and i feel like i possibly should have called the dnr to see what i should do. people run into situations everyday beacuse there emotions take over and react without thinking of the what could happen to them. i realize it wasn't a burning building with someone inside, but when you live your life always trying to do the right thing i guess you just have to take your lumps and know in your heart you did the right thing contray to what some might say. be honest, what would you do now.

[magnus]

That is something only you can decide. Everyone can say I'd do this or that but until we're put into the exact same situation no one can give an honest opinion on what they would do. Only what they think they would do from the comfort of there own home. There is no gray in the law. Only black and white.
Good luck!

Keeping the Faith!
Magnus

[Blaino]

I think you did the right thing.  I also think it is a pretty good story you will tell for many years to come.....

[lpcjon2]

I would back up 15yrds and shoot him if it makes you feel better.Put him down and call a warden either way you got meat and did the honorable thing.

[droptine82]

Glad to hear you did the right thing buck_hunter.  If I was laying there suffering I would not want to wait on a conservation officer to make a decision.  I would want to pass quickly and not suffer.  i would expect an animal would want the same.  After you do it call your officer and explain the situation.  If he is fair at all he should let you take the meat and give you a tag.  Around here the coyotes would start eating him alive soon and that would be a terrible death.  Last winter I saw 2 coyotes eating a calfs back end while he was trying to walk away.  They did not even attempt to kill it first.  They got some lead thrown there way.  The calf died of shock!  What you did is what I call ETHICAL!  Hats off to you!

[jcar315]

Let me get this straight:

1. You shot the buck to "put him out of his misery"

2. You cut his head off and left him lay where he died

3. You didn't tag him

Are you kidding me???

 What I would have "honestly" done is let him lay where he was and not done anything. I can assure you I would not have shot him, cut his head off, and not tagged him.

How can anyone think this was the "right thing to do" and was "ethical?" Since when is shooting a deer and cutting his head off, not tagging him, and letting the meat go to waste ethical or even legal?

Just as I thought......

[xtrema312]

If it will look wrong to the CO after the fact you need to not do it.  Shooting it and letting it lay could be seen as wanton waste.  Taking without a tag would look like poaching.  Taking the head, not tagging and leaving the body would look like both.  The options are to let it be, kill it and tag it, or call the law.  

If I got only one tag for the year and it was early in hunting season, I would not burn my tag on it.  Sorry, but I would want to hunt, and there may not be a next year.  I would call a CO to see if I could get it so it is not wasted.  Now if I had more than one buck tag or it was the last couple days of the season I would shoot it and tag it to get the meat and not waste time messing with the CO.  Right now I am on my restricted buck tag.  If that deer was not 4 on a side I couldn’t even shoot it and tag it so then what?  Shooting it would open me up to possible prosecution.  No thanks.  Stuff gets hit by cars and dies all the time.  If that deer couldn’t get up how long do you think it would live?  Was it even conscious?  How long was it there?  Could have only been there a few minutes and lasted only a short while.  It could have died faster than a lot of arrow hit deer do.  It would probably have died way faster than a gut shot or marginal hit that could take many hours.  Bow hunt long enough and you will probably have that happen.  If we are going to worry about an animal suffering an hour or so we better not shot them with arrows.  It is an animal not a person after all, and we don’t even shoot our suffering people.

I just recalled a situation about 10 years ago.  I buck got hit by a car and ran off way out in a field across the road from my house.  I found it before the sheriff’s deputy got there to talk to the driver.  He went out and shot it and I got it.  Maybe next time you think you have a car hit deer you should call the sheriff.  They may have a report on it and could come out to dispatch it or give you the go to shoot it.  Around here they can also give you the paperwork to keep it.

What probably happened is a 300” 300# buck busted him up and left him for dead.  You slept through it.
 

[jcar315]

Excellent points xtrema312