It's tough to be a nice guy

[33Canuck]

You did the right thing except for one thing.... No pics.... lol just kidding you would have never been proud to have taken a deer someone else put the kill shot on knowing they were doing the right thing by looking for it.  Hats off to you and good luck filling your tag

[Culvercreek hunt club]

You did the right thing Wildcat and should feel very good about yourself. I wish 2bad experiences I have had on 2 good bucks turned out the same way. Both were shot on the ground with their head up as I was tracking them with mortal wounds. I actually saw one guy shoot one of them. I actaully asked the guy if he was going to mount it after he damn near threatened me that it was his deer and he said "yes, why wouldn't I . It is a great buck".

That deer wouldn't have meant as much to you as if the whole hunt was yours. But kudos on knowing your area and making the right call.

a damn pic would have been nice though...lol

[20ftupatree]

You are a good man,Good things will come to good people I am a believer. There is no pride in cheating.

[shenders]

Wildcat you are an example of what a true sportsman is. You did the right thing.

[gundeck]

Well done.  Congratulations.  (Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go get this 12-point mounted!)  Just kidding.  You have done hunting proud.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

OK Wildcat---enough of the back patting----get your butt out there and shot it's Father...lol

[steve863]

You did the right thing Wildcat and should feel very good about yourself. I wish 2bad experiences I have had on 2 good bucks turned out the same way. Both were shot on the ground with their head up as I was tracking them with mortal wounds. I actually saw one guy shoot one of them. I actaully asked the guy if he was going to mount it after he damn near threatened me that it was his deer and he said "yes, why wouldn't I . It is a great buck".

First off, Wildcat surely did the right and sportsmanlike thing here.  However, I would bet that the vast majority of hunters out there would have done exactly what Culver had happen to him, most especially on a buck that size.  Lots of guys out there talk a good story when it comes to sportsmanship and ethics, but few in my experience really show it when push comes to shove.  I know some hunters would swear up and down that this isn't the case, but it sure has been in my experience.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Steve...that is exactly the reason I shared my experiences. It really speaks to just how big Wildcat's actions were. Especially since these guys were no where to be seen. Only he would have ever known.

[steve863]

And that is why I have always enjoyed reading your posts, Culver!  You are one of the few who tells it straight and like it is.  I feel way too many people try to sugarcoat so many things about hunting.  Hunting to many IS a very selfish sport and I for one won't pretend that it isn't.

[bubba]

Wild I can tsay anything that hanst already been said.  May I use your example in my next class as an example of true sportsmanship and a great example of the ethical thing to do? you will be rewrded greatly.  Now as mentioned, enough yacking go get the one you deserve for doing this.

[Dinsdale]

Interesting dilemma, I think you made a good decision.

Maybe Diana will smile on you for it in the future.

Good hunting.

[Hidehunter12]

I don't know,last shot thru to a certaint extent claims the deer.

Ive wounded a deer and tracked it for well over 4 hrs.mostly on my hands and knees only to find a gut pile and drag marks,ended up meeting up with the guys and it was a huge doe,which i knew it was a doe but didnt think it was as big.i told the guys my story and they laughed there rear ends off at me,mind you i was 17 first deer i ever pulled the trigger on.this was on public land also.

So from now on if i see a wounded deer and its with in range and i have a tag im shooting it and claiming it as mine since i put the final shot on it.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I don't know,last shot thru to a certaint extent claims the deer.

Ive wounded a deer and tracked it for well over 4 hrs.mostly on my hands and knees only to find a gut pile and drag marks,ended up meeting up with the guys and it was a huge doe,which i knew it was a doe but didnt think it was as big.i told the guys my story and they laughed there rear ends off at me,mind you i was 17 first deer i ever pulled the trigger on.this was on public land also.

So from now on if i see a wounded deer and its with in range and i have a tag im shooting it and claiming it as mine since i put the final shot on it.

While its your legal right to do so, think about the way you felt when you were 17 and those guys laughed at you. What if the deer you put down and lay claim to was someone else's first deer? That makes you as much of a (fill in the blank) as the guys that did it to you. Maybe instead of being spiteful and continuing the attitude, you should break the chain and do the right thing? Just food for thought.

[steve863]

I don't know,last shot thru to a certaint extent claims the deer.

Ive wounded a deer and tracked it for well over 4 hrs.mostly on my hands and knees only to find a gut pile and drag marks,ended up meeting up with the guys and it was a huge doe,which i knew it was a doe but didnt think it was as big.i told the guys my story and they laughed there rear ends off at me,mind you i was 17 first deer i ever pulled the trigger on.this was on public land also.

So from now on if i see a wounded deer and its with in range and i have a tag im shooting it and claiming it as mine since i put the final shot on it.

From my experience I would say that the majority of hunters out there would do what was done to you and what you now would do to others.  Don't make it right, though.  If I am not capable of finding a deer and then killing it all by myself then I will live without one.  I surely won't go claiming someone elses and then be telling everyone that it was me who bagged it.

 

[bubba]

I don't know,last shot thru to a certaint extent claims the deer.

Ive wounded a deer and tracked it for well over 4 hrs.mostly on my hands and knees only to find a gut pile and drag marks,ended up meeting up with the guys and it was a huge doe,which i knew it was a doe but didnt think it was as big.i told the guys my story and they laughed there rear ends off at me,mind you i was 17 first deer i ever pulled the trigger on.this was on public land also.

So from now on if i see a wounded deer and its with in range and i have a tag im shooting it and claiming it as mine since i put the final shot on it.

Well, I would say if theyhad time to gut it and be dragging it, I would think you would not have had to be on your hands and knees tracking it.  It was either dead somewhere, or they killed it.  I am so glad I am not so greedy as to claim a deer I did not harvest. 

[mkrafty133]

I couldnt claim a deer that I didn't make the initial shot on. The best part of hunting to me is having the story to tell about the shot and the adreniline rush I get doing it. That goes for a nice size buck or even a doe. I always feel proud of myself when I walk up on that deer on the ground.  Just wouldn't be the same taking one that was already weakend. It's like having someone tie one to a tree and telling me to shoot it.

[First-light]

Good thing to do, I would of done the same. Hunting 35 years now and can't say I have ever been on either side of the fence.

[jimbodwb]

I also think you did the right thing and you did what I would have done. Now lets put a spin on it. What would you all do if you came across a wounded deer like that BUT you had not spoken to someone about it first. You were just walking along and poof there it is. Do you shoot it and claim it as your own even though it was a wounded weakend deer?

[bubba]

I would finish it and wait a while for the person who wounded it to show up.  If no one showed up in a reasonable time, I would call DEC and say I found the dead deer, and let them take it to the food bank. 

[Caveman]

That's a tough one, I suppose for me it depends on the seriousness of the wound.  If it looks like a survivable wound and is only a minor inconvenience to the deer then I would claim it as mine.  If the deer looked like it wasn't gonna go far anyway I would put it down and wait for someone to show up, if no one did I would take it.  The deciding factor for me here was the fact that I had met the guys and I knew they were making an honest hard effort to recover the deer

[fasteddie]

I would finish it and wait a while for the person who wounded it to show up.  If no one showed up in a reasonable time, I would call DEC and say I found the dead deer, and let them take it to the food bank.

Sounds like the way to go ....

[screamon demon]

New guy here

but I had to weigh in on this one. I think what you did was the right thing to do and would do the same myself.

[jimbodwb]

That's a tough one, I suppose for me it depends on the seriousness of the wound.  If it looks like a survivable wound and is only a minor inconvenience to the deer then I would claim it as mine.  If the deer looked like it wasn't gonna go far anyway I would put it down and wait for someone to show up, if no one did I would take it.  The deciding factor for me here was the fact that I had met the guys and I knew they were making an honest hard effort to recover the deer

I agree. I just realized I forgot to put what I would do in my original post. I would shoot it and wait for someone to come claim it. If ,after a reasonable amount of time, no one showed up I would tag it as mine.

[apertureguy]

My hat is off to you sir.

It's nice to hear news like this. Reminds me there are good & bad people everywhere...and it's their choices which define them as such.

Have a great season!

Regards,

Bill

[WNYBuckHunter]

That's a tough one, I suppose for me it depends on the seriousness of the wound.  If it looks like a survivable wound and is only a minor inconvenience to the deer then I would claim it as mine.  If the deer looked like it wasn't gonna go far anyway I would put it down and wait for someone to show up, if no one did I would take it.  The deciding factor for me here was the fact that I had met the guys and I knew they were making an honest hard effort to recover the deer

Same thing for me.