Has anything like this ever happen to you?

[noodle one]

About (10) ten years ago while bow hunting I found a rub and scrape line that looked to be used by a decent size buck. Good size track in scrape. I hunt off the ground so I  had to find a place to set up for a shot. The only deer that I saw was a big mature doe when ever I was set up there. Being a ground hunter, I move around alot to keep the deer guessing. I took a nice  ( point that I had been working at another setup site, so I didn't give much though about the other buck.

The first day of gun season I took another nice buck (7) point. The only tags I had left where (2) two doe tags that I was saving for ML season. Week (3) three of gun season ,I got a call from my brother inlaw wanting to know if I knew where he could fill his doe tag or get a shot at a buck. He told me that he wasn't seeing anything and wanted to get a doe for some meat or maybe get a shot at a buck. I told him to come on over the next morning and I would take him into a spot that I had no doubt in my mind that he would get a doe. I had hunted this spot many times in the past and have always seen many deer there. I got him setup and told him that I would move to another part of the woods and wait to hear for a shot and if I didn't hear him shoot within three hours ,I would work my way back  to him. I had no sooner left and walked up on (3) three doe that were working their way to him. I let them pass and waited 15 min. with no shot coming from his way. There was snow on the ground and there was deer tracks all over the woods. I went down to where I knew that the deer always came  from. It is in the same area that the rub and scrape line was from early bow season, that is where I was seeing the mature  lone doe. I hadn't sat for half hour and here comes a deer up through the woods working it way to me. It looks to be a nice doe. It got to with in (20) twenty yards and turned side ways and put its head down and I could see that it was a spike buck ,so I let it walk. I got back to my brother inlaw and told him about the spike and he told that he never saw a deer, why I don't know because there was all kinds of sign . To make a long story short he had to be out of the woods by noon. So we left the woods. I didn't go out again until ML season. I was working my way to the same spot where I had set my brother inlaw and was almost there when I spotted a doe coming my way  and at (25) yards it was broad side and looking right at me. I say to myself " nice doe" . When my smoke pole went off , she jumped  and ran (20) yards and went down. I walked up and looked down and I see a very dark spike and I am thinking ,oh no I shot a spike. I picked it's head up and there is another very dark spike on the other side. I am thinking ,how could this happen. The deer was looking right me and I had put the scope right on her head and never saw a horn. I got to looking at the horns and see that the bases are bigger than a spike and they had been broken off about (5) ins. up from the base. They were a good (1 to 1and a half in.) in circumference at the base. The horns came out and up along side the ears and dark in color, and that is why I couldn't see then. They looked to be part of the ear.

Here I am with a buck and no buck tag. There is no way that I am going to let this deer go to waste. I gut the deer out and took it to about (50) yards from the road and let it lay. I went home and called my brother and asked him if he got he ML license and did he had a buck tag. He answer yes to both and I asked if he wanted a buck and told him what happen . He told me that he would be right over. We went up and he taged the deer and we put it in the back of his truck and he went home with the buck. Call me what you want, I know I broke the law. I know a game warden would never had believe my story. It was a honest mistake and I have never told anyone about it until now. I did what I felt was right and the deer did not go to waste.

I have always said that if you are man enough to shot it , then you need to be man enough to take out. I am just glad that my brother had a tag for it ,because I would have gotten it out  some other way. I was not going to let it go to waste. Has anything like this happen to anyone on here? What do you think, did I do the right thing?

[Pygmy]

I would say yes, you did the right and honorable thing.... Sometimes "compost occurs" and you  have to make the best of the situation....

I had a somewhat similar situation occur a few years ago....

I was with a group driving a woodlot...I was on drive and one of the standers shot, and a group of deer came back through the drivers...They passed to my left on the flank of the drive, where I knew I had a safe shot...A nice doe long nosed adult doe was in the lead, and when she stopped broadside at about 30 yards, I settled the crosshairs on her ribs and squeezed off a shot... She bolted and went running up the hill, and I could see the blood pumping out of her side, so I knew I made a good shot.. I walked up to where she had stood, and just beyond where she was standing when I took the shot, lay a button buck, shot in the head...Evidently, when I was concentrating on my target, the fawn had stepped up behind her and I did not realize he was there, and the slug went through her ribcage and then through his little melon head..

I HAD two antlerless permits, but I only had ONE of them with me.... I could have left the second deer lay and driven home to get my other permit, but one of the other hunters in the group offered to tag the button buck and was glad to take it...

Technically, it was illegal... Somebody else tagged a deer which I shot... This was BEFORE the days when you could sign over a DMP to another person..

Illegal..??.. Yes.....  Unethical..??... With no malice aforethought , I don't think so....

We did what seemed sensible and practical....

[fasteddie]

Illegal..??.. Yes.....  Unethical..??... With no malice aforethought , I don't think so....

I agree . It was the ethical thing to do !

Better to have someone tag it than to leave it lay there .

[landtracdeerhunter]

This is something that I think should be mentioned in the hunting coarses.  When I took my bow coarse 10 years ago, I asked that question and,  they seemed to avoid it like the plaque. Maybe because the room was full of younger kids. I don't know why he wouldn't answer the question.  The instructors know that mistakes happen.  They hit ethics hard, but what about that fine line of right and wrong.  What is right in a situration like this?

[landtracdeerhunter]

Myself, I would have done the same thing.

[Doc]

This is something that I think should be mentioned in the hunting coarses.  When I took my bow coarse 10 years ago, I asked that question and,  they seemed to avoid it like the plaque. Maybe because the room was full of younger kids. I don't know why he wouldn't answer the question.  The instructors know that mistakes happen.  They hit ethics hard, but what about that fine line of right and wrong.  What is right in a situration like this?

I can understand the reluctance of instructors to offer up ethical solutions that regard breaking the law or a law that has been broken. It's a touchy subject. After all even when done quite innocently, shooting a buck without a tag is a violation. And then to arrange to have someone else tag a deer that you shot further compounds the violation. What is an instructor going to say publicly about all of that? I think my public response in a situation like that would be to report the incident to a CO with the explanation, and hope for the best. What I might do in reality might be something quite different, but that is the advice I would be handing out if I were standing in front of a class full of students.

By the way, that is the advice that I would be giving out if I were discussing the subject of game law violations on a public forum .... lol.

[Bballhunter11]

I shot a deer this year that was laying under some pines that i thought was a doe and it turned out to be a spike buck but i still had my buck tag so i just burned it on him. But if i didnt have one like you someone in my hunting party would of tagged it without a problem.

[Fitzy]

Years ago, during my second year deer hunting I made a rookie mistake. I had a doe tag and shot one that ran off. While tracking it, in the snow, there she was. Just standing there at twenty five yards. So I shot her again. Problem was, the tracks of the first one went one way and this one went in an opposite direction! End result was two dead does but only one tag! Luckily, a hunting acquaintance was happy to tag the second doe. Wasn't quite legal but nothing was wasted and a valuable lesson was learned.

[bubba]

As an instructor, I have to say we are not allowed to condone anything illegal, even under an eithcal umbrella.  However the Leo who comes to my classes does mention that accidents happen, and he tells them the right thing to do, which is to ocntact the dec explain the situation, and face the music ususlly a civil compromise.  it is hard to have ethics trump laws, when the definition of ethics is doing the right thing even if you know you would not get caught doing the wrong thing.  so according to the definition it is not ethical to do what happened.  And that is why we do not go down that road during a class.  we also stress know your target and beyond.

[Pygmy]

Good point, Bubba...

I agree  about the knowing my target and beyond.. I am very conciencious about that and have passed up many shots at deer, turkeys, and other game to avoid hitting more than one critter...In this case, I  must have been concentrating on my trigger squeeze and never saw the little nipper amble up behind his Mom..I know he wasn't there when she first stopped and I got her in my scope.. Just goes to show ya.. No matter how careful you are, sometimes "compost occurs"....

[Bballhunter11]

I have shot 2 deer with one shot with a muzzleloader before and have no idea how it happened. Went straight through a button buck and killed the doe behind him. i still had 2 tags though but it makes for a heck of a story hahaha

[Dave]

As an instructor, I have to say we are not allowed to condone anything illegal, even under an eithcal umbrella.  However the Leo who comes to my classes does mention that accidents happen, and he tells them the right thing to do, which is to ocntact the dec explain the situation, and face the music ususlly a civil compromise.  it is hard to have ethics trump laws, when the definition of ethics is doing the right thing even if you know you would not get caught doing the wrong thing.  so according to the definition it is not ethical to do what happened.  And that is why we do not go down that road during a class.  we also stress know your target and beyond.

I agree with Bubba to avoid this type of situation KNOW YOUR TRAGET AND BEYOND. If you can't be sure don't shoot. Don't be caught up in the hunt and use poor judgment just to shoot a deer. Remember last year when a hunter in Sullivan county shot a deer in a field and the bullet went into a trailer and killed a little girl.

Dave

[cynthiafu]

i was hunting one day in stewart forest and they were shooting like crazy on the ridge to my left . i watched 3 deer come over the ridge (after about 5 shots ) they all split up . i watched one walk down the hill and crawl under a pricker bush and laid there . so i waited for the hunters to come . after one hour  they were shooting again . nothing came my way this time .  but i waited till 2 hours before we all had to get out . nobody ever even came to look for the wounded doe  . so i walked over the ridge followed the blood trail back to where it was shot . i didnt find anyone . so i decided to take the deer for myself . on the way out i told the dec officer about the day and he asked where so he can see who was in that area .  he checked my tagged and told me to have a nice day .

[Dave]

i was hunting one day in stewart forest and they were shooting like crazy on the ridge to my left . i watched 3 deer come over the ridge (after about 5 shots ) they all split up . i watched one walk down the hill and crawl under a pricker bush and laid there . so i waited for the hunters to come . after one hour  they were shooting again . nothing came my way this time .  but i waited till 2 hours before we all had to get out . nobody ever even came to look for the wounded doe  . so i walked over the ridge followed the blood trail back to where it was shot . i didnt find anyone . so i decided to take the deer for myself . on the way out i told the dec officer about the day and he asked where so he can see who was in that area .  he checked my tagged and told me to have a nice day .

That's a sad story but I feel it's all too common. During my time hunting I have done the same thing you did, heard shots say a group of deer running and no one following up on the shot. It's a sad commentary  on our fellow hunters who shoot and then don't follow up with the shot. Like you there were blood trails a blind man could follow. They leave a good deer in the woods to rot, then go on to shoot another one. I could say more but it just pisses me off.

Dave

[nyantler]

Noodle.. at 25 yards with a scope looking right at a deers head.. how could you not see horns???  I can't belive all you guys let that pass likes it's ok... that is not a mistake.. thats a guy not taking the time to identify his target and the "I have to kill a deer at all costs" mentality.. and the same with the guys shooting two deer ay once without knowing they shot the other.. and you are right about a game warden not believing you, he doesn't have to believe you.. it is all of our responsibilities as hunters to make sure we know exactly what we are shooting at and what is beyond that target..period...

and NO nothing like that has ever happened to me... i always know exactly what I'm shooting at or else I don't take the shot

[First-light]

Along with looking for horns to tell what your shooting at, the body structure between a buck and doe is different. A deer 20 yards broadside, I would think most of us would hesitate shooting thinking it was a buck. Body type is different for sure. Hey it happens out there and we try to do our best. Glad the meat didn't go to waste.