Wounded deer - No tag

[BigVal]

Glad he'll be used and not wasted. Sad but the best ending possible.

[Moho81]

Way to stick with him and get the job done. You sir have done your good deed for the season!

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[First-light]

Good job Zem!!!

 

[Hock3y24]

Way to go, I'd have shot, I know the consequences but I'd sleep better at night knowing what I did I felt was right.

Edited November 25, 2016 by Hock3y24

[noodle874]

Nice job Sean. That worked out perfectly. This story brought up a scenario that I hadn't given any thought. I thank you for sharing your experiance. I am now prepared on what I will do if I am caught in the moment.

[Fletch]

Well done


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[Curmudgeon]

I haven't had to make such a decision about no tag. One thing I have done is take shots at badly wounded animals that I would not take  otherwise- running shots, shots thru thick brush, long shots. What can you do to a wounded deer?

Glad you got him.

Edited November 25, 2016 by Curmudgeon
Typo

[Deerstalker]

On Thursday, November 24, 2016 at 4:23 PM, Zem18 said:

So I had an interesting morning hunting at a buddies hunting camp. On the second deer drive we did, I was a sitter with a doe tag. I did not have a buck tag as I used it on Opening day. I was dropped off via 4 wheeler and headed in to the woods to my post. 10 feet in, a BIG bodied and BIG racked 6 or 8 point jumped up in front of me and was limping very badly. It took him at least 40 seconds or more to hobble out to 120 or 130 yards on a small knoll before stopping and looking back at me for almost 2 or 3 minutes. There were two others posted above me and the drivers would head right to the buck and then towards me. One of the sitters above saw him and that he was hurt but could not shoot downhill as a driver was directly below him. I thought one of them would definately shoot but they didn't and I could have.

Three does came up between me and the buck so my eyes shifted to them and then back to the buck who was gone now. I felt bad for this deer as he should have been long gone if he were healthy and for me to be able to have 40seconds and up to two or three minutes at the 120 yard range to shoot then obviously he is hurting bad. I was torn on what to do. I know I do not have a tag, but I also know 7 others there do have one and would more than likely tag it as it was injured. I called my buddies cell 25 times and no answer. It was pure torture and I didn't care that he was a big buck, but m ore that he is a deer suffering. If it had been a doe and I didn't have a tag, I would be in the same struggle as a hunter letting a wounded deer walk away period.

Has this happened to anyone here? Did you shoot and ask for a buddy to tag it and end it's suffering? Did you let it walk off and then feel disappointed in yourself for not ending its suffering, yet not disappointed that you obeyed the rules or laws? I'm torn and can't get it out of my head. The members told me after the fact that I should have ended its suffering and not worry about the no tag part which made me feel even worse. We tried catching up to it but had no clue which way it headed. Tons of tracks in the area and no visible blood either. 

Would like to hear your stories on this subject. 

 

Intersting question if it was me i would leave it alone because i dont want to break any laws .

I Never had nothing like that happen to me. 

I personally would not shoot it . Because i dont know what the law is exactly on  situations like that.

But i know state troppers kill wounded deer all the time that have been injured by cars. 

I have a feeling if you called  DEP they would tell you to just leave the deer alone and let nature take its course.

If you called a state  Trooper  they would shoot it only  if  it was on the side of the road .

There could be a loophole in law that lets you kill  it  but if you drag it out of the woods  then you have to report it to the DEP .

And they would probably do a investigation and may not believe your story especially if it's a buck with a big rack on it .

I dont no what i would do probably nothing or by the time i made up my mind the deer would be gone .

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2016 by Deerstalker

[Elmo]

I would have shot it. I hunt with people who have enough ethics to understand and burn one of their tags for such a situation.


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[growalot]

I shot a doe that dogs had torn apart it's rear end...I actually thought the deer dead as I walked past it's glazed over eyes and tail near it's head. I grabbed it's hind leg to assess the damage. She jumped up nearly knocking me over ,screaming just like a woman being attacked...I've never heard a deer make such and awful cry..I shot her in the head when she stopped a few yards away and went to her knees. I call the troopers having walked away from her after killing her...A neighbor had shot her front leg nearly off and the roaming domestic dogs  had spent at least and hour taking chunks out of her until she went down and I happened on to the scene. He came out and never even asked if I had a tag, BTW I did..I keep a tag for just such cases and have used them several times...I believe tag or not..I would have shot her no question and still called the authorities....he just offered one to me and went to find the dogs owner.

On the buck I shot with the rib sticking up out of his shoulder...probably no ,no tag no shot..but then again he did not smell and he was actually dogging a doe...though very slowly he was still managing to conduct his natural daily routines ,as it were. Though the DEC deemed him unfit to eat and gave me another tag.

There are deer that loose parts of their legs here and those deer have gone on for years producing fawns,  living ,breeding and caring for offspring on just 3 legs or 2 and a wounded 3rd...They actually get passes by the locals. When you see they survived to continue  like that...There comes a time to say they DESERVE to live ,over lets end their suffering...there's a big difference between hardship and suffering...

[Curmudgeon]

I would call DEC law enforcement if I killed a mortally wounded deer. I believe most ECOs would not prosecute someone who committed an act of mercy. I wouldn't move it without a tag.

[Zem18]

Update to this story. The slug hole was not from a slug it was from a crossbow bolt and it happened the Saturday BEFORE gun season. We set up for a drive this morning and ran into a hunter in his stand on the property line. He was the shooter two weeks ago. No elaboration on how he hit him in the leg, 6 inches above the hoof, but I know I've had some less than ideal hits in the past as well, both my fault, and other circumstances such as deer movement or deflections due to objects not seen. The hunter was happy the deer was dispatched and recovered which I am sure haunted him. A lot of us know what it feels like to not find one we have wounded and how sick you feel. Very glad there was some closure for the hunter and the deer. 

 

Edited November 27, 2016 by Zem18
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