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Which deer would you shoot?

14K views 48 replies 20 participants last post by  Arcene 
#1 · (Edited)
Here's another question on the subject of hunting ethics that illustrates the difference between what might be legal as opposed to what might be the ethical thing to do. Here's the setup: You're hunting alone when you hear shots beng fired. A few minutes later you see deer running through the brush toward your stand. The deer don't see or smell you. You notice one is a really nice buck; the other is a spike with a broken (shot) front shoulder. From your stand, you can easily shoot either of them as they are both standing broadside at about the same distance from you. You can only shoot one as that is the limit in your state. Legally, you can shoot either. Which deer would you shoot and why?
 
#2 ·
im gonn shoot the unijured buck.dont matter what the antlers .the guy who shot the wounded deer is (hopefully) gonna come blood trailing.i"ll drop mine on the spot:w00t:and be gone by the time he comes blood trailing:lol:
 
#3 ·
Id shoot the uninjured buck also cuase the guy who shot the spike is gonna come and that deer aint goin no where far with a broken shoulder and with an injury im mean literally you could probly chase it down and beat it with a base ball bat and its gonna die soon any ways so id take the challenge
 
#4 ·
I believe the injured buck should be shot. No animal should be allowed to suffer when a quick clean shot can be taken. There would be no way a shoulder shot buck might be quickly found by the origional hunter. I would rather violate the law by shooting the buck and giving it to the hunter who fired the first shot. If he didn't show up I would tag it and go home. You can't eat horns and I don't have them mounted anymore so meat is meat. Just my view.
 
#9 ·
i would like to hear from the rest and how bout you onehorse ?what would you do?
 
#10 ·
Without hesitation or second thoughts, I would Down the wounded spike..
why let him suffer longer.. surely not for larger antlers.
 
#11 ·
i just want to make sure everyone understands im shooting the other deer not for the antlers but because i believe the other (wounded)deer belongs to whoever shot it first.if it was 1 min before the end of legal time then i would put it out of its misery.however a shoulder wound should have dropped it on the spot if it didnt the wound is superficial ,maybe im wrong. i just wouldnt want the confrontation with the other hunter who comes looking.people get crazy over a deer and i dont want to argue with someone holding a gun who may shoot me .Thats the NYC in me ,we're not very trusting.sad but true
 
#13 ·
ok if i shot the wounded buck do i have to tag it???? if not then i would shot the larger first and then thry to track the wounded second and try to finish the job. or i might try to wait as long as possible to see how the injured der is acting when it comes time to make a shot. at all really depends on the time in the season. you might have to literally put me in the stand and in that sittuation for me to give you an honest answer. i do not like to see the deer suffer and if i come up on a deer and it is gut shot or has been spine shot and just can't move i will spend another bullet to finish the job quickly and with out alot of pain for the animal........other then being shot from 6 feet away
 
#17 ·
Since I set up this scenario, I guess it's time for me to give my answer, but first, I want to thank everyone who has replied so far. You gave a lot of perspectives that I hadn't thought about.
Joel - I agree that no deer is worth getting into an armed confrontation for. That was a good point.
TNHunter - another great comment when you say that you almost have to be in the situation before you could tell for sure what you might do. (I'm trying to set these up so that just in case you ever find yourself in such a situation, you may find it more easy to make a hard decision because you have already given it some thought.)
Most of you guys would shoot the wounded deer to end its suffering. That's what I would do too.
I wouldn't assume that the hunter who wounded it would be tracking it or good enough to find it if he were. Of course, if he were to show up after I killed it, I could always offer it to him - provided I hadn't already put my tag on it. That might make things a little sticky!
Also, I wouldn't assume that the deer would survive this wound. There have been lots of deer that survive with a broken leg, but a broken shoulder is pretty much a fatal wound... but it might take a while. The point is not the particluar wound described here, but the idea that you might find a deer that has a wound from which it most likely would not survive.
For me, if I shot that big buck, I could never tell anyone the story without, at least, thinking about what might have happened to the other buck (whether I told them about it or not) and that would make the whole thing, not only a bad experience to begin with, but a recurring distasteful problem every time I told it.
(More questions on hunter ethics to follow.)
 
#49 ·
Onehorse, keep these scenario's coming, it proves to be a great ethical learning experience for us newbe hunters. I truly enjoyed reading through all the comments, and found myself struggling with the different options. Although my instincts lead me to believe that I would have taken the wounded animal, then taken my time to tag it, in hopes the first shooter would show up. P.S. should ask him for a replacement round I fired????
 
#18 ·
It kind of depends on the situation for me. It might depend on if I knew who shot it and it might depend on how severly he was wounded in the shoulder. If it looked like he might go down any second (with lots of blood) I might not shoot him. but if he looked like he was still moving decent but with a bad limp I would shoot him.

We had to kill a wounded deer this year that was shot in the foot. When I saw the buck I didn't know he was wounded and didn't want to shoot it because it was a smaller 4x4. But when he started moving I could tell he had a pretty good limp. So I thought that I had try and get him. He was in a CRP field about 350 yards. I snuck over a ridge to try to intercept him in the next draw but he was too quick and got over the next ridge. Luckily he ran right to my partner and he ended up finishing him off. We found out about an hour later who had wounded him, but we kept the deer and my buddy tagged it.
 
#19 ·
I work with a guy who was hunting early Dec with snow on the ground in a rolling hill area. He shoots a doe and it runs off. He waits about 45 min before he starts tracking. He goes about 100 yards and a new set of human footprints is now ahead of him. Another 150 yards later he finds a gut pile. He follows the drag marks to roadside and the hunter was gone. He never heard a shot after his. He felt robbed as it was the last day of gun season.
 
#20 ·
I would take the injured deer, that way it wont be suffering. Then IF the original shooter comes along then offer it up, if not tag it and off I'd go. Even though the larger of the two would be nice to harvest too, I wouldnt want that "what if" question for the rest of time.
 
#21 ·
onehorse, I like your thinking! Animals are a gift to all, hunting is a privilege never take it for granted, treat them both very well and we'll all be able to enjoy them both for a long time! Let us all look in the mirror each and everyday a be able to say we hunted fairly, we hunted by the law, we respect the animals that we take, and try our best to pass along to others the knowledge of nature/hunting that only time spent in the great outdoors allows us to learn. Pass it along to kids as todays youth are too busy to spend time learning things we take for granted every time we step into the woods. Ok I'm done, great test onehorse I hope most see it your way!
 
#22 ·
Hunting Man, thanks for your reply. It's guys like you, as well as others on this site, who are restoring my faith in the future of American wildlife and hunting. I've run across so many so-called hunters out there who just don't get it, that sometimes I even wonder whether I want to continue participating in this sport... and this after more than 50 years of hunting! Thanks for keeping me hunting.
 
#24 ·
Hunting Man, have you read the book Beyond Fair Chase by Jim Posewitz? I keep recommending it to every hunter I meet - have even bought quite a few and given them away. It's sort of the bible on hunter ethics. Some of your statements remind me of the ideas experessed in that book. Just wondering.
 
#25 ·
onehorse I haven't read that book. In fact sadly, I really don't read much as I try to stay busy doing stuff that needs done. My two young labs keep me pretty busy also. I work a 12 hr rotating swing shift so days off are a premium. I know someday reading will be a part of my slow evenings and I hope to catch up on many of the great authors. Have a good one!
 
#27 ·
One horse, thought you'd might like to hear about the PA camp I belong to. It sets on top of a mountain, close to a nice stream. We built a two story camp all propane, no electric, no TV, no phone. We have a nice spring house for water supply in front of camp and we have a steam sauna out back to relax in. The camp sets down in a hollow surrounded by rock ledges and hemlock trees. The camp's name is the Hemlock Hollow Camp go figure. I also hunt with a good friend in the UP of Michigan with nearly the same set-up. I have been most lucky to have hooked up with good friends who enjoyed hunting. I was able to hunt with my dad, and brother, and now my son. Not much in life is better than that. My dad no longer hunts and I lost my brother in 2000, my son has turned into a pretty good hunter himself with bow/rifle. Keep in touch I enjoy our conversations.
 
#34 ·
Hunting Man, here's my setup: I have an "eight" man tent (which means about big enough for three with gear). I use my tent when antelope hunting in eastern Montana. It's usually comfortable, except one night when it got down to single digits, and I slept in my sleeping bag wearing every piece of hunting clothing that I had brought with me! For deer and elk hunting, I usually just hunt from my house (after a little drive). Occasionally, it's fun to rent a Forest Service cabin for about $35 a night and share it with friends. These are usually rather primitive, but one time we got one that had electricity - a fridge and range - we lived it up that time with steaks, lasagna, you name it.You're right, life is good. Except, unlike you, in my case, my 34 year old son never got interested in hunting. I'd think I was a failure as dad, but this young man is about as nice a guy as you'll ever meet (and everyone tells me that). Still, I'm jealous that your son hunts with you.
 
#29 ·
buckfever, hello I have worked in the same job for 34 years. Its a sulfuric acid refinery. We supply acid for some of the big gas refineries BP,Sun,Marathon in Ohio, Michigan, PA,Indiana. I started in the union and agout 10 years ago moved into management. I've stayed in the operation's side of things. We used to work the famous 7 day swing, days to midnights to afternoons, that was a killer. We now work a 12 hour/14 day/month swing. It is basically a 2/3 on/off schedule a long weekend twice twice a month. Lots easier than the old shift. How about you?
 
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