Another question of ethics

[onehorse]

This is a spin-off of a question I asked a few years ago which recently has had some new responses:
In a case where a hunting companion kills an extra game animal, for which he does not have a tag, would it be ethical (even if illegal) to give him your tag (so the animal/meat is not wasted), or would it be ethical (and responsible) to report the accident to a warden and face the consequences for the mistake? Assuming that using another hunter's tag is illegal under any circumstances - which is the case in most states - and that the meat would be salvaged and given to a needy family by the state.

[Karl.Luhr]

I would place my tag if it was unfilled on anothers Deer if he accidentally killed two, or finished off a cripple after filling his tag. I also feel that I would own up to the DNR if I was in his boat and the DNR showed up. Mistakes do happen and I think that they understand the majority of us in the woods are really trying to do it right. I remember more than once Pheasent hunting with friends/family when they called me off a bird that I was about to blast. I would never shoot a hen on purpose but for some reason that hen sure didn't look like one at the time. If I had been alone or just a little quicker on shot I would have picked up the hen and placed it in my game pouch. The only thing worse than shooting a hen is then leaving it lay on the ground so that you don't get busted for it.

Karl

[tomlightfield]

One Horse, I believe in following the hunting laws to a "T". But in this case scenario I don't care about law/ethics, I am absolutely not gonna get the law involved, all that would accomplish would be to open another giant can of worms mess. There's only the two of you involved. As for me, I give up my tag but then sit him down for an EXTREME heart to heart pow-wow. I tell him"that I will cover you this time, but this time only. I'm extremely REAL NOT HAPPY WITH YOU RIGHT NOW. If this ever happens again, I will call the game cops and turn you in myself, you will never hunt with me(us) again and you and I will be completely done as friends". We had a similar deal happen several years ago, I'm in Illinois, there are 6 of us who stay in a little cabin together for all of our deer seasons. During the last "doe only" season of that year, one of our guy's son had poor luck all season, got antsy and excited and killed a nice buck. Remember I said "doe only season". We did exactly with him as I stated above, then made him leave immediately with the deer. He was very lucky that time, we gave him a pass for his big mistake, then all agreed that under no circumstances would any more"passes" be given to any of us. You violate the game laws, you are done with us, no exceptions. So for whatever it's worth, that's my take on that deal. On a lighter note, whereabouts in Montana are you?? I elk hunted many years just across the border in the Idaho panhandle, St. Joe River Valley and my brother-in-law has lived in Plains up on Route 200 for the last 32 years. We still antelope hunt in #650 about 45 miles from Circle, MT. PS: Everything I said was assuming that the extra kill was intentional, not accidental!!

[Hunting Man]

My take on all this is: I take the law very seriously. A mistake should never happen. An intentional kill without a tag, and you will never hunt with me again period.

[tomlightfield]

That's it HM. Rules are rules for a reason. If there were no rules, we would still be seeing gunfights at high noon in the White Hen parking lot.

[Scorpion8]

I would have had to be there, to judge for myself whether I though taking the second animal was truly a simple mistake worth using as a learning experience, or a boneheaded attempt to scoff away the laws. I take the laws very seriously, since it is all those who don't follow the laws that give all hunters and shooters a bad name.

[Huntanglergirl]

accidental or intentional, they need to own up to their kill in my book