Deer dillemma--what would you do

[JNG]

I got a call Thanksgiving morning from a relative telling me that a buck had been "acting funny" on their property since daybreak. I got over there at about 10:30 and found the buck pretty easily. He was very much alive (3 hours after the landowner first saw him) but clearly not okay. He picked his head up when I got within 100 yards, but stayed bedded. Since he was definitely sick or badly hurt, I shot him in the boiler room. He bolted to his feet but died a few steps away.

When I went to dress him out, I found my bullet hole right behind his shoulder. Then I found a second bullet hole--one I did not make--right through his paunch. When I dressed him out, I was greeted by the aroma of stomach contents spilling out through that second bullet hole.

I finished dressing him out, put a transport tag on him, then dragged him up to the landowners barn and hosed out the cavity as well as I could. Now, no one but me has permission to hunt within a quarter mile of where I found this deer. So after I hung the buck (in the barn), I told the landowner that another hunter might come looking for that deer and if that happened to call me. If I had received that call, my intention was to give the deer back to the hunter that drew first blood (assuming that someone who would trail a badly shot deer that far is probably a decent sportsman, despite the bad shot).

The first guy never showed up, so I checked the deer in the next day and took it to the processor. It was a smaller buck than I was hunting for, though, so I'm a little irritated about using my tag on it even though I think it was ethically the right thing to do to put him out of his misery, and legally the right thing to do to tag him once I had.

Just curious how others might have handled that.

 

[sheepdog697]

In a situation like this, you might want to call the DNR. They can sometimes offer additional tags for instances such as this. It was ethically right that you put the deer down. Im just simply stating that similar instances have resulted in a "re-issued" tag.

 

[King31]

In a situation like this, you might want to call the DNR. They can sometimes offer additional tags for instances such as this. It was ethically right that you put the deer down. Im just simply stating that similar instances have resulted in a "re-issued" tag.

This^^^

If the deer was most certainly dying (much like a car vs deer) I don't think they would hesitate to issue one. Wounded deer can go a long, long, long distance before actually going down so there is no telling where it came from.

 

[snapping turtle]

The landowner might have been able to use a landowner tag on that deer also. That would have been one of those little “white lie” issues and not the perfect thing to do. He did not tAke the shot but called you to take it for him. Once again the DNR would have been the route to take but now we have on line check in or the call. Ethics questions with this but what you did was the correct thing. You need to follow the King’s rules to hunt the kings deer.

 

[bobjones223]

In a situation like this, you might want to call the DNR. They can sometimes offer additional tags for instances such as this. It was ethically right that you put the deer down. Im just simply stating that similar instances have resulted in a "re-issued" tag.

+1 on this

We had this happen on my parents property before I started getting into deer hunting. I didn't have a deer tag and a doe came in that was in bad shape so I sent a slug into her. DNR issued me a tag over the phone so I could take it to a processor.

When we were dressing the deer in the field we found bird shot in her!!

What kind of an A$$ hat shoots a deer with bird shot?

 

[T.Lex]

I heard recently that CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) may be in Indiana. Odd behavior like that would probably prompt me to call DNR right away. If it looked like it was going to move on, I might take it. But, if it stayed bedded, I'd wait for the CO.

 

[two70]

I would've called your local CO once finding the deer and confirming that it was not acting right. More than likely they would have either came to put it down themselves or instructed you to do so and then issued a permit to keep the deer.

 

[cerebus85]

I agree you should have put the deer down. I hit a deer opening day and tracked for six hours till the rain washed out the tracks. I eventually stopped because of the rain and because I was tracking with a rifle on both government land and someone else's property. something like that could have been the case. they may not have known who to even ask?

 

[JNG]

I agree you should have put the deer down. I hit a deer opening day and tracked for six hours till the rain washed out the tracks. I eventually stopped because of the rain and because I was tracking with a rifle on both government land and someone else's property. something like that could have been the case. they may not have known who to even ask?

Yes, possibly. I'm not judging the prior hunter. I don't know how far the deer ran or what kind of trail it left or what efforts the other guy did or didn't make to retrieve it. Everyone who has hunted long enough has made a bad shot, and most people who have hunted long enough have lost a deer. The gut shot on this buck only had an entry--no exit--and was hardly bleeding. I'll bet it was a long and difficult tracking job. For all I know the prior guy did his best.

For the sake of my own curiosity, I called the CO this morning to inquire about a re-issued license. I was given a very definite "no" (which I expected, since we're a week after the fact now), but told that if I was ever in that situation again and didn't want to use my own tag to call in before shooting. That makes a lot of common sense. I thanked the CO for his time and for the information. Lesson learned for the future.

 

[halfmileharry]

Don't expect DNR to do anything that's not black and white by the book.

 

[JNG]

Don't expect DNR to do anything that's not black and white by the book.

I don't. But, not knowing what the book says in this situation, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I got what I was after--accurate information that I can use in the future, if the situation ever arises again. I'm grateful that the CO took the time to explain to me what to do in the future if this happens and I don't want to use my own tag.

 

[cerebus85]

this wasn't near Putnam county was it?

 

[two70]

Don't expect DNR to do anything that's not black and white by the book.

I used to have a fair amount of interaction with a variety of COs through my job and it depends entirely on the individual CO you deal with. Some/most will work with you on a lot of things, especially if you take the time to develop a relationship. Others on the other hand....

 

[JNG]

this wasn't near Putnam county was it?

No, sorry. Up northeast.

 

[Walking Bear]

Hard decision I would ask worst they could say is no. Looks like someone should if made an effort to retrieve it after they shot it.

 

[Lwright]

Good on you for putting the deer out of its misery. I would definitely ask the dnr about the way it was acting. I hope that you can put the deer to good use and that it doesn't go to waste.

 

[JNG]

Good on you for putting the deer out of its misery. I would definitely ask the dnr about the way it was acting. I hope that you can put the deer to good use and that it doesn't go to waste.

Thanks. As to putting him to good use, the first steaks from that fella might go on the grill tonight.

 

[Brad69]

I am glad you helped him into the great beyond he must have been a true fighter.

 

[natdscott]

...I think it was ethically the right thing to do...

Just curious how others might have handled that.

I'd have done what I always do: put a bullet in his brain.

We all have to take great pains to always ALWAYS do the ethical thing, especially in the woods where nobody is watching. If you take that first step onto the slippery slope of immorality-because-nobody-is-there-to-catch-you, the next time you are faced with the same or tougher decision, there won't be any backstop for you.

"I did it before and nothing bad happened."

"I'm pretty sure I missed. There wasn't any blood where I shot him."

"That deer probably lived anyway. They sure are tough."

"I haven't seen many deer. Those neighbors that own all those woods don't even hunt. They'll never miss one deer."

"I think I can hit that shot. It's only 54 yards. My bow is FASSST."


"Boy that buck is BIG. I'm pretty sure there's no house that direction."


Some of these can be internal dialogue, and some sound melodramatic, but over the years, I've heard a lot of them out loud.

By taking the action you did, and using your only tag, you did the RIGHT thing regardless of any damned human law. There's only one chance to do the right thing, and you made the right call when you had to.

YOU still have a backstop, and can hold your head high.

-Nate

 

[sportsman223]

natdscott well said