A question on Ethics......

[Cathooker]

What would you do in this situation? Be truthful.... Here is the scenario.......
You have been planning all year for an out of state hunt in an area of Ky that regularly produces BIG bucks. This particular county has recently produced Boone and Crockett books bucks in both the typical and non typical catergories. You are hunting a farm that is in the heart of this big buck area. You only have ONE buck tag. You have spent a lot of time and money in preparation and the modern firearms opening morning is finally here. At 7:30 a.m. a real nice 9 point, big bodied buck comes walking in. He is not the buck that you dreamed of and since it is opening morning you are going to let him walk. THEN he steps out in the clear at only 23 yards and you see very plainly that he is wounded with a softball size of his intestines hangin out of this wound. He is not bleeding but you know that he is going to die a slow death and never be recovered by the one who shot him. Do you use your only buck tag on this buck or do you let him walk in hopes that he will wander by someone who is not trophy hunting?

This is a true happening that I was confronted with just this past Saturday.
I did not hesitate. I killed the buck, used my tag, and am happy that I did so. I am not happy with hunters who take unethical shots at game. With God willing there will be other chances to get my personal best.

[dougc]

You definitely did the right thing. We need more hunters out there like you!

[Cathooker]

This is the buck I was talking about....

[slimepig]

hmmm, i dunno if i would have wasted my tag on him. Not that he isnt a good buck, but by your description, sounds like some idiot gut shot him, so not only would he not be the buck i was lookin for, but its a good possibility some of the meat would be no good. now puttin him out of his misery probably is a given and ethical, but wasting a tag on him when i didnt shoot him is something i wouldnt do, illegal or not. who knows, someone that did gut shoot him might be tracking him.

[jlingle]

You did the right thing, to the letter. What would I have done? I don't know...... I hope I'd do the same thing you did.

[pk_powell]

! applaud you for your actions. If nothing else you have to know the animal was in pain and would have suffered a terrible death. Yes Sir You definitely did the right thing!:smile2:

[ka_c4_boom]

i would have shot him , hes a good looking deer , why not . if he had been a scrub id a had to let him pass .

[CatfishHateMe]

charles is right thats a good looking buck no matter what. even if hes in an area where theres alot of record bucks. did you happen to get a a pic of the wound? just wondering cuz that part kindda peaks my interest. ive seen had to shoot a buck one time cuz i thought it was a bad shot but it turned out that it was from a fight, another buck had aparently got around to his side in a fight and there was a broken off tine in the bucks side surrounded by a big open wound.

[catgetter1]

You can be proud of yourself, cause you know you did the right thing. It's a nick buck that anyone would be proud of also. If you made the hunt to that area once you will be blessed with another hunt there, Yes you did the right thing........ I would have done the same and Bragged about it.....

[Cathooker]

I did not get a pic of the wound but I know that it was a gunshot wound.....small entrance hole and large exit hole too far apart for a antler tine wound.

if he had been a scrub id a had to let him pass .
If he had of been a scrub I would have done exactly as I did. It just happpend to be a nice buck.

I made my original post on this subject because we as hunters are under the microscope from the Animal rights nuts....we need to be ethical hunters and fishermen/women. We need to present a good image to the part of society that does not hunt or fish. The more negative things the ARA has to present against us the stronger their case against hunting and fishing becomes. We can no longer afford to believe that they cannot take away our right to hunt or fish. They can and they will if we do not remain diligent.

[bootshowl]

When something bad happens all you have at the end of the day when you lay your head on the pillow, is that you did the right thing. Saturday night there should have been a Ky. hunter having a hard time getting to sleep....

[richard dunbar]

Absolutly you did the right thing, and i would've too. There was no way the buck was going to live, so rock on brother and be proud of the choice you made

[Fishnhuntforever]

Definatley a good looking buck. You did the right thing! I have never found a way to make the horns taste any good anyway. My only question would be did you try and find anyone tracking the deer? They may have been searching for it. My son and I lost a big buck this year and not because we did not search as I looked for a day and a half for the animal. The game warden said I had done my duty and to select another buck. I thought we had a good shot on him but he dissapeared in thick tules taller than me never to be found. I called a friend to come help me search and we looked for a day and a half. There was a deer taken about 3/4 of a mile away that may have been the deer we were looking for. The guy that shot it had talked to someone that we ran into while searching. It was a big buck for our state and the first deer my son had ever shot. It would have been an 8 point buck anywhere else and had a big body on him. I guess the guy shot him the same day we had been looking for our deer. He shot him in an area we had searched but apparently had removed him before we had looked in that area. He had told the man he had been shot by someone else and would have died soon anyway. The deer my son shot was hit pretty good due to the blood trail. You could see he was hit near the front shoulder as he got up and went away from us. We had shot him at pretty close range with a slug but being so close to him he felt alot of pressure and got up, he wasn't doing well so I told my son to let him go and we would find him. I will never know if the deer shot a short distance from us was my sons deer but I can't help but beleive it was. The area he traveled through was so thick we lost his trail and tracking was next to impossible so we started searching with the grid technique. I could sleep better at night knowing for sure what happened. In our case I can't help but feel that we would have found that buck if someone else wouldn't have shot it and claimed it for their own. I know your case is different because it is a gut shot but I also beleive if we shoot something that has been freshly wounded we should look for the person that wounded it. Had the person in our case done so my son would not have had his first deer taken from him. The area we hunted was a wildlife refuge that you have to be drawn for so it would not have been that difficult to make an attempt. The warden that lived at the refuge beleived that it was probably our deer that the other man shot and claimed but there is no real proof. Sorry so long winded just a thought and this touched close to home for me. Thanks for bringing it up. We all need to do the right thing and it sounds like you did.

[buzzgator]

Did the same thing up here in Wi 2 years ago except he was a spike and had left front shoulder blown off. I watched him come out of a woodlot after hearing 2 shots he laid down in the feild I was in I waited on the shooter NOT A HUNTER to come tracking him but 3 hours later and getting dark he still hadnt shown up!!! I was HOT!!! I got out of my hay bale and walked over to him he jumped up and I dropped him. I honestly thought he had died or I would have ended his suffering earlier... The only way I could figure this buck was shot running away the way the bullet entered behind front shoulder and exited his neck.. Not a very ethical shot if ya ask me...

[smoke]

i myself would have done the same thing...there is not enough hunters around like you but would be nice if there was more...would not matter what the size of the deer it need to be finished off....thanks for shareing and hope it will make some people think twice about a bad shot

[thegavel]

Cathooker,
I think you signature says it all, " Honor is not won... Honor is purchased by the deed we do......." You have earned my respect, admiration and you are truly a better person for doing this.

You may not have gotten your trophy, but sometimes doing the right thing isn't always what you want. Part of life I guess...

Nice work bud!

[TA2D]

I would have done the same thing brother! With that being said, I would have tried to get in touch with a game warden and see what could be done in this situation. Either way you look at it you got a nice buck, it may not have been the "ONE" but there will be other chances!

Aaron

TA2D

[bigcatmaniac]

You did the right thing, he is a nice deer. I believe that if i was put in that situation i would have done the same thing you did.

[Cherokee]

Great job would of took that buck anyday of the week

[CatfishHateMe]

Definatley a good looking buck. You did the right thing! I have never found a way to make the horns taste any good anyway. My only question would be did you try and find anyone tracking the deer? They may have been searching for it. My son and I lost a big buck this year and not because we did not search as I looked for a day and a half for the animal. The game warden said I had done my duty and to select another buck. I thought we had a good shot on him but he dissapeared in thick tules taller than me never to be found. I called a friend to come help me search and we looked for a day and a half. There was a deer taken about 3/4 of a mile away that may have been the deer we were looking for. The guy that shot it had talked to someone that we ran into while searching. It was a big buck for our state and the first deer my son had ever shot. It would have been an 8 point buck anywhere else and had a big body on him. I guess the guy shot him the same day we had been looking for our deer. He shot him in an area we had searched but apparently had removed him before we had looked in that area. He had told the man he had been shot by someone else and would have died soon anyway. The deer my son shot was hit pretty good due to the blood trail. You could see he was hit near the front shoulder as he got up and went away from us. We had shot him at pretty close range with a slug but being so close to him he felt alot of pressure and got up, he wasn't doing well so I told my son to let him go and we would find him. I will never know if the deer shot a short distance from us was my sons deer but I can't help but beleive it was. The area he traveled through was so thick we lost his trail and tracking was next to impossible so we started searching with the grid technique. I could sleep better at night knowing for sure what happened. In our case I can't help but feel that we would have found that buck if someone else wouldn't have shot it and claimed it for their own. I know your case is different because it is a gut shot but I also beleive if we shoot something that has been freshly wounded we should look for the person that wounded it. Had the person in our case done so my son would not have had his first deer taken from him. The area we hunted was a wildlife refuge that you have to be drawn for so it would not have been that difficult to make an attempt. The warden that lived at the refuge beleived that it was probably our deer that the other man shot and claimed but there is no real proof. Sorry so long winded just a thought and this touched close to home for me. Thanks for bringing it up. We all need to do the right thing and it sounds like you did.


if the rule there is the same as here then its whoever shot the deer and dropped it and it was dead, then its that persons deer. which in my opinion is one of those things where you should try and look for the person who was tracking the animal and say "hey this is your deer, your son shot it. i have been hunting my entire life its his buck." but i guess some people dont think the way we all do here. i kno i remember my first deer and it was a time ill never foregt, just sucks that your son couldnt experiance the same thing due to some stupid incident.

[CatfishHateMe]

and to add my story, i hit a doe hard with my 12ga. last year, and i saw here drop and lay there, i walked over there after finding my land mark where i shot her and everything, found 3 drops of light blood, and thats it. we searched everywhere for a day and nothing, it was the last day so the landowner said he was gunna squirrle hunt the following week and told us hed look for her and let us kno if he found anything. he found a gut pile. im almost positive it was my deer cuz there were no other shots at all and noone on that property would have gutted an animal there, they would have taken it to the pond to dump it. so, sometimes deer dont bleed good. ive seen my dad years before i carried a gun shoot a buck in the heart and only bleed once the entire 45 yards he ran which isnt common but it can happen.

[cook]

I would have done the same thing brother! With that being said, I would have tried to get in touch with a game warden and see what could be done in this situation. Either way you look at it you got a nice buck, it may not have been the "ONE" but there will be other chances!

Aaron

TA2D
Not the same,but I had to let a wounded buck walk one year because I had a doe tag.Was also on public land.Talked to the game warden later and he said I definatly would have been ticketed,he has no discreation.If I had a buck tag,he could classify it as unedible and issue me a new tag.They would keep the wounded (now dead)deer.

[Wil]

i woulda done the same thing whether it was a lil buck, doe, fawn, or that big buck. dont wanna let them suffer and yes we do need ethics. good job brother hes a nice one!

[rednecksportsman511]

first off, i'd like to say all things aside that is an awesome buck.

you definitely did the right thing and you will be rewarded down the line. it's a judgement call that can be very difficult to make. but by choosing to take this injured buck you did the right thing.

good job

[STC T&F]

Thank you for doing the Ethical thing. I would have dne the same thing, but I believe that is what most true hunters would have done. Here in Missouri I have heard many stories like that and in almost every situation the hunter wa issued a new tag.

MJO

[Flintman]

Cathooker, good job on ethicals, good lookin buck.

[flathead willie]

I would have shot him. He's a nice buck and doesn't deserve to suffer.

[derbycitycatman]

You did the right thing, Id have popped him too. Not a bad buck at all to have to settle for.

[Buddrice]

You did the right thing,no questions about it.When you took that buck out of his pain and suffering he became a bigger trophy in my eyes.My hat is off to you.You are a true sportsman...

[wolfman]

I'd have done the same, after all it puts meat in the freezer and you can always plan for next year.

[catman37]

thats a nice buck,wounded or not ida shot him too.you did the right thing,good job!

[trnsmsn]

You ABSOULUTELY did the humane thing, which in turn makes it the right choice, I would have done the same thing.

Reps to ya.........