Survey - Do you count animals you couldn't retrieve in your bag limit?

Do you include lost game in your bag limit?

  • Never. I keep hunting until I harvest

    Votes: 31 32.3%

  • Only with small game and waterfowl

    Votes: 4 4.2%

  • Not with big game

    Votes: 2 2.1%

  • Yes, always! I shot it, I count it

    Votes: 30 31.3%

  • Depends on the situation

    Votes: 22 22.9%

  • Yes, because it forces me to only take clean, ethical shots

    Votes: 11 11.5%
  • Total voters
    96
  • Poll closed .
1963beretta

1963beretta

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A conversation got me thinking about this subject, so I figure I’d post a survey to see what others thoughts are on the matter.

The question is, do you count lost game in your bag limits? Do you cut your tag on that big game animal you shot but couldn't retrieve?

I usually include waterfowl that have clearly been shot and downed but couldn't be retrieved in my daily limit as a matter of habit and while I’ve never had to, I would cut my tag on a turkey in a similar situation. I dont hunt big game myself, but in conversation with some big game hunters, they indicated that they do the same with deer and bear which surprised me.

It would be interesting to hear different peoples thoughts and opinions on the matter. And lets keep this civil and respectful so that it doesn't turn into the usual pissing contest that many threads turn into.

More than one selection can be made in the poll
 
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Illegal in BC to "pre cancel" a tag, and if you cut a tag without a dead animal in your possession you are breaking the law. Many people feel that if they have wounded and lost an animal they should stop hunting at that point, and that is legal of course, as long as you dont' cut the tag.
 
Gatehouse, thats a very good point about cutting the tag and Im sure that rule also exists in my province. Maybe the folks I was talking to do it when they get home or maybe they were just using the term "cut the tag" as a figure of speech. Not sure and I didnt think to ask. Maybe it was their way of articulating that their hunt had come to end. It would be awful if they did in fact get booked for having a cut tag with no animal. I guess the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
 
I didn't vote, but I've always retrieved wounded big game. Sometimes it's been the next day and all that is left is the head and spine, but I tag it anyway.

I don't hunt birds.
 
1963beretta said:
It would be interesting to hear different peoples thoughts and opinions on the matter. And lets keep this civil and respectful so that it doesn't turn into the usual pissing contest that many threads turn into.

More than one selection can be made in the poll
Click to expand...

My opinion is that you're trolling, specifically the "holier than thou" last option on your poll. So anyone that doesn't choose that option is an unethical hunter?

I've never heard of anyone cutting their tag on a lost animal or including wounded birds in their bag limit.
 
Here the limits specifically refer to in your "possession" so if you don't have it could be a grey area. The law specifies you must make every reasonable effort to recover game birds but does not define reasonable effort. I can only think of 2 situations were I have knowingly left game birds behind. Both times I risked hypothermia had I gone into the water after the bird was winged and dropped a ways into the water. These times I counted those birds in my limit as I knew they were down. There have been cases where people shot birds, failed to retrieve them and were charged with exceeding the limits. Generally you can tell if you hit the bird or not. If its hit I will stop hunting and start looking for the bird, once I know it can not be found I will go back to hunting. With large game our tags are only considered to be filled while attached to an animal but of course you could choose not to fill the tag if you wanted to. If you can not find the animal to tag then you are not required to count it in your limit. I also found out while the spirit of the law is limited to one animal, there is no actual law that states the tag can not be reused once the original animal has been consumed as the original animal is no longer in your possession. A former girlfriends father won this argument in court with a very high priced lawyer. Don't worry, I do not do this.

I have wounded one deer that I could not recover, I had already filled my general whitetail tag and was hunting on supplementary tags. I felt awful and called it a season after that but had no legal obligation to do so as my two tags were technically valid. Had I absolutely needed the meat I probably would have kept hunting.
 
bearkilr said:
My opinion is that you're trolling, specifically the "holier than thou" last option on your poll. So anyone that doesn't choose that option is an unethical hunter?

I've never heard of anyone cutting their tag on a lost animal or including wounded birds in their bag limit.
Click to expand...

I don't really care about what anyone does. Look up the definition of public discourse and try learning something

As for your holier then thou comment, I didn't even personally select the option you refer to. Im of the opinion that you are the troll. Its ok if you don't want to contribute, but others may want to contribute. Let those people have discourse
 
The term "bag" limit itself would infer that you have the animal in your possession. Would you put a fake duck in your freezer to bump up your freezer limit in case a CO wanted to inspect it?
 
bearkilr said:
I've never heard of anyone cutting their tag on a lost animal or including wounded birds in their bag limit.
Click to expand...

Well now you’ve heard of it, and based on some early comments and poll responses, you’ve also come to learn people do it. Proof that public discourse can be enlightening, don't you think....
 
fratri said:
How do I know it's dead, if I don't see it dead?
Click to expand...

Often times thats a problem. With birds, its usually fairly quick to figure out. Often times its easy to determine when a bird drops dead, but then cant be found, or they fall into an area that cant be safely navigated. I hate it when it happens, but if you hunt birds enough, its inevitable that at some point it will happen.
 
i dont hunt birds
but if this was aimed at big game animal hunting and you cut your tag for
not retrieving a wounded animal.............go hacksaw your rifle in half
hang your head in shame and dont log onto any forum bragging about it

this isnt aimed at you OP just my initial thoughts
 
I didn't take that comment as directed to me at all. As I mentioned, I don't hunt big game so I don't have an opinion of what people should or shouldn't do in that case. I started this thread because of a conversation I had with big game hunters who said they end their hunt in such circumstances, and I found it surprising. I think the poll and the comments may suggest that those hunters are not alone in that practice and I find it really interesting that its the case
 
I use this philosophy more with fishing than hunting - if I catch a fish that's too small to legally keep but I've hooked it in a way that I killed it I will either take it home or feed it to the birds and take home my liming minus one that day.

Although I can't say that I limit out very often so it isn't usually a problem. : P
 
I suspect what people say and what people do in the woods when nobody is there to witness it are quite different.

Im certainly not perfect and have had some wounded animals but I continue the hunt to feed the family. Even a lion is 100% successful on his hunts and wounds his prey from time to time.
 
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