What would you do if you came upon a wounded deer?
- Thread starter PSE
- Start date
John Spartan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Just a little more to the right...
Interestingly, where I hunt, hike, and camp, I've yet to come across this situation. If and when it happens, it would be an on the spot decision.
In a similar vein, while duck hunting in sloughs, I've often flushed wounded ducks and geese unable to fly and dispatched them. No issues with meat quality.
In a similar vein, while duck hunting in sloughs, I've often flushed wounded ducks and geese unable to fly and dispatched them. No issues with meat quality.
We have come across deer mangled in the ditch, recently hit by a car and dispatched them. In hunting season I found one doing the windmill on our lease, doe season was closed so I called the CO. he came out the next day but we were unable to find it. That sucked.
Christy's antelope had a broadhead and busted arrow shaft buried in it's back, a wound that was several days old. It wreaked. We field dressed it and met the CO at the camp. He gave us the option of taking just the head and cape, he would look after the infected carcass, or we could get another tag and go hunting again. She had enough of searching for hours on end for a lope so we kept the head and cape and went our way.
Although the Buck was acting kind of wierd most of the time (laying down alot) we could not see the injury until after she shot him.
I have talked to many Co's about this and they all say the same thing, as much as it seems the right thing to do, you have to let nature run it's course.
Christy's antelope had a broadhead and busted arrow shaft buried in it's back, a wound that was several days old. It wreaked. We field dressed it and met the CO at the camp. He gave us the option of taking just the head and cape, he would look after the infected carcass, or we could get another tag and go hunting again. She had enough of searching for hours on end for a lope so we kept the head and cape and went our way.
Although the Buck was acting kind of wierd most of the time (laying down alot) we could not see the injury until after she shot him.
I have talked to many Co's about this and they all say the same thing, as much as it seems the right thing to do, you have to let nature run it's course.
The animal would have to be very clearly suffering and drawing it's last breaths before I woudl shoot.
An animal with 3 legs can still get around pretty good, I saw a 3 legged bear last year that was running up a steep hill as fas as a horse. I've seen plenty of 3 legged dogs, some 3 legged deer etc.
Animals hit by cars ofen have severe internal injuries, I've put down some of hem that clearly were not going to survive. Deer with a leg blown off may do just fine, and it's not relaly my business or my place to go around judging what gets to live or die.
An animal with 3 legs can still get around pretty good, I saw a 3 legged bear last year that was running up a steep hill as fas as a horse. I've seen plenty of 3 legged dogs, some 3 legged deer etc.
Animals hit by cars ofen have severe internal injuries, I've put down some of hem that clearly were not going to survive. Deer with a leg blown off may do just fine, and it's not relaly my business or my place to go around judging what gets to live or die.
A friends home over looks a small island in a river and after the shotgun season a doe with a broken or gun shot leg rear leg spent a lot of time on the island. That doe has made it through two muzzleloader, two shotgun seasons, two winters and she had two fawns last spring. She was seen on the island this spring and still on 3 legs. We shot a big buck one year and about 6" above the huff the rear leg bone had been broken and healed. The lower leg bone healed to the side of the upper portion and the rear leg was a bit shorter. Sometimes mother nature looks after her own.
death-junky
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Moose Jaw SK
hummmm I didn't think about that, but you are probably right.SuperCub said:A friend of mine once made a bad shot on a nice 6pt buck. The deer was shot in the knee on a Monday evening. We went back to the same spot on Saturday the same week and did some drives to get it to move. I shot the deer as it was moving away from my partner.
Long story short .......... I gave all the meat to my buddy as I already had lots. It made his family sick (vomit) both times that they ate it. He later found out that, because it was wounded for a few days prior to dying was the reason for the food poisoning.
I'd shoot it and walk next time.
Here's a pic of that buck ..............
ttyal
Riley
Beaver Skin
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
Gatehouse said:
I once put the crosshairs on a bear with a mangled front leg as it was hobbling along. As I watched it jump into the water, play around splashing and carrying on, then rocket up a long steep slope without missing a step, I was glad I didn't shoot. He was obviously OK and is probably still going strong!
I said walk away and report it.
I'd really sooner shoot it and walk away but many hunters up here can't see the practical side of the buch because they have the regs shoved up their backside.
In the event stories start, I'd sooner not have a CO on my doorstep over taking out a wounded doe and losing my tag because "I did the right thing"
Besides, that wounded deer doesn't begin to scratch the amount of animals that meet the same fate over the four seasons.
Nature takes care of what we don't.
I'd really sooner shoot it and walk away but many hunters up here can't see the practical side of the buch because they have the regs shoved up their backside.
In the event stories start, I'd sooner not have a CO on my doorstep over taking out a wounded doe and losing my tag because "I did the right thing"
Besides, that wounded deer doesn't begin to scratch the amount of animals that meet the same fate over the four seasons.
Nature takes care of what we don't.
fogducker said:you,s are all nutz(well some of you)...you will not take out a sick or suffering one..
BUT...
if that 14 pointer steps out........healthy as can be..would you let it walk???
Fogger, Fogger, Fogger
Of course we'd take the healthy 14 pointer, and we'd all walk away from a wounded one.
Its the ethical thing to do ya know
fogducker said:you,s are all nutz(well some of you)...you will not take out a sick or suffering one..
BUT...
if that 14 pointer steps out........healthy as can be..would you let it walk???
I wouldn't shoot. I'd walk away and let the CO's know I saw a 14 pointer.
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
We were coming back from the trap range couple years ago when we came upon a car stopped near an injured deer. Evidently the driver struck the deer and broke it's back just at the shoulder area. Poor deer couldn't get up but only blat away and drag it's smashed body in circles. We made a judgement call and my pal dispatched it with a shotgun blast to the base of the skull. WRONG thing to do as he got into some major brown stuff from the R.C.M. Police, not to mention the mental trauma to the driver and her daughter. I think though that if the driver was realistic about the chances of "rehabilitating" the deer and if the police officer was not a female that spoke little to no english things would have gone differently.
Back to the original question... yup I would put the animal out of suffering and continue to hunt.
Back to the original question... yup I would put the animal out of suffering and continue to hunt.
M12shooter said:
You say that you ran into a female RCMP officer that spoke little or no english...sorry, but I call
on that one. How did she get through training?Back to the original question...I didn't take a vote. I had a similar situation happen a few years back. A three legged deer ran across the road in front of my vehicle while I was on my way home from a morning hunt. It tried to jump a fence but instead got caught up in the wire. I calle local F&W on my cell phone. They told me to wait until it was safe to do so, and dispatch the animal. They would meet me at the house with a tag. I did so and proceeded to load the animal so that I could gut it in a more "out of the way" place. Two guys came flying down the hillside in their pick up. They had shot the animal on private ranch land to which they had no permission to hunt (The OH Ranch). A quick call to the ranch manager, he was on his way with the possy. When I returned home, the fish cop arrived at my house 15 or so minutes later with a tag.
I also hit a cow moose with my truck up by Conklin. It happened to be during hunting season, but since I was working, I had no gun. The cow was still alive. As luck would have it, two hunters pulled up behind me and couldn't believe their eyes. They had been looking for a cow for a couple of days with no luck. I was already talking with the F&W on my cell, gave them a GPS location and they were on their way with a tag for the two hunters. They finished off the animal and with the help of myseld and the fish cop, loaded the moose on their truck. The very next day, I drove by their camp while I was working, they invited me in for lunch.
So my vote would have been - Contact F&W & request to dispatch the animal to end it's suffering and ensure that it doesn't go to waste. Most if not all will or should see it this way....No?
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- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Sonofagun and I were on our way to the Outpostt of the Empire range late last spring, and came upon this young buck that apparantly had been bitten by a critter, breaking its hip.I called thee F&W, and they said shoot it.
I'mm pointing the the bit marks in the photo....
Cat
I'mm pointing the the bit marks in the photo....
Cat
gitrdun said:You say that you ran into a female RCMP officer that spoke little or no english...sorry, but I call
I don't know whaere you live or what sort of contact you have with newly trained Mounties; but I can assure you that for a couple of decades it was not at all uncommon to come across members that were for all intents and purposes unintelligible to anglophones. Do you really think they don't offer mountie training in french?
A couple years ago at night, I came across a cow moose that was laying on the yellow line of the highway. As I passed by, it tried to get up but couldn't. I stopped on the side of the highway to investigate. I could see that it had a punctured lung and that its hips were broken. A minute later another fella stopped, we decided we had to get the moose of the centerline of the highway. We used his truck and a rope to drag the moose out of the way, it was still alive and it was 'crying'. By this time a couple other people had stopped. Nobody had a knife and all I had with me was my 22 and an axe. I decided the axe would be the best choice. With the rope around the neck the other guy held its head still so I could get a clean whack between the eyes. I wound up with everything I had, and gave her a whack, I'll never forget the sound it made. She kicked her front leg straight out, it quivered and then fell limp. No sooner did I do that then an OPP shows up, we're standing around the moose trying to decide who was going to take it and it gives out one last twitch. The cop jumped back about six feet, drew his gun at the moose, and told everyone to get back. As i stood there laughing, I assured him she was dead.
I recognized the guy with the truck as my parents neighbour from the country. Since I found the moose, I had first dibs on it and told him he could have it. I decided I didn't want the moose because my daughter was still sleeping in the backseat of my car. A week later this guy shows up at my parents house with a couple of steaks...
I recognized the guy with the truck as my parents neighbour from the country. Since I found the moose, I had first dibs on it and told him he could have it. I decided I didn't want the moose because my daughter was still sleeping in the backseat of my car. A week later this guy shows up at my parents house with a couple of steaks...
