Deer hunting ethics

[blacktailcentral]

While I have nowhere near the experience with "Western" hunting that some do, having only lived in the West a handful of years, I agree with Steve300xcw here. I've killed a number of big game animals here in Wyoming, and I've never had a situation where "getting closer" wasn't an option, and one that was used. In fact, the ONLY time I shot at a game animal over that 450-500 range turned into a rodeo with a lower leg hit on a cow elk that, quite frankly, made me disgusted with myself. My Dad and I dogged the elk out, and we got her, but it was my first elk, and the way it went down absolutely detracted from the overall experience. Keep in mind also that this was after close to a decade of not having virtually no issues inside that 450-yard window mentioned about.

I don't disagree with you in that bad shots just happen sometimes. You seem to be owning it, which is the right way to behave. Although, your apparent denial that the distance could've even remotely been a factor is a little bit off-putting for me. Forget about "punching the tag" or not after your incident....Did you think long and hard about what you could have done to prevent the same result in the future? I'm assuming you did, but if you didn't....Any discussion about "ethics" here is

While I have nowhere near the experience with "Western" hunting that some do, having only lived in the West a handful of years, I agree with Steve300xcw here. I've killed a number of big game animals here in Wyoming, and I've never had a situation where "getting closer" wasn't an option, and one that was used. In fact, the ONLY time I shot at a game animal over that 450-500 range turned into a rodeo with a lower leg hit on a cow elk that, quite frankly, made me disgusted with myself. My Dad and I dogged the elk out, and we got her. It was my first elk (actually OUR first elk), and the way it went down absolutely detracted from the overall experience. Keep in mind also that this was after close to a decade of not having virtually no issues inside that 450-yard window mentioned about.

I don't disagree with you in that bad shots just happen sometimes. You seem to be owning it, which is the right way to behave. Although, your apparent denial that the distance could've even remotely been a factor is a little bit off-putting for me. Forget about "punching the tag" or not after your incident....Did you think long and hard about what you could have done to prevent the same result in the future? I'm assuming you did, but if you didn't....Any discussion about "ethics" here is over.

The point of the thread was so open a discussion on wounding and punching the tag or not. I have never wounded a deer or elk before, so this was a position ive never been in before. I don’t think distance was a factor at all… ive seen people make bad shots at 100 off hand vs i was using a tripod with a bag to be stabile. And i want to be clear i shoot alot i am not like alot of hunters that shoot a group once a year and then go hunting.

If people think only 100 yard shots are ethical well then they can do that, but there are plenty of situations in the west where you can’t get closer and thats a fact!

 

[blacktailcentral]

The point of this whole forum is to talk hunting and make others better hunters/shooters, not bashing and shit talking. Just saying

 

[blacktailcentral]

Also the owner of this forum has shot animals beyond 1000 yards so maybe this is the wrong forum for you guys

 

[Steve300xcw]

The point of this whole forum is to talk hunting and make others better hunters/shooters, not bashing and shit talking. Just saying

And yet your ego is missing what folks are telling you...

 

[7RemMag]

If people think only 100 yard shots are ethical well then they can do that, but there are plenty of situations in the west where you can’t get closer and thats a fact!

Well, given your experience this year, maybe when there's a situation when you "can't get closer" that's a sign that you oughtta let the critter walk then, right? Surely you can agree that would've been a better end result than the potential, or in this particular case, the reality, that the animal suffers unnecessarily, right? For the record, I haven't seen anyone here say that only inside 100 yards is ethical.

The point of this whole forum is to talk hunting and make others better hunters/shooters, not bashing and shit talking. Just saying

I don't think anyone here is bashing anyone. I see nothing more than constructive criticism that I personally feel is well deserved. I see no one here bashing you as a person. Based on your subsequent posts after the original, you didn't have a great hit. If the deer is still alive, that much is obvious. You're adamant that the distance simply could not have contributed to the situation because, and I quote "You shoot a lot".....Ok, great. One of the great things about this country(or this forum) is that you have the freedom to take what others are advising of you, plenty of whom may have more or varying experience, wisdom, etc., and throw it in the can and ignore it. That seems to be what you're intent on doing. If that's what you want to do, then so be it. Although, if that was your intention, I can't help but question why you even made the thread in the first place? Regardless, I hope that a tale like this deer is something that you don't experience again anytime soon.

 

[rookieforever33]

I have personally not hunted on a tag I wounded a deer on.

 

[Speaks]

Buddy of mine put a bullet in a does lower leg. I sent a follow up and hit the bottom of lung. We tracked her 3 miles before I got a follow up and put her down. The chest shot was very likely fatal. Lots of blood for a mile then very very little. Could have never kept on the trail without snow.

Make of that what you will.

 

[kabee411]

Hello roksliders,
I want to know would you punch your tag or continue to hunt. I shot a deer after sitting on him for an hour to finally stand. Shoot, impact, then go to track the deer, track the deer for a mile and a half in a loop, deer initially goes downhill then eventually uphill. Pretty consistent blood with 5-6 decent puddles. I go back the next day morning and evening with a hound to see if we can turn him up. To no avail, we believe the deer is still alive since we didnt turn him up alive or dead. i have 4 days of season left.

Keep hunting. You’ve put in serious effort toward recovery, and a tag is hard to get

 

[Pilsner]

If you were my guided hunter or hunting my land, you would be punching your tag.

If you're flying solo, it's your conscience, not mine.

I 100% agree with this. I've even guided hunters under these terms (sometimes it's literally in the law or the contract). However, where I live in the Ozarks we get a half dozen tags per person before we apply for any extra tags. So it doesn't stop the hunt.

 

[Pilsner]

Hmmm, after seeing that blood picture , I’d go back for another round of searching. That’s a lot of blood in a pool to not be dead. A front high shoulder or low brisket clip puts out 1.5+mile drip lines but rarely pooled blood like that, in my experience. If I put in one more solid half day search effort and still nothing, I’d hunt my last few days.

As part of our training for being combat medics we had to look at X amount of (simulated) blood on say the floor of an APC or in the sand and estimate how much blood loss the PT suffered. NO ONE got it right and EVERYONE VASTLY overestimated the amounts. What everyone -keep in mind that most folks involved were already experienced first responders - forgot about was how far and fast blood spreads and its weird characteristics. What looked to us like multiply liters of blood spread over what looked like a crime scene would actually be less than a cup of liquid volume. If anyone has ever painted something with an air pressured spray gun and seen how much surface area a quart of paint will cover will have a fair idea of what I speak.
The amount of blood in the picture could be measured in teaspoons full not quarts or liters. The average 150# cervid has around a gallon of blood in it so losing a few teaspoons, as pictured above, won't even make it lightheaded much less in danger of a lethal outcome.
That is also consistent red colored blood without bubbles so it isn't a lung shot. I'd wager a fresh $10 bill that that deer is walking around just fine right now unless someone else shot it.
-Doc

 

[wkk]

I’m reminded of the saying “What you permit you promote. What you allow you encourage. What you condone you own. What you tolerate you deserve.”

In your shoes I would punch the tag.

 

[fwafwow]

The point of this whole forum is to talk hunting and make others better hunters/shooters, not bashing and shit talking. Just saying

I shoot regularly to 1000 yards, practice 0-600yards almost weekly. Handload, and shoot good setups…. There was no way to get any closer. If you have ever hunted in the west you would know that

im not going to get into it but obviously youve never hunted beyond a tree stand . And you have always made a perfect shot because you are perfect lol

If you think 500 yards is a long shot, with a modern rifle system…. You are a fudd @Steve300xcw

Pot meet kettle

 

[Swamp Fox]

Well, given your experience this year, maybe when there's a situation when you "can't get closer" that's a sign that you oughtta let the critter walk then, right? Surely you can agree that would've been a better end result than the potential, or in this particular case, the reality, that the animal suffers unnecessarily, right?

https://imgflip.com/gif/1whrif

 

[Predator_SD]

I shoot regularly to 1000 yards, practice 0-600yards almost weekly. Handload, and shoot good setups…. There was no way to get any closer. If you have ever hunted in the west you would know that

I’ve been bowhunting the West since the 90s. I assure you i am getting much closer than 500 yards. So you could absolutely get closer you chose not to and the results are apparent.

 

[FLS]

When my boys were young they would ask my opinion and sometimes if I didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear, they would continue asking hoping to get a different answer. This thread reminds me of that…
If the area you were hunting only supports one tag per hunter, per season I would chalk it up as a loss and be done. Figure out what happened and try not to make the same mistake twice.
If it is a multiple tag area I would notch one, try and figure out what went wrong and continue to hunt trying not to make the same mistake again.