Ethics Question: Do you notch your tag if you shoot an animal but can't recover it?

[*zap*]

No.

 

[Josiah Bower]

This thread has been very helpful, and I'm encouraged to see the general sentiment to learn the lesson and move on.

I made a poor shot on a muley doe yesterday, high as she was turning to quarter away hard. I'm not sure if the arrow made it inside the chest cavity or skated along the outside of the ribs, but it sounded like velcro being ripped apart. I'm fairly confident the fact I was using a mechanical in this case didn't help.

At the shot, she and the accompanying doe peeled out and disappeared through the timber 200 yards away. I saw immediately it was a bad shot, up high and somewhat forward with half my arrow sticking out backwards at a very oblique angle, and the doe showed no signs of incapacitation.

I figured with a good shot she was heading for the brush in the draw 300 yards east, and hoped I would find her there. Out of concern, I checked her trail to the 150 yard mark, seeing a light blood trail start at 80 yards and stop shortly after. I gave it two hours, then continued following her running tracks, then found blood again from 300-350 yards as she was entering a meadow.

For the next hour I followed potential tracks and found three more bits of blood, about every 20 yards. Then, around the 400 yard mark, I searched for two more hours, finding zero definitive sign. I searched in circles further and further away, but still found nothing. A friend came and we walked and glassed the woods all the way to the next drainage, and found nothing.

I sincerely hope she survives, carrying my arrow as a trophy of the day she outmatched me, for I have spent enough time building, tuning, and shooting that arrow it is a trophy to me. Or, perhaps, I'll see her again next weekend and have a chance at redemption.

 

[def90]

Placing your tag on an animal legally transfers ownership of that animal from the state to the person. Not sure what’s gained by notching a tag when that transfer of ownership has not taken place.

If you, or I, make a game day ethical decision to not pursue another animal don’t. Notching a tag isn’t necessary. Just go home.

I think "notching a tag" is simply what people are calling going home.

 

[tall]

My first year elk hunting I arrowed a cow a little far back and she bedded down about about 50 yds away. While waiting for her to expire, another hunting party bumped her and she crossed onto an Indian Reservation. After a few phone calls trying to get access to recover the carcass, I was forbidden. Talking to a wildlife officer after the event I asked him what I should do as I was confident I had killed the elk, but could not recover it. In that situation he said, "don't notch your tag, keep hunting."

 

[robby denning]

I usually don't.

If anyone watched that film I did a few years ago, (breaking the slump). I didn't notch on that buck I hit during archery.

and wouldn't you know it, he showed up alive and well on the rifle hunt. (and we promptly missed him--clean that time---geez, waht a buncha amateuers.)

They don't always die. Dad always said more live than we think. If they're hit bad and you track, you often recover.

but each to their own on this. I respect people's personal conviction. (But if you're just tired of hunting and don't want go back, just say it.)

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Placing your tag on an animal legally transfers ownership of that animal from the state to the person. Not sure what’s gained by notching a tag when that transfer of ownership has not taken place.

If you, or I, make a game day ethical decision to not pursue another animal don’t. Notching a tag isn’t necessary. Just go home.

This aligns with what we do. I've never physically notched a tag without an animal to place it on, but we'll look for the wounded animal until the season/trip is over and won't have other opportunities anyway. There are times we've become confident it's a non-fatal injury, such as we're able to spot it at a distance and assess any wounds (saw a brisket hit on an aoudad long ago for example), in which case we'll abandon the chase and attempt to go after another.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Depends on the circumstance and where you are hunting. In Alaska and a lot of African countries you must notch and sign your tag IF you wound the animal and it gets away.

Myself, if I wound an animal and I can't find it, there is nothing to put a tag on. I'll keep hunting because I know the animal is not going to waste, it will feed lots of other animals. Saying that, I am 84 years old and killed my first deer when I was 12. I don't exactly know how many big game animals I have taken, but I am sure it's over 200. I have only lost 1 animal that I know it hit. (don't remember many that were missed or required more than one shot either.) I am a rifle hunter and by picking your shot, most don't require more than one.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I look at it a lot different. The saying goes that the chicken and the pig each have a part in making breakfast. Obviously, the pig has a bigger stake in it than the chicken. In taking an archery shot, the hunter is the chicken and the animal is the pig. I always keep that in mind. Most people head home and don’t see what an animal goes thru to live thru the winter. I live among them and I see many wounded animals starving in the winter because of injury. Not all are from hunting misses, but some are. So I will never take a shot that I think is not a 100% chance of recovery. And I would be done hunting if I shot and didn’t recover. Maybe forever, but at least for that season. This is why I have to hunt solo, I pass on shots that I am not certain. Passed on some already this year, just a little too far. I don’t like to see animals wounded and I don’t like to spend days searching for a poorly hit animal for other hunters.

 

[mt terry d]

Not so sure about that one. First off, wildlife regs are provincial. And I can only find in the BC regs that a species licence must be cancelled upon harvesting the animal. It does say you must pursue and animal as much as possible. But if you never found it, you never harvested it. So it still remains an ethical question.

Top147 said:
It’s the law in Canada to notch your tag even if you don’t recover the animal. From birds to big game.


That law could not even be enforced in most cases.

With a rifle any miss could actually be a hit without the shooter knowing.

How many rifle hunters notch their tag if they miss and don't see the impact?
I'll guess less than one.

 

[Marbles]

Some Alaska hunts you are required to notch it even if not recovered. Some you are not.

 

[MallardSX2]

I see all sides of the argument. Luckily I have only been in the situation one time.

I notched my tag and went home and I swore on that day that I would never hunt OTC Archery in Colorado again. That was THE final straw.

 

[Blackcow]

How would a rifle hunter not know it was a hit? I rarely rifle hunt, but every rifle hunt I’ve ever been on, be that myself, friends/family, or clients, I’ve always gone to look. Even if I was behind glass calling shots and could plainly see where the bullets were hitting, we’d go over and check. Regardless of how far or what kind of terrain. Everyone know does that. Is that not a thing anymore? Hunters Ed doesn’t teach it anymore?

 

[ozyclint]

Interesting. So what happens if you "think" you hit the animal, but can't find an arrow or any blood? I've seen it both ways where the arrow was buried inside an animal and resulted in a fatal kill (with no blood trail) and where the arrow was buried in the dirt never to be found again with a clean miss. What does the law in Canada say if you're unsure whether you hit the animal or not?

And it is possible to not be sure. I've heard a lot of people say they saw the arrow (usually with lighted nocks) disappear into the animal. When in reality, the arrow went just over the animals back and they saw the lighted nock "disappear" as it went behind the animal...

Furthermore regarding Canada. I know in Alberta that you must leave the gall bladder with a black bear carcass as proof it wasn't taken to supply the black market trade for them.

A punched tag but no carcass might raise suspicion? You're saying you killed a bear but with no evidence the gall bladder wasn't taken. I guess you'd have to catch a warden having a bad day though. ??

 

[jsb]

Only happened to me once (so far). I threw my tag away and was done for the season.