Hey guys, I need your input on an ethical dilemma I’m having. I had an archery tag this year and shot a great 4 point. Wide, tall, big front forks but the back right fork was small and narrower than his back left (this is important for later). All he presented me with was a frontal shot and I missed judged the yardage because of how fast it happened and made a horrible shot on him, right when I shot he turned his head so the arrow went high neck area and got stuck on the fletchings so it didn’t pass through but was sticking out either side of him. Before anyone comments on the shot hind sight is 20/20 and I have beat myself up over for months at this point whenever I think about this hunt. We blood trailed him all day and blood got scarce, he stopped bleeding altogether about 700 yards into tracking him. We made loops and zig zags until dusk and decided to look for him in the 1 live pocket of pines on the mountain and sure enough we jump him out his bed and he takes off straight downhill arrow still in his neck. As he ran I could hear wheezing almost like I knicked his esophagus. He ran straight downhill never to be seen again. I looked for him for 2 straight days and never found blood or the arrow. My wife was pregnant at this time and life prevented me from going back up and looking for him but I had a buddy that hunted the last remaining weekends of the hunt. My buddy never seen him or any of the other big deer for that matter. Well this is where the story gets interesting, my wife’s uncle is the game warden for this area and I was talking with him tonight and just thought to ask him if anyone found any dead heads in that area, sure enough in the exact same small basin I shot him in someone found one on the rifle hunt. When I shot this deer he was starting to strip. My wife’s uncle sent me the pictures of him and without being in person I can’t be 100% sure but what are the odds the buck is a 4 point, smaller back right fork than left and is the same caliber of buck I shot IN THE EXACT SAME GROUP OF TREES HE LIVED IN AND IN THE SAME BASIN. The only thing keeping me from asking the guy that found him if I can have him back is he is completely hard horned. What are the odds I shot him and he lived long enough to rub his velvet and return to his home grounds and die a couple weeks later of infection? This fact is keeping me from being 100% certain it’s mine but my gut tells me it is. I wish there was a cheater or something on him to make this easier! I should add that from the level of decomp I think the buck died mid to late September and I shot him August 31st. My gut is telling me it’s the buck I shot but the logical part of my brain is talking me out of it. What are the odds he lived that long? I should add the difference between the back right fork and back left were noticeable and stood out to me instantly but not so different it became a unique identifying mark like a cheater or devil tines. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
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