What would you do: Kill elk with wounded leg on border of private property?

[RTR]

Yesterday, I was waiting near a fenceline for a cow that was bedded down 100 yards on the private side of a private/public property line. When the cow eventually stood up, she had a hard limp and a swollen rear hindquarter and she limped deeper into private property.

Question: What would you do? Legally, one should let the cow go. Ethically, I'm inclined to believe that one should kill it, call the private property owner and offer to give it to the private landowner but explain the situation to him/her.

 

[Boiler]

I wouldn't shoot it! That sounds like a good way to get in a bunch of trouble!

 

[RTR]

Legally, I have to agree. But I can't help but believe that the adjacent property owner would understand. One additional piece of information: The adjacent property isn't necessarily a dedicated hunting ranch, but they do have guided hunts on the property. So the property owner would be knowledgeable about hunting and elk... not sure if that strengthens the ethical case to shoot it or not?

 

[elkguide]

How much do you value you hunting license?
Unless the animal was on public land or private ground that you had permission to hunt on and wanted to use your tag, you would be charged with the unlawful taking of a game animal.

 

[LazyV]

Doing the "right" thing only when there is no risk to you is pretty easy...legally it's clear, but morally and ethically....

 

[RTR]

Fair enough. I think what I'm hearing is the legalities trump the ethics. (Granted, the ethics of taking a wounded animal may be less important than the ethics of lawfully respecting property rights.) So perhaps property ethics trumps putting-an-animal-out-of-its-misery ethics... (?)

 

[P Carter]

I don’t think there’s an ethical duty to put an animal out of its misery. To me this is a non-issue. You can’t shoot an elk on someone else’s property, legally or ethically. Perhaps theres a very limited ethical gray area if you, yourself, wounded the animal in what was otherwise a legal manner. But under the circumstances you describe, to me it’s an easy “no.” An easy “hell no” even.

 

[bsnedeker]

I don’t think there’s an ethical duty to put an animal out of its misery. To me this is a non-issue. You can’t shoot an elk on someone else’s property, legally or ethically. Perhaps theres a very limited ethical gray area if you, yourself, wounded the animal in what was otherwise a legal manner. But under the circumstances you describe, to me it’s an easy “no.” An easy “hell no” even.

I agree with the above. While it is hard to see an animal in pain, this is the way the natural world works. We can't base our hunting decisions on what we think about the quality of that animals life... it's our job to follow the rules which are set up to ensure that wild populations remain in good health.

That said, if you had a legal shot at that animal I would certainly take it. Last year I targeted a specific doe for 2 months because one of its front legs was nearly severed by a gunshot to the knee... hanging on by an inch of tendon. I got her on the very last day of season when she crossed my property line.

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[LazyV]

I disagree with some of what is being said, but if you feel that way so be it. You could always contact the landowner, advise them of the situation and ask for permission to attempt to hunt just that animal if so inclined. I hunt a family farm in which permission isn't given out to the public to hunt, but in the scenario above I bet it would be if no family was hunting it at the time. I've killed a few bucks that had been wounded on adjoining land that I would not have hung a tag on otherwise.

I get the not interfering with nature argument but at some point allowing misery to continue simply for that sake seems questionable. To me we are stewards of the land and animals due to greater critical thinking ability which comes with an increased burden to use it judiciously.

- - - Updated - - -

I'll put my flame suit on now

 

[realunlucky]

Doing the "right" thing only when there is no risk to you is pretty easy...legally it's clear, but morally and ethically....

What if you don't have a tag is it still morally and ethically the decision you make

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[LazyV]

Trying to hoist me on my own petard eh? I've had to make a few decisions like that over the course of quite a few days hunting. Frankly, I've faced far scarier things in my life then a trespassing ticket in the jobs I've had but I'd tell those stories over a whisky drink and not on an Internet forum. I get what you're getting at, and yes I've walked the walk on moral issue on a few occasions, ultimately I have to face myself in the mirror and living with myself is at the top of the list in those circumstances.

Laws are an attempt to set a rock bottom level of acceptable behavior to the majority of the publics way of thinking in generic situations but the world is too grey for that to work 100% of the time.

 

[Forest]

I would contact the landlord and/or the game warden. Decent chance the game warden will take care of it. Or they might be able to work together to grant you access, however I don't think you will want the meat anyways.

 

[Hunting_Oregon]

I would just let nature take its course and not risk any trouble.

 

[BrennanKeil]

I think you're anthropomorphizing here. Will that cow likely face a horrible death? Yes. Is that the way nature intended? Also yes. There is no duty to put a wild animal out of it's misery unless A. you caused the misery (ie you have already shot it once) or B. It's misery threatens the well being of it's herdmates (IE transmissable disease)

 

[LazyV]

I get that argument, reasonable people can disagree.

 

[cnelk]

Nature and Emotion do not mix well

 

[cgasner1]

Take the same situation in June would you have wanted to put her out of her down makes things difficult being during season


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[wytx]

Just call the landowner and ask, if they say no then contact the GW and fill him or her in on where. They will take care of it or contact the landowner about it.
"Buzzards got to eat same as the worms".

 

[LazyV]

By some of the the logic being expressed would you let your dog suffer beyond the point there was no hope of correcting whatever issue was killing it? Would you wait for nature to take its course and let it suffer a few extra days to let the "natural" thing occur?

 

[P Carter]

You can legally do what need be done with your dog. Not so with elk on your neighbors property. The more analogous question wouldn’t be “would you let your dog suffer” but rather “would you shoot your neighbors’s dog if you though it was suffering.”