two hunters two kill shots, who gets the deer

[WormWiggler]

I suppose screaming "It's alive!" and emptying your gun into the head would have escalated the situation exponentially?

 

[Bullsnake]

"I suppose screaming "It's alive!" and emptying your gun into the head would have escalated the situation exponentially?"

LMAO Yea that would have been something

 

[Rowdie]

That was going to be my next comment, but not as funny! LOL

 

[NodakBuckeye]

Well, if the story is accurate, I hope the meat is rancid, the rack falls off the skull, their rifles rust and may the fleas of a thousand coyotes infest their armpits.

If it were a really big buck and there was not a youngster involved I might at least ask to check for a blood trail and exam the carcass for wound count, does not seem unreasonable for those with a cool head. But these guys sound like the kids from school that cheated at marbles and wouldn't let ya play with the new baseball because it might get dirty.

 

[wby257]

There are two sides to every story, Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see. Know one can make a fair judgement call on this, Its all hear say.

 

[espringers]

The guy shouldn't have finished off someone else's deer. But, once he did, ethics don't matter (which was already the case given the described situation). He needs to tag it.

 

[svnmag]

There are two sides to every story, Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see. Know one can make a fair judgement call on this, Its all hear say.

True if you have to be the "judge" and investigate. More and more I find that adage weak. There's usually a "right" and a "wrong" IMHO. Now presuming the OP was dead on, it sickens me how a dumb bastard would do that to someone, especially a kid. You won't catch me shooting an obviously wounded deer period. Popped someone else's "work" by accident a few years ago and was rewarded with a destroyed ham and rich, steamy, green stew in the cavity (at dark). I don't care it it has an oak tree on it's head I promise. I'll do my damndest to get the word out to the rightful shooter. I believe Ish displayed great ethics. I don't share them per the topic due to these type situations. I also don't want help putting down my deer. You kill it, it's yours.

 

[newlydean]

This happened to me 20 years ago. My dad and I watched a buck lay down in some heavy crp. We walk out and kick him up and I take out a front leg on him. The land was hilly and he gets over the next hill. We crest the hill to see him run into a grove of tress and stop. There was a pickup watching us the whole time and he decides to drive to the end of the section as we are walking towards the tree grove. So I'm thinking he is there to help make sure he doesn't go out the other end. So we get to the grove of trees and the buck goes out the other side. I ran out to put him down and the pickup gets in between me and the deer so I can't shoot. The deer ends up running right to the guy and he puts him down. Again as I'm walking up there I think he shot him to put him on the ground for me. By the time I get there he has his tag on him and is starting to gut him out. Guy explains he didn't see the front leg was shot and said that he was entitled to the deer. I wanted to put a bullet in the skull of the deer to split the rack but told him he was a piece of crap and left. Was only a 140 inch buck but at the time would have been my best deer.

 

[Sluggo]

Bullsnake, I am curious what Game and Fish said when they were called? I can certainly understand that they don't want to get in the middle of every disagreement but part of me thinks they would want to make sure that a disagreement between people with high powered rifles gets resolved peacefully.

 

[fly2cast]

If it were me and I saw a kid wanted to tag it i would say heck yeah, it's yours. It did't work out this way and there is no use arguing over it. Just give it to the guy who insisted on it. It just means you get to do more deer hunting. There is nothing bad about that. I kind of laugh when I see deer antlers discarded or put away. The buck means so much at the time but shortly after that it's nearly forgotten. Enjoy the hunt. That's where the memories are.

 

[Duckslayer100]

This happened to me 20 years ago. My dad and I watched a buck lay down in some heavy crp. We walk out and kick him up and I take out a front leg on him. The land was hilly and he gets over the next hill. We crest the hill to see him run into a grove of tress and stop. There was a pickup watching us the whole time and he decides to drive to the end of the section as we are walking towards the tree grove. So I'm thinking he is there to help make sure he doesn't go out the other end. So we get to the grove of trees and the buck goes out the other side. I ran out to put him down and the pickup gets in between me and the deer so I can't shoot. The deer ends up running right to the guy and he puts him down. Again as I'm walking up there I think he shot him to put him on the ground for me. By the time I get there he has his tag on him and is starting to gut him out. Guy explains he didn't see the front leg was shot and said that he was entitled to the deer. I wanted to put a bullet in the skull of the deer to split the rack but told him he was a piece of crap and left. Was only a 140 inch buck but at the time would have been my best deer.

Interesting situation. Here's one from the other angle:

Three years ago I got a buck tag. On opening day I walked out when I always do to the spot I always go and waited for the trumpet to sound and the orange army to start kicking deer my way.

Like clockwork, about 30 minutes past noon the dogs of war let loose and I tightened my sphincter waiting for something, hopefully, to trot by.

Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, I see a big body attached to some antlers high-stepping it through the stunted oak trees. Me not being a trophy hunter, I decided there was much meat on that carcass and bid my time.

Often when bucks are kicked up, they hit the woods hard but quickly slow down thinking they are in the clear. This was similar, yet I soon noticed it was hobbling pretty good. Ever 10 steps or so it would even drop down on its front two legs before heaving itself up to move again.

"Wounded," I thought to myself. "Better see how bad."

In the crosshairs I saw no blood anywhere. The sides, rump, neck, face were clear. Then I saw the culprit: It's front let was blown off at the knee...the bottom shin and hoof tangling from a junk of sinew.

This was, in my honest opinion, at the best a non-lethal injury or, at the worst, a lengthy-lethal injury. So, with buck tag in my pocket and the inability to watch a fine specimen suffer, I put one through his boilermaker and knocked him down at 50 yards.

Often when I see wounded deer, or deer period, I will eventually see hunters. Some might even query whether I saw anything.

I waited 15 minutes after the deer expired without seeing another hunter. I then proceeded to gut it and wait another 45 minutes just in case some young hunter walked through on the lookout. Again, nothing. So I tagged the deer and proceeded to drag it out for the next two hours. Again, didn't bump into another hunter.

If I had, and if said hunter gave me a hard time about tagging "his" deer, I would have politely pointed out their poor shot placement and said "better luck next time."

Then again, if it was a young hunter who was polite and forthcoming, I may have been generous and allowed them to keep the buck. I just know that getting angry and calling names is one way to get a one-finger salute in the deer woods.

 

[wby257]

this was the story from my nephew(17 yrs old), he and his dad where hunting and area found a nice buck( 150-160 im told his biggest deer anyway) made a move and was able to get a kill shot on it,

I have a hard time believing a kill shot. Now to me its dead. Gets up and runs away. Everyone wants to believe what you are saying is true. I would never take a deer from a young hunter. Did the deer run 100 yds or a half mile?

My Dad shot his N.D. Elk in 1987. He hit one and we tracked it in the snow for close to 1/2 mile. Came over the hill and 2 guys were gutting it out. Who's Elk is it. to me it was theres they killed it. thats just the way it is. Maybe it wasnt a kill shot maybe it was. They killed the deer.

 

[Bullsnake]

Bullsnake, I am curious what Game and Fish said when they were called? I can certainly understand that they don't want to get in the middle of every disagreement but part of me thinks they would want to make sure that a disagreement between people with high powered rifles gets resolved peacefully.

Not sure what the game and fish said, again this is what was "told" to me by my nephew and his parents, just curious to what people thought about 1st shot last shot etc.