I have done both...durning gun season a year ago, I was hunting in a county where it was illegal to kill a doe...but as I sat on stand a large doe came by with her right rear leg shot or broke almost completely off. The only thing holding it on was the skin. The deer could not walk up hill, only around the flat. With the blood she was loosing, and the fact that 1/2 her back leg was about to come off, I took her down. Being in the county I was in, I had to leave the deer there for the coyotes and buzzards.

It was a tough situation to be in, and I didn't know of any other option. I hated to see her suffering, and letting her walk to be attacked by coyotes, or to get gang-green and die would have haunted me all season. I had to do it in my mind, and I don't regret it. It just p*ss's me off that someone would have shot at her in a buck only county and crippled her like they did. I really found myself between a rock and a hard place, but I did what I thought was right.


But earlier this year, I was on stand when a doe cam by with her front leg broke. Looked like it had been broke a few years ago, and just healed funny. The leg was twisted in too differnt ways, and the doe sorta walked on it. But didn't put much weight on it. The leg was just broke on the bottom, and the deer seemed to pay no attention to it. It was interesting to see how well the deer had healed. I let her walk...