Wouldn't shoot a deer with 30 minutes left in the season...With a bow. No ethics involved,So I just hunted for the better part of 4 months and now I'm gonna get it done in 30 minutes..nah not me.

I WOULD CONTACT THE CO FIRST

Once again....GR8's got a VERY valid point. I didn't even hunt the last evening of our season, this past Fall.

I'll tell ya, though......If there's no valid season open......why go back with a BOW? I'm likely toting something a little more conducive to dispatching an animal quickly.

But....as described.....I'm shooting. I love deer hunting.....but even if it meant me having to do without for a while....I'll dispatch that animal.

I also like my chances in court.

It can happen during the season in many states that don't allow Sunday hunting....same scenerio hunting Sat evening and recovering Sunday mornings......same scenerio about dispatching an animal after hours.....the laws all read differently across state borders. First and foremost to me, the RIGHT thing to do is dispatch the animal if the animal has an obvious mortal wound. Ethics and Laws don't necessary walk hand in hand.

Ill kill it with out a doubt. Season may be closed but there is no law to carrying a gun or a bow out of season. Ill worry about the ticket later. I am not that unhumane!

I had a similar situation this fall when my ex-g/f gutshot a goat on the last day of the season. We could see the goat in the cliffs below us but I couldn't get a second shot at it where it was bedded. The dilemna was that I would normally have just backed out and come back the next day but the next day was after the season and we wouldn't be able to shoot the animal if it happened to still be alive. I stalked down the cliff (in peril of my life!) to try and get another shot into the animal but just ended up pushing her out of her bed. My only way off the mountain at that point was to keep pushing her in hope of getting another shot but I was unable to before I got to another ridge where I could climb out. We then left and came back the next day (w/o bows) and were unable to find her. Wendy went back the third day and located her but the birds had pretty much destroyed the upper half and the lower half had spoiled and frozen to the cliff. She packed it out, but it was no good. I continually ask myself if I did the right thing by going down and trying to get a second arrow in the animal? I can say that I took the brunt of the blame for the bad outcome of that situation for a long time... even if I wasn't the one that took the crap shot. Hindsight is 20/20 but knowing what I did at the time, I'd say that I'd do it the same again. If it hadn't been the last day of the season though, I would have just backed out and we probably would have shown up the next morning (with our bows) to find her expired in her bed. Who knows?

Given the above, and the original scenario dictates that it's dark now so there will be no second shot opportunity, I guess I'd come back the next day (unarmed) and hope for the best.

Is the deer on my propertySorry

If it is wounded enough I can run it down and knifeitI will do so, if I can not run it down and knife then deer lives another day. Ican not shoot it with a bow out of season.

Again it is my fault for making a bad shot[]

This situation to me is no different than crossing a property line to get a deer you killed. You are trying to balance ethics and that law and as Rob stated, they dont always walk hand in hand.

If you trespass torecovera deer you shot, you are breaking the law the same as if you dispatch the animal out of season.

I tend to error on the ethical side of both arguments.

Good point, I now have no idea what I am doing anymore in the woods. I am afraid to shoot a deer in fear being on HNI "Was this Ethical" post.

These post have made me mental[8D]

I would "dispatch" the animal and take it on home. The DNR would probably find some way to pin something on you ifyou decided to go ahead and try to check it in.

Being a nice and honest guy doesn't always pay off.