When you shoot, hit, but do not recover a deer.....you have to go on theexperience of yourself and others as to what your next step is. So....based on the situation I had occur, yesterday.....do I tag the doe, or not (If you didn't follow the thread....we lost blood trail after 300+ yds....grid searched for 5 hours, after that)?

For this question to be answered fairly....the number of tags one has should have NO BEARING on the answer. It's either a dead deer...or it isn't....and if it's dead....it must be tagged.

If you didn't find it, how do you know it's dead?

In MO, it's law that you are supposed to tag any animal you hit, whether you recover them or not....

Wow never heard of such a thing.. If ya can't lay your hand on it..ya can't tag it.

That was always my thought as well...

If I can't find the critter, I darn well can't put a tag on it.

Question: Would you still go and register that tag (w/out bringing in an animal) at a game station?

If you can't find it (IMO) you can't tag it.

This has nothing to do with anything.....other than what is the right thing to do.

Mobo......good point about your law. I bet you see that one broken a lot.....or....it simply encourages people to keep their mouths shut if they do injure a deer.

This has nothing to do with a person's harvests or anything of the sort. Furthest thing from my mind. If you can't find it......you didn't harvest it.

Do you tag it, though?

Tag what? You dont have it. Dude you need a break

So do I fill out a tag even though I didn't recover the animal, then register the tag at a game station?

Your comment about harvest records confused me a bit (its early)

Agreed. Here in NC we don't have to take the animal to a game station (I know you know this Jeff). I can't imagine the look on the warden's face if he checks your lisense and a tag is punched for a deer that wasn't recovered. If you don't recover, you don't know for sure she/he is dead...no tagging.