I may have not been clear enough ... there is no"not shooting" in the second scenario ... I assumed that everyone would shoot a deer on the land they were hunting ..... I can see where a few guys read it that way .....

Sorry I meant wouldn't be in the situation because they wouldn't set the stand up there or wouldn't go get the deer.

Charlie I am not sure what you are askig for number 2, but if I am in th situation whereI can see the deer from the line, and the owner does not allow me to retrieve the deer I am going to get the deer.

If I cannot see th deer, than it's a lost. I will not wonder around on someones property if I am not wanted. Taking 5 steps on that right back off is huge IMO. Yes I am 100% wrong, but I let all are neighbors know. If you can see the deer go get it, if you are not sure come get us. The reason I have them come get me is simple. I can save a lot of time in the tracking on our land. I know where they like to go.

That is fare to add another ethical question, but understand my circumstance is different than 10 guys heading out and 1 shooting 5 deer. In my situation, the deer was going to rot and I put it on the table for someone who did not get a deer.For your question, well IMO that is wrong. This actually happened to me and it was legal. I was hunting a DMU and heard a shot every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours on opening day. I got down from my stand and walked in that direction. I stumbled out to an opening where the guy was in a tree and said, hey those are my deer. I looked and he had 2 small bucks and 3 doe dead and still hunting.

1.) Don't shoot
2.) Get it quick....I've actually done that, but I got up with the landowner later. He was supportive.

So its fair to say that 93% of the people that answered the poll would break the law and tresspass ... if the situation was right. My whole point on this thread was to show how things aren't necessarily black and white all the time ..... sometimes, yes, but not all the time. ..... I would get the deer I shot on my land if I could see it dead .... I have trailed my deer on anothers land, not even thinking they would possibly care....... but I would never hunt on it ......when I owned land, I had people come on mine, trailing a deer ... I helped them find it .... I never thought to get on them about tresspassing.......... very interesting

I gotta hand it to ya Tony, 9 pages and still going! I predicted 7, oh well. Lots of personal ethics getting thought about with this thread. Probably one of the best threads in a long time. I think it's easy to say what you should do or what everyone here wants to hear you say but until you're sitting there in that situation of a lifetime(for me anyway, since booners or 150+ P&Ys might as well be the white unicorn) you cant be 100% sure, as we've seen by some of the corrected answers between the 2 threads.

1. I wouldn't shoot (tempting though).

2. I would grow a pair and retrieve MY kill. Amen?

AMEN!

I had a situation similar to #1. Except that it was a bow only public area and a no hunting public ground in MD I was hunting. I moved at the wrongmoment not knowinga 130 class buck was within bow range of me.I was hunting near a river (more like a creek) and that was the boundry line. I was just off the edge of the river as I had seen several nice bucks cross there when scouting the area. Anyway, the buck I spooked bounded a couple times across the river and stopped quartering away at 25 yards. He just stood there for a minute totatly in the open andIjust had to watch him.

So for#1 I wouldn't shoot. Thankfully my neighbor of the property I hunt is a hunter to so we've talked about this and agreed just over the edge is far game either way.

As for#2 If I shot it I'd take the risk of getting caught. I'd probably go ahead and get it and then worry about it later.

Of course that goes for any deer not just a buck.

I completely agree .... i'm goin' even if it's a yearling