My ethics were put to the test......
 

My ethics were put to the test yesterday afternoon. Let me set this up. I hunt a club that has a long-term lease from a timber company. There are 10 members who put the cash up way back and I am currenty hunting under my Dad' s membership. In order to ensure that we make our doe harvest quota, everyone except the original 10 members must kill a doe before they can kill a buck. So, obvisouly, it is very stressfull trying to get that doe out of the way so you can start buck hunting. Ok, here is where my ethics were tested:

I went out yesterday afternoon and keep in mind that me and my dad were the only ones on the lease. I found some persimmons trees that the deer were absolutely killing. Hung my lock-on and climbed up. I' m sitting there and about 4:00 pm here comes a deer. Nice doe, I get ready the deer gets closer, I' m about to draw when I notice a 1inch pencil thin little velvet covered antler sticking up. Now I' m pissed, really frustrated, I' m really wanting to kill a doe. So I think to myself, ok, I' m the only one here, nobody would ever know, by state law it is considered " antlerless" , I could get away with killing this spike and passing it off as a doe. Well, I just couldn' t do it. And that my friend, is ethics, doing the right thing when nobody else is around. Ok, thats not the end.

About 6:45 pm, I hear footsteps, I see a large body approaching, then antlers then spread, then..... Wouldn' t you know what would have been my best buck with a bow to date was standing broadside, 10yds eating persimmons. Really tall 8pt about 17inch spread, 3 1/2 year old buck. So now I thinking, I could shoot this buck, and get out of here and noone would ever know. Or I could shoot him and tell everyone my dad killed him(b/c members don' t have to kill does first). I wouldn' t be breaking any state laws. Well, I let him walk. It was a good day.

P.S. Rob and others, the ASAT worked like a charm from a 15ft loc-on only 10yds from a 3 1/2 mature Mississippi whitetail. :D Who would of thought with all that green in the woods this time of year ;)

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Whow!! You are more ethical than me. I don' t usually associate ethics in that situation, club reles and all. I think I would rationalize that the rule wasn' t ment to stop me from taking a once in a life time buck!!!!.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Belle.

Congrats even tho you did not harvest anything.
Not many people would have been able to hold back specially when the buck came in.

We have a min 10 point rule at our lease with server penalities if you break any of the rules.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

congrats, on doing the right thing. it would of been hard to do

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Very impessive display of restraint....it' s nice to see that honesty still does exist. I' m sure it was very tough to do but I bet you feel pretty darn good about yourself.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Thanks guys, I do feel good, but I also realize that I probably won' t have another chance at a buck that nice this season. Where we hunt, you usually get 1 or 2 chances to kill a mature whitetail with a bow each season. I hope I didn' t waste mine on opening day. We usually don' t see those kind of bucks until much later in the season.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Belle,

You did the RIGHT THING! I, myself, own three different tracks of land with my dad and my brother. Neither one of them are big hunters, other than rifle, so they put me in charge of all the deer hunting (bow, primitive and rifle). The first thing I did was establish some rules. First and most important, was that every hunter has to kill a doe first! 2 of the 3 properties buck to doe ratio is really out of whack (15-20:1 Doe to Buck). Second, the bucks have to be 8 point or better. We have several friends and family members that come and hunt with me several times a year.

The first time someone does not follow the rules (ethics), they will be booted off the land and will NEVER come back! That is my rule! If you' re gonna play the game, you got to play by the rules.

Last year, my brother-in-law had the same situation and elected to take the opposite approach. He has a pretty nice buck to show for it (his first with a bow), but he no longer has a place to hunt. It has caused some tense moments at the family get-to-gethers, but my dad and my brother have stood behind me and the rules! Most hunters don' t understand how important it is to harvest does to keep a deer herd in check and to increase the mature buck sightings.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Hats off to you for the restraint on your part, the rules are the rules and there is no stretching a spike into a doe, nor a big buck into your dads buck or a doe.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Belle Island,

That certainly shows the good character in you that alot of us have come to know. You are welcome in my camp and you can consider that an open invitation. I wouldn' t consider taking that particular buck as any unethical act in hunting however rules are rules and the fact that you stood behind the club rules that don' t have anything to do with your hunting regs shows great restraint, one I' m sure you' ll be rewarded for. Thanks for sharing.

AND, congrats on winning that encounter...the ASAT made you invisible to the buck that close and thanks for the field research story. One all of us wearing ASAT have come to know, to be truly invisible to the game around you, if your not wearing ASAT, your not truly wearing the best camo and I know, MO and RT are retired in my closet.

RE: My ethics were put to the test......
 

Good for you, sticking tough.

Now go elsewhere on the lease and get your doe then go back in and hunt that nice buck. Now the fun begins, you know he is there and what he looks like. Think of all the memories you will have as you hunt that one special buck.

Good luck