What would you do
 

Say there is a huge buck 18 points on your land. It is 2 months after season closed. It will die a couple days before season opens. You are out scouting with your bow and you see him at 20 yards. You know you can make the shot. Would you shoot him even though the season is over, or pass him up?

I wouldn't shoot it. How about you guys?

RE: What would you do
 

Pass it up, look for the sheds latter.

RE: What would you do
 

What is this a trick question? our statement that it will die in a couple of months bothers me. Maybe it will due to hardship of winter or predertor. But it is neither here nor there what it's furture is. I get really upset with people that think it's ok to violate the game laws especially under the assumption that they know what is best for the animal in question. Of course you pass it up. If you don't you are just another poacher, and I am afriad that we have too many out there already.

It is never OK to shoot an animal out of season without the proper permits to do so..

RE: What would you do
 

I was just seeing what kind of hunters are on this board. I would never shoot an animal out of season.

RE: What would you do
 

First of all....you shouldn't be scouting two days before the season. That should be done months before hand. Especially if it's your own property. Second of all, what are you doing scouting around before season with a bow in your hand?? LOL

RE: What would you do
 

No lol what I meant was you were scouting 2 months after the season closed. You knew the deer would die soon.

RE: What would you do
 

So really are you an ethical hunter or not?

RE: What would you do
 

Wait a second. It's 2 months after the season closed and the bucks' gonna die a couple of days before the next season opens? Wouldn't that buck's doomsday be about 7 months later? Who could ever predict that?

Either way, killing a deer 2 months too late is TOO LATE, not to mention that nobody should be out "scouting" with a bow after the season. For me and everyone else on this board, killing a deer illegally even 2 minutes after the season is too late. There's no "gray area" when it comes to the law.

RE: What would you do
 

It's just a question. I'm just saying if you could kill it would you. I know I wouldn't. There are seasons for a reason. The only thing I will shoot out of season is a crow. The rules down here are kill them during season or if the season is over you can kill them if they are doing damage to crops.

RE: What would you do
 

I hunt grouse with my bow. I carry it when I scout because often times I see grouse whilst walking around the woods. Am I a bad person? You shouldn't jump Zak's case until you know the WHOLE story as to why he has his bow with him.

Personally I would NOT take the shot, as someone else said, I would look for sheds later and hope that he made it under my tree next season.

RE: What would you do
 

All I can say is that's hunting. That's what brings you back. I would hope I had my camera with me and take a picture to show people. Have actually had something sort of like that happen. Had been watching this big bull elk on a hillside everyday for like a month. He was obviously not in good condition. He was limping and it looke like he wasn't gonna make it, but he was grazing on things so it looked like he had a shot to make it. All of the sudden he stopped showing up. I figured he had either died up on the hill of he was strong enough to go on. Sadly the next morning we figured out why he hadn't shown up. He had fallen down the hill and was laying in a creek bed but he was too weak to get up, quite a sad site to see. We decided to call the fish and game to come put the animal out of it's misery. Well like 5 hours later, when it is like a 30 minute drive maybe, they finally show up. They put it down and when we asked to have the horns they said if we wanted them we could go bid in the auction for them. Seems qui chicken sh!! to me but I guess it's how they work and that's a way they pay for conserving nature. We never did see the rack again and I think if I had to do it all over again I would call them still, unless I knew they would take so friggin long, which is just ridiculous of them. Point being I would never shoot an animal out of season and wish nobody had to poach to kill. Poachers aren't real hunters, they just wannabees IMO. All they do is help out these friggin tree hugging, animal lovin, environmentalists. It gives them something to pin on every hunter out there, including the law abiding ones. So no I wouldn't shoot the deer no matter how big. :D;)

RE: What would you do
 

Everybody on theis board will say they wont shoot at a deer off-season. Ask this question at the PoachersBBS.com if you want to hear other opinions. Its like i use to try to tell people who dont like to hunt; its not about the killing. Its the whole picture from scouting till dinner. Shooting off-season is no good for nothing. If you cant buy the meat in your local supermarket i would be more than willing to share.

RE: What would you do
 

I'm not jumping anybody's case. The post says: Doesn't that say enough?

This off-season board is entertaining at times, but I am going to refrain from replying to most threads. Too many tempers tend to flare up. [&:]

RE: What would you do
 

Washington Hunter is right. I carry my bow in case I see a squirrel or rabbit.

RE: What would you do
 

No, it doesn't. I've seen plenty of deer while scouting with my bow, some at 20 yards, some at 40 yards, the ranges vary. That doesn't mean I'm out there to shoot one of them.

RE: What would you do
 

Sticking up for zak on this one. He is just asking an what if question so no need to jump on his case for that.

As for his quuestion I wouldn't shoot any game animal out of season. 10,000 animals are taken illegaly here in California already [:'(]

RE: What would you do
 

Shoot it, shoot it. Pay the fine. You would be hard pressed to see a 18 point buck at the end of the season let alone any buck two months after the end of the season. If you did, it's more than likely the fake one DNR like to use or someones front lawn fiqure. Neither of them won't taste very well. ;)

RE: What would you do
 

I feel the same as Ray van Halm. It is not about the killing, it is the whole experience. If I dont have any luck hunting, I can go to the supermarket and buy meat. I live & hunt in a small town and we have had deer poached from our hunting land and have heard second and third hand how these guys got a nice 8 pt. by the gate (at night with spotlights)that goes to our hunting land. When they get drunk, they brag to thier friends about thier "hunting" success. It makes by Italian blood boil just talking about it!! It seems that we have had more trouble this year than in recent years with people hooking up 4 WD trucks to the cable gate and destroying it. We also had a Scouting Camera stolen this year. Keep in mind this is all private and well posted land.

RE: What would you do
 

To make it short and sweet would you shoot a deer out of season if you knew it would die soon.

RE: What would you do
 

NO!! not out of season.

I'm in the woods quite abit and my bow go's with me. Gray diggers are starting to come out now, i can shoot a stump or two, scouting for turkey's or looking for shed's.
Oh yeah, i just happen to have a couger tag in my pocket and can hunt them 10 mo. out of the year!!!
If i stumble a cross a dying deer, then i will have mother nature's predator table set before me!! If i can find the carcuss a day or to later!!:D............fishon

RE: What would you do
 

zak123 - Your hypothetical question is loaded. Why will the buck die ? Why are you carrying a bow with broadheads after the season closes ?

The is no moral / ethicals violation if you shoot the deer out of season. IMO if you hunt it and kill it its ethical. You WOULD be violating legalities and law though and would/should be punished accordingly if caught.

Legal doesn't always mean ethical

Would I shoot the buck ? No, I would not, I have no reason to other than for the horns and thats not good enough IMO. If I needed the meat I'd kill him (or any other deer) in a heartbeat laws or no laws. I cannot imagine that scenario actually becoming reality (like the one you posted) but if it did, I would.

RE: What would you do
 

I killed a deer out of season that was going to die soon.....It had been hit by a car and was bedded along the road waiting to die. I spun the truck around and ended its suffering. Illegal yes, immoral no.

RE: What would you do
 

This thread has me really interested. First of all to answer what I thought the question was...No I wouldn't shoot whether it was before or after the season. Now the thing I find curious are the statements about "not" carrying your bow when scouting before or after the season. I carry my bow year round and kill every stump and grass clump that dares me to. This is how I practice and I don't quite understand why you "shouldn't" carry your bow.

RE: What would you do
 

longbowman - you shoot broadheads at stumps ??

RE: What would you do
 

I've done it before. Had several deer run in front of some vehicles in front of me and this one doe went to jump the barb wire fence and didn't make it. When I got there this doe was doing somer salts in the strands of wire kicking and baaaaing frantically, the deer skins was just ripping everywhere along with blood spuing out. I got out of my truck as people where standing helplessly around and I went up to the deer and shot it. I guess someone had called prior to me getting there but the game warden showed up ( my freakin luck:() and told me if front of all the by standers that he was going to have to write me up because there was a possible chance that the deer could of gotten loose, I told him, do what you gotta do. We both unraveled the deer out of the strands and carried it and put it in the back of his truck, when everyone had left and we were done loading the deer, he said to me, get the hell out of here.;) Bobby

RE: What would you do
 

Stealthycat, I always carry a broadhead with me since I know I can find an ant hill or dirt bank to shoot during my forays into the great outdoors.

RE: What would you do
 

I ain't heard no one mention respect. If that deer was smart enough to evade hunters his entire life and I just happened upon him by dumb luck when he was dying or in the process of dying, then me-no- I would't take any pride in that animal as a trophy and wouldn't enjoy the meat either knowing that I hadn'tearned it. If he was suffering and obviously mortally wounded then maybe Id put him down. I haved put deer out of their misery that had been hit by cars and lie suffering in a ditch tryng to drag themselves back into the woods with just their front legs.I relate to rybo hunter and bobby on this one.