Rebel Hog

Good deed Livbucks!

smokyghost

wow, I think you did the right thing since there was no way you could free him. congrats on the buck.

Windwalker7

Under the circumstances, you did what you had to do. At least you didn't find him a couple days later then he just would have went to waste. I can understand your feelings. Its a shame he didn't meet his end under a different set of circumstances. You did the right thing.

jhoffman

Deffinately did the right thing - I have run into similar situations in the past on two seperate ocations. One year I was hunting on a drive with my brothers and saw a small button buck sneaking back through the drivers and noticed that he was having considerable trouble moving through the snow - I watched him for a couple of minutes because he was a deer that I would have normally passed on and noticed that he was walking on three legs and couldn't bring up his head. He just kept it hung low to the ground. I put a slug through the front shoulder and went over to field dress him. I found that someone had shot him earlier in the day one in the neck and one took off the back leg just below the knee.

Another time I was hunting during archery and kept finding scapes with blood in them several days apart from each other and whatever buck was making them was still checking them daily. I had a dtank setup on the scrape trail and had a small 4 ptr come in that had an arrow stiking out of the front sholder - I stuck him and went dressing him out found that the first arrow just did not penetrate and was just getting beat around by the brush and kept the wound open due to the broadhead -

Both cases were cause by the carelessness of others and I think it is the duty of the true sportsmen out there to end the suffering of animals that become the victims of incidences like these.

Fat-Arrow

You did the right think Livbucks! No doubt about it! We as hunters need more representatives like you in out sport! I will be sure to share your story with all hunters that I come in contact with, especially any kids that I know with an interest in hunting. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from your experience for people of all ages. You have a fine trophy there that can serve as a reminder of why we regard hunting as such a big part of our lives.

Respectfully,
Fat-Arrow

Colonel

What you did seems to me to illustrate why hunting is a sport, and not a game. In a game, there are judges, referees and umpires watching to rule on what is in compliance with the rules, and what is not. In a sport, in almost every case the decision between right and wrong, that is to comply with the rules or not is up to the sportsman. These decisions are most often made alone and unobserved, and with little or no chance to be caught.

In some cases, there are no rules except the ethical standards held by the hunter. That is why "gamesmanship" has a very negative connotation, and "sportsmanship" is just the opposite.

You could have walked away and saved your tag, along with the rest of the last day of hunting. You chose to do what I think is the right thing. Most ethical hunters who earn the title sportsman would have done the same.

Gerry

Kathwacckkk

I believe a president named Roosevelt also had a similiar situation. He did not want to shoot a bear that literally was tied to a tree. You are in pretty good company. You did the honorable thing for the animal and yourself. Congrats on the buck.

jf5

Livbucks, you are a good man and a true hunter. My hat is off to you!

livbucks

DannyD

Way to go livbucks. You are an outstanding sportsman