It's been said that the shot appeared to be a fatal one. The guy who shot it should have known the area where he hit it. In my opinion you guys should have waited at least a couple of hours and then you probably wouldn't have had to use a flashlight to finish it off. Also someone said it was finished off at point blank range. Since when is forty yards in the dark with a flashlight "point blank range". That comment was ridiculous

Wait a couple of hours? would it have been light after a couple of hours???

What difference does a couple of hours make if using Dr. D's frame of mind on ending the deer's suffering ASAP? 2 hours isn't as soon as possible...

I agree that 40 yards isn't point-blank range... but it is about as close as you can get to a deer without it running off...

A novice is a novice and we ALL were there. Treat someone the way you would like to be treated and you have done your best.

Gobbler, Of course it wouldn't have been light out. If it was a fatal hit then the deer would have been dead and they wouldn't of had to shoot it in the dark which is illegal. You can't tell me that after a shot you've never waited a couple of hours to track the deer to let the deer expire right?

Some of you guys just amaze me ...read the entire thread before you pass judgement ...there was no way to tell if the shot was a fatel shot until AFTER we recovered the deer ...the fact the deer got up and ran off 30 min AFTER he was shot as we approched where he had fallen and after tracking him for another 45 min with very little blood indicated to me that most likely it was NOT a fatel shot and considering who fired the shot I assesed that it wasent ...as it turned out I am sure the small deer would have died from the wound or yottes may have eaten him alive ... I still stand by my decision and think anyone with any compassion or respect for the amimal would have done the same thing ...PERIOD !

dd

No I haven't, and I can't tell you that anyone that I have ever known has... main reason being I hunt in the coastal part of Texas and letting it sit 2 hours would mean the meat would go bad...

A fatal hit doesn't mean 'instant death'... deer run off, and are not always dying right away, but their injuries will lead them to suffer a slow and painful death... We get the point, it is illegal, however, it is the right thing to do...

As I've said, it is illegal for one reason: You can't trust anyone these days... Someone can kill the deer at night and pop another round off in it just to give it two shots so that the game warden could believethey "finished the deer off"... that would be lying... to keep that from happening, they say you can't finish the deer off, not because it's not right, but because it could be used as an excuse when poaching...

I myself would chose to do what's right, of course I'd try and notify a game warden of what was going on to see if he could do it himself, but I could also just do it myself right then and there without the hassle...

How bout a pop a hole in you and let you crawl around in coyote infested woods, would you rather be eaten alive by them or put out of your misery?

Do unto others (and in this case, God's creatures) as you would have them to unto you...

Nevermind, this topic should just be laid to rest. It isn't worth the energy expended typing on this keyboard. I think it's wrong and you don't so to each their own. Later

I don't know it all and never will, but I do know it feels good to be in that 5%!!!!!! PERIOD!

Good grief NY. It must me tough being right all the time.[:-] Does common sense ever visit you???

We all know the "legal" thing to do in this situation, but we also know the "moral" and "ethical" thing to do as well. I would rather error on the ethical side and pay the fine if necessary.

You keep confusing me NY. You argue to respect the animal and others by not showinga dead deerin "public view", but you also would let a deer suffer for hours when you could put it out of it's misery?

Let's take great measures not to offend some people, but at the same time allow a wounded deer to suffer for hours?????

A deer is a deer, if it was a wild deer no one should be telling him not to shoot it anyway. I'm happy for him he got his second deer, everyone else should be too. My only question is was it your deer? If it was a wild deer it was free to leave and belonged to no one. Sure courtesy could have been used but I bet that deer looked like a giant to the shooter. Chalk one up for experience and I advise not loosing a friend over a deer.