No rope - but I have my little pinky curled around his G2! So heavy, I can't drag-ummmmmmm! What to do?

Ok 5 feet and Id grab him and get him thru the fence or over it. If my feet were on the property I was suppose to be on. If he was father where I had to track him. Me and the game warden would be paying a visit to the landowner. It is the responsibilty of the hunter to track their game and retrive it. Even if that means tracking it with the game warden. Im one who never tresspasses.

Doing what is right is seldom easy. Get a rope the land owner or the game warden but do what is right. Who knows when the land owner sees you respect his rights you may make a friend perhaps event gain a new place to hunt.

OK - reverse the situation - I am hunting - I hear a shot and see the biggest buck rolling up the fence line crossing it and falling dead at my feet! - Well, what do we have - it must be my lucky day! A buck without a shot - This situation could get really hairy - knowing what kind of person I am - I give the buck back - but that is me - LOVE YOU NEIGHBOR AS YOU WOULD YOURSELF! This would take care of all things! To be or not to be - UMMMMMMMM?

Ethics is a little like being pregnant, either you are or you aren't.

If that happened I would just tell the land owner in a normal situation. If he was crazy or unreasonable and I knew it before hand I would get the warden and show him the deer from my side of the fence than go over to the neighbor's with the warden. If a deer came to my side and died I would just give it to whoever shot it.

As this is an "ethics" question, for meit basically comes down to a question of whether or not the ethical thing to do changes as the severity of action changes. In other words, if its not "ethical" to steal does it make any difference if you steal the life savings of a poor timidold lady or a penny from a rich arrogantjerk that wouldn't even notice? IMO, In both cases the act is theft and therefore neither act is justified but what is clearly different is the tolerance for it. Mostrational people would want the guy who stole from the old lady hung by his you know whats. They would probably just chuckle a little to think somebody stole a penny from Mr. Penneypacker.

So back to the deer... I would say that the act we are dealing with here is tresspassing and it can't be rationalized away if it's only a few feet vsa mile. In either casetresspassing can not be justified or considered ethical. I think however that going a few feet over the line to retrieve a deer would be a tolerable act by rational people. In other words, I wouldn't argue that its the "right thing to do" but I would argue that it is a reasonable and acceptable thing to do. Once the line is crossed (no pun intended here) however I think peoples tolerance evaporates very quickly.

I guess being faced with a near identical situation last year I can answer what I did and would do. I first contacted the landowner about the possibility of having to retrieve game his reply was NO!!! I then contacted the CO and their reply was with their presence and evidence that it was harvetsed legally (aka on the right side of the fence) they would assist in the retrieval. When I asked if the landowner took the animal prior to their arrival what would happen. He said...you said, if legally tagged/harvested the person in possession would retain the animal. Now this was all done prior to pulling the trigger. I watched the animal and after seeing the routine I decieded against the spot as it was to risky. I know of more than one guy who thought what is a few feetonly lost the prize and privs, so I wasn't going to chance it either way. It is illegal so even if everything is done right to that point the law is black and white. To me that was the ethical choice.

Call the game commission . It is illegal in this state for a person to tag a deer they did not kill. So your neighbor would be fined and the warden will give you the deer

If from experience you know the guy is going to be a jerk about it. I would go get my deer and deal with the consequences if caught.

If it were the first time andI did not know the land owner, I would do the right thing and go to him and ask for permission. Nicely. Respectfully.