another scenario
 

I was driving to my stand location two years ago about an hour before daylight in the peak of the rut. I saw a couple deer coming into the club and they seemed to be moving good before daylight. I come around a curve and on the side of the main grade stands a wide 7 pt. about 80 yds down the road-Nice buck for the area. Keep in mind Florida doesn't have a tagging system and the buck is legal to shoot by club standards(2 pts on 1 side). I keep driving down towards him and he walks out in the middle of the road. I pull within 10-15 yds of the buck(still standing in the road looking blinded by the headlights at this point), get out with my camera and take a couple quick pics of the buck.

The buck is in poor quality body-wise(ribs showing alot)apparently running hot does for a long time. He is in really bad shape and I actually felt sorry for him. He walked towards me more and I rolled down the window and beeped the horn. He just turned his head toward my truck while walking toward it-he hit my grill guard and spooked, stepping back quickly to 10 yds away.

About this time another member of my club pulls up behind me and walks to my truck. I say to him to come look at this crazy buck. He says 'shoot him or I will' and goes back to his truck. I run out towards the buck and finally scare him off the road. I can tell the guy is a little pissed off that I ran the buck off the road, but just drives off without saying anything.

Question: Would you have shot the buck before legal shooting hours, knowing you wouldn't have been caught?:confused2:

No, I would not. Good for you sacring him off. The guy reminds me of my father-in-law. We pulled up to our spot one day and it was in someone's backyard. As soon as we pulled in, a young buck showed up and just looked at us. My father-in-law was beside himself and told my husband to hurry and try to get his bow. I was like, are you kidding me? I got out of the car and the buck ran off and I thought my father-in-law was going to kill me. Now I know there were no regulations in question here, but there are ethics. I want to be in my stand and have one come close enough for a shot with my bow and i feel like I accomplished something and am a true hunter. He wanted to kill that so we could go home!!! I honestly wish I NEVER hunted with him, he ruined more than a few hunts. Needless to say, we do not hunt with him anymore.
Sorry for getting off track. I think you did the right thing:)

Nope, I wouldn't have killed him either. Legal shooting light is legal shooting light. And it's not too sporty to grab a gun out of your truck and shoot a deer in the middle of a road. You did the right thing.

It's called (human) "INTEGRITY" and this question should not even cross your mind!

There's no challenge in that. Where would the pride be?

Good for you. Shooting before legal hours is poaching. I'm curious as to whether poaching is against the "club's" rules, and whether the guy's ethics might be called to the attention of the club's management...

Good fou you Bro!

Comments like that that really tick you off. You took the right route by just chasing off the deer, and saving any confrontation with a fellow club member.

No way; I would not shoot that buck!

No way...just to big of a chance. No reason to risk that, especially since you'd just feel guilty about it anyways.