iSnipe

I'm sure we can all look back and see we made decisions in the deer woods that were positively an ethical decision and no one was around to see it.

About 14 years ago I was working the wood line on the south side of a huge swamp. I was toting a deer rifle and it was about mid-day. Being caught off guard I caught movement of a deer within 20 yards of me. It was between me and the swamp. However, at the same time the deer noticed me too. I then noticed a HUGE rack on this thing. I mean HUGE. I was working my way westerly and the buck sort of ran/jogged westerly too after seeing me or noticing something wrong. When I saw him, I sprinted along side him in the thick brush. I had a good opening to run down. He ran only about 15 yards, but was only about 18 yards away in the brush. I could see an open patch of him through my scope and vividly could recall seeing the cross-hairs on his body.

The problem was that the brush was so thick, I didn't know what part of the body I was aiming at.(remember, I did have a clear brown spot to aim at) It was a sick feeling to have this big buck, about a 165" class, only 18 yards away and I don't have a for sure shot at the vitals. I remember aiming and was going to pull the trigger, but I couldn't. Standing there still about 10 seconds seemed like minutes. Finally he didn't tolerate it any longer and ran off.

To this day I still remember that situation and sometimes tell the story. While it gets me peeved thinking about it, it does make me happy I made that decision. I just didn't know for sure where the cross hairs were aimed, so I let him go. A gut shot deer that got away would not be good.

How about you? It may not be a similar story, but have you made a good decision that you recall in the deer woods that tested your own ethics?

iSnipe

bowhuntingfanatic

Thats a very tough situation once the blood starts flowing and buck fever kicks in. i think you made the right choice. i have had a similar situation when bow hunting leaving the stand on foot, with a very small window to shoot through and and a very big buck standing in a small window in a evergreen thicket only 10 yards away, i could see brown hair but i could not identify what part of the body it was. i got to full draw and just could not let the arrow fly. i know its alot different with a gun but i would hope i would not shoot if i had a gun to, but until i was in the situation i do not really know. i shoot a nice 10 pointer 3 days later. which made me forget the situation pretty quick.
i think you did the right thing, a honorable thing.
karma has a funny way of paying you back for things like that.
happy hunting

iSnipe

Yes sir, I believe that whole-heartedly.

I also believe it reaches far beyond the realm of the deer woods and into every facet of our lives, but it also works in reverse as well.

Take care,

iSnipe

turkey guide

I've passed on some very large deer like that too, and it is very tough to do. When the shot isn't right it just isn't right. I've had situations with brush in the way, and roads in the way and knowing that their is a hunter in a stand or a house in the direction I need to shoot. Or sometimes the deer are just on the wrong side of a fence. I expect other hunters to respect my fence lines and would not want them shooting onto my land and I know they want it that way too. I'ts just a rule I will no longer break, but I am not perfect and haven't always had the self control I now possess. It's something everyone has to learn, so I try not to be too hard on people who haven't worked it all out yet.

PY Antlers

I guess one could call it ethic's, I prefer to call it respecting the animal I'm hunting. I have had situations that happen as well. Only seeing apart of the body, poor shot angle etc.. I always wait for what I feel is going to be a one shot fatal hit. Nothing buts a knot in my gut worse than seeing a deer going through the woods with a leg shot off or guts hanging out stuff like that. Things like that are what fuel the Anti's. It's not just about picking a spot...........it's about picking the right spot.

huntrfishr

Good for you Snipe. You are right on the money on that one.
I have many times in 30 odd yrs of hunting have passed shots because one thing wasn't right.
In the long run you gain maturity satisfied in the knowledge that you made the right choice. I have involuntarily held my fire in situations I knew a building was behind a bush although unseen, just because I knew it to be there.
When you put the welfare of your game and safety first, it pays off big time in your enjoyment and self fulfillment through lifetime.

CHEERS,
louie

1shotkill1993

I would say mine was when I was hunting an evening after school last year. It gets dark (ya know, dark enough so you can see shapes) and a doe comes in the field. I didn't want her but I also didn't want to spook her out of the field, so I sit a while longer. 5 minutes later, here comes a HUGE bodied deer and it was walking just like a buck, I knew which one it was. Me and my dad had been waiting on this 12 pt. to come out all year, and here he is. I look at my phone, and sure enough, my dad sent me a text message saying that he was coming my way. I don't know why, I didn't shoot though. Mainly because I knew in my mind that it wasn't right, to shoot almost 15 minutes after legal shooting light....

uncle matt

I didn't vote for Oblama. Quite ethical indeed!

goalie

I sat in my stand and watched a large, atypical 13-pointer for almost 10 minutes while he was only 85 yards away despite having a gun in my hand. Unfortunately for me, that was a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag, and at 85 yards it was nowhere near the 99.99999% kill shot I think an animal deserves, so I didn't shoot.

I went out later with my .270 and got a 10-pointer at all of 15 yards. How's that for irony.....

PY Antlers

Now that is ethic's at it's finest right there!