to shoot or not?????????
 

That is the question.

Here is the situation. early any gun season

A broken up scrub buck comes by your stand, broken front leg, shot in the but.......... you get the picture

Would you shoot him?

You only have 1 buck tag.

Do you watch him hobble off to die?
Do you shoot him (just to end it)and go back hunting
Do you shoot him and burn your tag

Now, it's not illegal to watch him go off and die but don't we as hunters owe it to the animal not to allow them to suffer

Shooting him just to end it is just flat out illegal, at least here it is but might be the right thing to do.

I was sitting in my stand tonight and thought off this. This year my buddy shot a nice 6pt because it came in limping and fell over a log. I have yet to run into this situation and got to thinking what I would do. And you know, I have no idea so I want to hear from people here.

shoot it and claim it as your tag is the most ethical and legal thing to do... if someone just watched it walk off they shouldnt be aloud to go hunting.... i would shoot it and claim it... theres always next year

I have seen some replies here of some people who have taken the Noble route and shot the wounded deer they saw to stop the suffering. While some knew they burned a tag, they didn't even bother asking for another from their game department.

Personally I usually get all the deer I'm allowed and then some via party hunting. I most likely would have shot the buck; then again if I did, I would at least ask for another tag in the event said buck had infections I didn't want to chance and process.

iSnipe

It would be really tough IDK what I'd do till I was in the situation

It would be hard for me to let it go and suffer, I'd take it and tag it. I used a tag this year on a gut shot Buck I found on my property. It was dead but still warm. I felt it was the right thing to do.

Again the ol' bs meter goes off. That's your opinion and of course, I don't share that opinion because I wouldn't persecute someone for passing on the situation as much as I would praise someone willing to take the shot and burn a tag... but you won't see me telling people they shouldn't be allowed to go hunting if they don't do as I did.(If I were one to SHOOT it)

iSnipe

well we get more than one tag, so i aint sure...definitely my ethics would come into play, lets just say i am not fixing to let the deer die a long...slowwww...agonizing death as described below...meat is meat, and i have only heard of rare occasions where the meat wasnt any good from a just deceased deer.
.taged n bagged in the freezer it wold go...1 way or another..


i got a question, to 1 up the ante..what if it was a buck hurt as mentioned, and you only had a doe tag...where do your ethics lay?

I'd shoot it, tag it and ask for another tag. If I got the tag great! If I did not get another tag, I'd start planning for next season with the knowledge that I had done the right thing! The only thing someone calling themselves a "Sportsman" would do!

I would shoot him and wait for someone to come tracking it first, then I would tag it if nobody showed up to retrieve it.

NO WAY!!! One Buck tag, no way I'd waste it on a busted up scrub. I certainly don't feel that it's my responsibilty to kill em... nature will take care of him.... ya know that whole circle of life thing! lol! If he doesn't live, then some coyotes and other scavengers will profit from his demise.