What Would You Have Done???
 

Opening day of buck season in Pa was Monday. Saw a deer at the break of daylight. I didn’t see another deer until 9. Turned out to be a really nice 8pt. Could of shot it at 150 yards but it coming right to me. He finally got to within 40 yds, so I took a neck shot and dropped him. Got out of my tree stand and walked up to it. It turned out to be the nicest buck I ever shot. I was getting ready to start to do the dirty work when I saw a hunter and his son walking up to me. It turned out that his 13 year old son shot this buck at 7. When he said they shot it, I told them the only hole I saw was the one I put in the neck. I flipped the buck over and saw the kid gut shot it and it didn’t pass through. i was shocked and the kid looked pretty shocked and upset cause he saw I finished it. The father, which my cousins knew, said it was his kids first shot at a deer. Even though I really didn’t want to give this buck away, I think I did the right thing by giving the kid his first kill since he drew blood first. What would you guys have done???

Depends. Rightfully/legally in most places it was your deer because you had the final kill shot.

Given this fact "nicest buck I ever shot.", Personally I probably would have kept it (but not sure...given it was a kid and his first deer it would have been hard not to give it to him)...but depends on how many opportunities you get to hunt and your chances of dropping another animal before the season ends. Depends on if you rely on the meat to feed your family. So basically a lot of factors to take into account.

Hopefully you have some good luck coming your way because I think it was very generous of you to give the deer to the young hunter and maybe just knowing you did a nice thing is more reward than keeping the deer.

Gosh thats a tuffy. In one aspect you gave that kid his dream and one he will probably pass on when he gets older. I think you did what you thought was right. Says alot about you as person.

Sounds like you did the right thing by you. You have to live with yourself and your decisions. Maybe they send you a picture of it.

A gut shot isn't a sure thing and many a deer were lost. Rightfully, the deer was yours but I would have gave the kid a break.

As long as you can sleep with yourself and the decision that you made. (I think it was the right thing to do, myself).

Its not for us to comment or sustain your decision.

did the other shot look fatal? When you opened him up did it look fatal? It would have been easy to tell the difference between damage done by his and by yours... If you didn't know the deer was hit until the kid said something I would suspect that it wasn't. Personally I would have kept the deer if I was sure that I was the one that killed it. It's like giving a kid a reward for not putting a good shot on a deer... Just my .02.

i didnt even start field dressing it. i didnt know it was hit even when i went up to it i saw my shot i put in the neck. didnt know it was hit until i flipped the deer over.

Thats a tough one. If he was tracking it and came upon you while you had the deer maybe, since he was trying to locate it. Being a kid I wold prob just give it to him. It would be a good memory for him and get him back in the woods that way. It would all depend on attitude of him and his dad though.

Yea not real sure I would have given it to him myself having had the same thing happen to me 25 yrs ago when I was 12 and the deer wasnt given to me and glad now it wasnt. Don't get me wrong it was an incredibly nice thing to do but now here is a kid with a really nice buck that for all intents and purposes he did not kill. He may mount the deer and for yrs to come tell people about this deer he killed which he never did. Just not sure it is sending the right message no matter how kind of an act it was. I know losing my 1st deer to another hunter because of my own bad shot was well worth it as it made me practice a whole lot more the following season. This was back in Md when rifle season was 1 week long and you were aloud 1 buck and that was it unless you were lucky enough in those days to draw a doe tag. I had an entire yr to think about it and made damn sure come next yr I wouldnt miss. Anyhow good for you and it was a real nice thing to do but still torn if its sending the right type of message.