rockport

I don't think anybody is going to think you were out poaching deer in the dark with a knife.

flags

That would depend on where you hunt. In CO where I grew up the regs clearly state you must make every effort to recover a wounded animal. So killing one after legal shooting hours by a method other than shooting is probably covered by that requirement. It is the act of shooting AKA wounding that was hunting, not ending the suffering.

Also in TX where I now live I seriously doubt if a game warden would cite you for using a knife on a legally shot animal to end the suffering. I've met and talked to a lot of wardens down here and I just don't see that happening. I may be wrong but I don't think so.

JW

Want to be totally safe?

Call your sheriff and or warden and explain the situation. I'd call the sheriff first as they'd get there quicker.

JW

Oldtimr

Not in PA, the Sheriffs do not go out and enforce the law, they are officers of the court, serve papers and transport prisoners, they also do not have the authority to enforce the Game Code. I know that is not the Norm but in PA Sheriffs do not patrol or do general law enforcement

rockport

Unless you really botch it its likely the deer will be dead by the time you can get somebody there. In my case I gave the deer an extra hour and he was dead. No way I could have walked to somewhere to get phone service, made the call,waited for a CO to arrive, and walked back to where the deer was in an hour and the deer had been dead quite a while before I got back so we are talking probably an hour and a half of suffering from shot to death and probably a half hour between the time I found him and could have shot him again and the time he died.

mrbb

here in PA NO law enforcement can dispatch a animal without MAYBE permission from a game warden, or they can also be fined for an illegal kill
don't laugh, Game wardens in PA have arrested cops before!
when I had both a car hit bear and a deer end up on my land, and a rabid fox and hours went by from the time I called warden(several, times and was always told ON MY WAY be there soon)
I called local cops and even a state trooper I am friends with, and a RETIRED game warden that lived a few house away from me
and all would NOT shoot any of the animals due to FEAR of actions taken by Game dept here!(and i AKSED it the warden would grant these folks permission to dispatch animal too, and they said NO, would not allow anyone but THEM to make the call, even a retired warden?)
SO< PA plays by different rules , than EVERY other state I have hunted in, about 15+ by now, as I always try to get to know local wardens every where I hunt, FOR reasons like this and others
its ONLY in PA< I have had BAD experiences too with any game wardens, sad as its my home state
never been found doing anything wrong, heck even sold hunting lic for a long time and the hassled the heck out me there too, even took me to court a few times CLAIMING I sold lic wrong, and when things went to court it was THEM who didn;t know there own rules, , the judge actually told them if they tried to take me to court AGAIN(5 yrs in a row) without a legal charge he was going to fine them!
as apparently they didn;t read there own rule book before trying to fine me and my shop!
Like I said, NOT all PA game wardens were as good as you oldtimir
I appreciate the good one's but sadly in PA< I have far too many experiences with bad one's and a clean record too boot, I take pride in that as well!

flags

PA ain't the whole country. I've hunted Potter County PA. Your post alluded that you claim was nationwide. Sorry, but it simply isn't. Where I hunt, I could take the shot or cut the throat and not worry about getting pinched by the game warden.

ctom

The morning of November 5th of this year we were headed out of town for the second day of our gun season and came across a nice buck laying on the sidewalk with a broken leg and broken back. We weren't anywhere close to out of town yet. We used a hammer to put the deer out of its misery and called the local cops and told them where the deer was and that we ended its suffering. The made the call and deputy who lived only a short distance from where we found the deer grabbed the call on his way to work and checked things out. He nodded his head and asked if we wanted a possession permit, to which we said yes. He wrote the permit while we dressed the deer and loaded it into the truck. He wished us luck that day and bid us adieu. Law enforcement is usually pretty decent about unusual circumstances, but game wardens can be fickle. I say call cops or a sherriff's department first, then a co if the others can't help out.

Oldtimr

PSP are by law in the Game Code allowed to enforce the game Code and they may and do put down injured deer. This is who the law allows to enforce the Game code:
§ 131.3. Enforcement.

In addition to Wildlife Conservation Officers or Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officers, the Director designates and empowers the following persons to enforce the act and this part while acting within the scope of their employment and jurisdiction.

(1) Pennsylvania State Police.

(2) Pennsylvania Waterways Conservation Officers.

(3) Pennsylvania Deputy Waterways Conservation Officers.

(4) Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources personnel with enforcement powers.

In addition to the above the Commission may approve municipal police to enforce the game Code as well as federal agencies with law enforcement power. However, unless things have changed since I retired they have not authorized any police departments to do enforcement and Federal agents for US F&W assigned to PA are made Deputy WCOs.

flags

Y'all are sure focusing on PA. In the OP he never said where this happened but in an earlier post he said something about IL and PA laws mean nothing in other places like IL. None of us except the OP knows the locality where this happened.