TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER LAST NIGHT THAT A BOWHUNTER FOUND TWO MONSTER BUCKS LOCKED TOGETHER IN THE HORICON MARSH. ONE OF THE BUCKS (A HUGE 15 POINTER) WAS DEAD AND STARTING TO DECOMPOSE. THE OTHER BUCK WAS ALIVE AND WAS A HUGE TEN POINTER. THE GUY SHOT THE ALIVE BUCK AND IS GOING TO GET THEM BOTH MOUNTED LOCKED TOGETHER. QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF THIS. IF YOU FOUND TWO LOCKED UP WOULD YOU WALK UP TO THEM AND SHOOT THEM, OR TRY TO SAVE THE ONE THAT IS ALIVE?

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I have actually thought about this and I would side with letting it go. I respect the animal to much to just go up and shoot it.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU BUCKMINE. IN FACT, ON TUESDAY NIGHT MY BROTHER FOUND TWO BIG BUCKS LOCKED UP. THEY WERE BOTH ALIVE AND WE CALLED THE WARDEN AND HE CAME OUT AND BLEW OFF THE MAIN BEAM ON ONE OF THE BUCKS WITH A 12 GUAGE SLUG. THEY BOTH SURVIVED AND RAN AWAY. THE ONE WAS ABOUT A 140" TEN POINT AND THE OTHER ONE WAS ABOUT A 130" TEN POINT. MY YOUNGER BROTHER (19 YEARS OLD) COULD HAVE VERY EASILY WALKED UP TO THEM WITH HIS BOW AND SHOT THEM. I GIVE HIM A LOT OF CREDIT FOR NOT KILLING THEM. INSTEAD HE WENT HOME AND CALLED ME AND WE WENT BACK OUT AND VIDEO TAPED THEM AND CALLED THE WARDEN. I WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE THE SAME RESPECT FOR THE ANIMALS THEY HUNT.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I agree totally. That deer fought extremely hard to stay alive and the least it deserves is a second chance. Besides, it doesn' t really seem like you earn it if you just stumble accross it and it can' t even get away. It' s like finding a buck tied to a tree and shooting it. Not much sport in that.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Amen!

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Boy, my brain tells me the same, but I don' t know......I might try to get them released then, shoot ' em as they run off...... lol

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Alot of times the survivor will die of exhaustion. You need to keep your eyes & ears open for scavangers.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Well let' s see, it' s totally legal on the one side. On the other it' s not very sporting. I always like ask myself when bowhunting WWID, What Would Indians Do? They would probably harvest the animal(s) and be happy about it. Let' s face it, it' s their misfortune that put them in that spot. They would have died anyway if you didn' t find them so at least their meat is going to good use this way. It' s a tough one. I' m not ready to jump on the " Respect the Animal" band wagon just yet.

I' ll have to think about it.;)

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I agree with trying to help the buck survive. That animal deserves better than getting shot by some jackass that just stumbled upon him. Besides that, a buck of that quality...that didnt just defeat a larger buck but actually killed him, and then fought for that long to survive...is a buck I want breeding on my property for as long as I can have him.
Sad end for a warrior.
SC in LR

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

If it looks as if the buck that is still living is in good enough shape to make it I would say let he go. In this case the other deer is already decomposing and if this buck has been dragging around the carcus of another buck he might not make it. I think you look at the situation and and go from there.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Unfortunately, the military base where I work just had a similar experience. [:' (] The provost marshalls office made to decision to shoot both deer because they could not get them unlocked.

I think this was a poor decision and that an attempt to shoot off the antlers should have been made first. I have no doubt that one of the PMO officers took the antlers of these bucks.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

First, concider what they were fighting over...A Hot Chic. Would you want to get shot fighting over some babe. Nah, not worth it. My wife maybe.

Secondly, if the deer would not have been found then he would have probably died anyway. However, if you see someone on the side of the road walking because their vehicle broke down and you say to yourself let them walk because if you hadn' t happened by they would still have to walk. This is just an anallagy, but the same idea applies.

Finally, what is the difference between shooting these two deer that are locked up and shooting a deer that is in a trap set by some one. None.

I agree, if the deer looks as if it is on its last leg, then by all means, be ethical and take him out. I think that in the final end it is simply a judgement call by the person who is actually there. I have never taken a 130" buck before but I wouldn' t want my story to be that one.

Good Hunting

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Hardluck, who traps deer and then shoots them? I must be missing something.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Ill tell ya what. if i am sitting in my atand tommoro and that sun rises to the point i can see and i see a buck dragging another' s remains one locked onto it, im gonna shoot. then i am going to get piture taken of my locked deer and post them on here. then i am going to get a unique full body mount of them locked together, both alive. and i will have NO regrets whatsoever and will take any abuse anyone feels like that have to give me. i have never shot a buck with the bow and i would be ecstatic to shoot two locked together. now if they were in my backyard or in the nature preserve, thats a different story. so i would shoot and not even have to think twice about it.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Actually I think that it is illegal. Because if you look at the laws it says that they half to be fair game. It says no shooting deer in deep snow or while they are swimming because they are helpless. I think that if a deer is locked up with another deer...that is pretty helpless...so i would guess it is illegal.
Just what i think.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

legal deer during hunting season = dead.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

There is no sense in trying to be " ethical" about this. Sure it may not count but there is no reason why that buck should lay there and starve and get eat by yotes. Go get a gun and shoot him in the head to put him out of his missery. Who the **** cares about it just because " he won, he beat the bigger buck" whooptie ****, just for winning he now gets to starve, and lay there and die without a chance. What are you talking about give him a chance, kill' em. DUH

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

dont shoot him in the head. youll ruin the mount

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I guess the guys that say they would not kill the animal, would not shoot a buck( not one locked to another buck ) if they stumbled on him while walking to their stands, if he just stood up and stared at them. That would not be fair chase if the buck just stood there in fear. Better to wait till he starts to run away, but that would not be an ethical shot either. Better to just let him go and hope that he follows you to your stand and turns broadside.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Now this is an ethical nightmare. Guess it would depend on how deep the freezer is looking. I hope that I would take the high road and try to seperate em but without a shotgun handy bag the one left (probably goin to die anyway) and start composing the story for the hunting camp. Gary

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I dont know if i would shoot it or not
i guess if i ever find my self in that possition we will see

on the other hand i once removed a deer from a fence (first i tried to untangle it but i got kicked and bloody) second i went to the truck and got a pair of wire cutters and cut the fence (this freeing the deer) but while i was repairing the fence the deer that had run 20 yards and stopped just layed down and died

the game warden informed me that they go into shock and you mix that with exhaustion it a recipe for death

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I`d let the tired one rest in my freezer. I don`t know about you guys but I don`t see many big rack bucks around where I hunt , let alone two stuck together ...

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I am a stone mason by trade and I did some work on a shooting preserve and many tevenings watched the bucks gather at the feeders. many times i observed them picking on a limping or sick deer. the owner told me that the dnr would bring deer that where wounded to him to try and let them recover. he informed me that the healthy deer would always kill these weakened deer. with that thought in mind i would say that the deer being released would be easy challenge for other buck in the area and probably end up being killed just out of the dominance game that exsists between deer. after thinking about it i would have to say that i probably agree with shooting it for the meat in the freezer. i can' t be positive though till i actually experience for myself.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I believe I would have tried to release the one that was alive, just doesn' t
seem that sporting to kill.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

Defcon-in regards to the fair chase , no deep snow, etc... that' s for B&C or P&Y. Not in the hunting rules here in IL, just those record clubs, of which mean nothing to me. Folks put too much ephasis on racks. There really tough to cook and taste terrible. Every magazine for " deer hunters" is about a " new world record?!" , Massive rutting bucks!, Where to place your stand for bruisin" bucks!, How to drive for big bucks!, etc...

Uncle Matt (in IL)

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I would shoot them bolth.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I will be honest and say I don' t know what I would do. If the season was out I would try and seperate them, that I can honestly say.

RE: TWO BUCKS LOCKED UP
 

I saw a TV program a while back where they found five different sets of bucks locked up over a period of time. In every instance one of the bucks was already dead and the second buck was alive. They freed the buck that was alive and radio collared it to see how the battle affected the bucks. 4 out of 5 bucks released died within 48 hrs of being released. The stress the battle put on their bodies was just to much. In the instance mentioned above with one of the bucks dead and starting to decompose, I seriously doubt the second deer would have survived anyway after being locked up that long. So with all that said I think I would have done the same thing and taken the buck that was alive. Now If I came across 2 bucks that were still alive and appeared to not have been locked up for very long I would probaly see what I could do about getting them free.