As far as I'm concerned it the deer belongs to the person that put the first lethal bullet in. The fact that the deer ran is irrelevant
I tend to agree with this. My definition of lethal being a bullet through the vitals. A gut shot may be fatal after many days but the person shouldn't be rewarded for it.
I heard a story (could've been on this forum,can't remember) about two people arguing over an animal. The person in the wrong just would not give up their claim, so the other guy walked over to the animal and put a bullet into each quarter and said "Now you can have it" and walked off.
If things got too heated, I'd just walk away. No sense getting shot over a dead critter.
I guess you could always call the game warden and let him decide.
