Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Memories~ Who's Deer Is It?

True!

Sarcasm font added...

Your kill, your deer, but with the exception of what any laws, hunt club/lease rules or mutual agreements allow.

I can also understand how your dad may have seen it as a lesson in taking the 'high road' to becoming a man, a gentleman and instilling personal integrity.

Except maybe in the case of impending starvation rarely if ever is a dead animal worth risking hard feelings and friendships.

...YMMV...

That was your deer. We always operate under the premise that person who puts it on the ground owns it. The exception to the rule would be if you were helping somebody blood trail one, and finish it off for them.

That's pretty much how I see things.

Back in Jr Hi, Dad and I and another guy and his son were driving up a mountain road in a Jeep. The other kid and I were sitting on the front fenders. It was an either sex hunt and we came around a corner to see a doe in the road. We boys hopped off the Jeep and I got off the 1st shot - I double lunged it with a Win 32 Spec. The other kid was carrying an M1 Carbine with solid bullets. He emptied his 16 shot mag and literally hit it with all 16 (we later counted the holes). He shot it to pieces. Dad grabbed his knife and gutted it in about 2 min, then told the kid to get his tag on it. He gave me a 'keep your mouth shut' look because there was no way he wanted to keep that thing. There weren't 2 hamburgers worth of good meat left on it.

I realize that a dove is not a deer, but when hunting doves sometimes similar things happen.
Dove gets shots, is hit, but keeps flying, maybe would get out of range.
I hunted with a group of guys who would claim it and get pissy if you shot it, or request it even if you were the one the bring it down.
Other guys I hunt with don't have a problem and say that if it's still flying it is fair game...
I reckon the deer would be yours as you shot it. Specially if he didn't have a lethal wound.

Seen that too.

When I was a kid, my dad owned a game processing plant, then a large meat packing company where we did game processing too.

It was always pretty amazing to see the deer that were shot to doll rags come in. Inevitably, those people expected to get back 100 pounds of meat from an 80 pound deer that had been shot through the hams, both shoulders and at least one backstrap.

Even had a few accuse us of "taking some of their meat".

My dad would tell them if we wanted some deer meat, we could get our own, and it sure wouldn't be off of their shot up deer.

If the deer ends up dead and not left out to die slowly, I don't see how it matters. Also, life is too short to let a dispute over something as trivial as a deer ruin a friendship. There are lots of deer out there, but good friends are hard to find.

We've always said the first bullet in him. Right or not, there's never been an issue. Tracking in the sand and one blows out, it's usually a running shot. If he has been hit, 99% of the time he doesn't get away. We can't say the same if he hasn't been hit. If it's a kid, we would have done the same as your fathers friend.

It didn't affect the friendships at all. The friend that shot it told me it was my deer. It was my dad's actions that caused me to doubt what was right.

A decent buck means a bit more to a young hunter than a middle aged one as well. (not to mean it makes a difference)

No question about it, it was yours.

This is what makes it a debatable point.



Two differing views of the same scenario.



Interesting to see each view on the matter.

Your deer.

First lethal hit owns it, I put an elk down a friend had hit twice in the lungs with a 270, that elk was dead and didn't know it, neither did I the way it came loping by me.

There really is no right or wrong. As long as you set the rules and every one agrees. We had a great group of guys and it was never a problem. Had it work for me and against me. Shot a big 5x5 whitetail running. Hit him in the neck and rolled him. Before I got there he got back up and ran into one of our posters and he finished him. I never would have seen that deer again if I was by Myself. My oldest son's first deer was a small buck. He panicked couldn't get the safety off. Then it turned to leave and he hit it in the gut. Another one of our posters saw it lay down in a gully walked over and finished it. We always went by first bullet. Always

I think first lethal hit can be open to discussion. My son's gutshot deer was going to die. But when? And would we have found it?

I don't know how common it might be among hunting clubs/groups but I can see how the 'first bullet hit gets the kill' practice could easily turn into a wild, take any shot and hope it hits an animal somewhere, shooting spree.

Again,... YMMV

Okay, immediately lethal for the nit-pickers.

Regardless, the men I hunt with know the difference, game doesn't matter that much to me, I've always considered myself blessed to be able to assist with a quick kill.

IDGAS about the horns or meat, and neither do my hunting buds.

I've seen this handles both ways, my circle of young hunting friends went with the "first bullet" rule. Didn't mean we were right, just the way we were taught.

We'd have been expected to ask the first shooter if it was OK to tag it as well.

Most of us won't have wanted to tag it, too much potential embarrassment of having our friendly gossip mongers thinking we shot the leg off, and passing on the tale. Pride can guide many actions when you are young.