Yesterday morning I found myself in a poor position. Just after daybreak I spotted a deer moving through fairly heavy cover 85 yards from my stand. It was obvious that this deer had sustained some severe injuries. He walked with an extreme limp, favoring his right front shoulder. I could also see that his rack hed been damaged. The right side had little more than the main beam left, and the left side was broken off close to where his brow tine should have been.

I never was presented with a "good" shot at this buck. At one point he stopped between 2 trees, and the only portion of his body that was visible was his neck. A short while later, he stopped where a "mid-section" shot might have been possible.

My question is this:

Would you take a "marginal" shot on a wounded deer and hope to put it down?

Or

Would you pass on a "marginal" shot on a wounded deer and hope it recovers from it's injuries?

Good question Joe and a tough decision! If the deer was in bad shape and IF I had a good shot I'd try to put it down. I might take the neck shot at 85 yards if I had a rest. I think I'd pass on the "mid section" shot unless I was SURE that I could angle the bullet into the vitals. I realize that there are a lot of "mights' and "maybes" here but each situation is unique so its difficult to make a hard and fast call.

Pumpkinslayer has good judgment...I agree.

A so called hunter taking a marginal shot is probably the reason for his injuries in the first place. Good choice on letting him walk or limp in this case.

People need to take thier time when shooting. Know thier game for correct shot placement and never settle for hitting a "pie plate" while sighting in or target practicing. In my family, if you can't keep em within a 2" group at 100 yards with a gun or 20 yards with a bow then you don't go hunting, period. No debate.

talk about a rock and a hard place.. though i dont like the idea of a wounded animal at all, taking the marginal shot would not be in the interest of the animal either.. i would resign myself that the critter will not live through its injuries, but would not take a shot that i was not 100% confident in either..

Thats tough. I try not to take any "marginal" shot regardless of the circumstances. But on a wounded animal I would try to make a shot happen. I will shoot at a walking animal I'm very confident in my ability to do that, but I will not shoot at a running animal some guy's can do it accurately I cannot. With that said, looking in advance of his direction if I could find a hole where I thought I could slip a bullet in somewhere I would. I don't want to see one suffering.
Joe

I'd do my best to get any half decent shot and I'd take it. Even if its not a shoot I'd consider on a non-wounded deer, I may hunt, I may fish, I may be a outdoorsman but I do not like seeing animals suffer needlessly. So if my tag allowed it the deer to the best of my abilities if possible will be going down.

Dimitri

I am very carefull about the shots I take on non-wounded animals... Heck, even when everything seems perfect I have seen bad hits happen, so why risk taking a poor shot and causing an injury?
My tune changes on severly wounded game though, my belief is that a liver or neck shot would of been better than a slow death in the winter.

Since it is not known how this deer was hurt, I think passing is the ridht call. Everyone hates to see animals suffer, but mother nature has her own rules too. I this buck was beat up and run off by another one, injures to this level i think would be rare, I don't feel the need to speed his passing. Nature has her way of dealing with sick and hurt animals, cyotes got to eat to. Now if we can tell that this animal has been poorly shot, or maybe say something like bailer twine or fencing hanging off him. That would point to a human cause. Then I think you should end his suffering, so maybe you'll have to get out of that stand and find a better shot.

Southpaw wrote:

Since it is not known how this deer was hurt, I think passing is the ridht call. Everyone hates to see animals suffer, but mother nature has her own rules too. I this buck was beat up and run off by another one, injures to this level i think would be rare, I don't feel the need to speed his passing. Nature has her way of dealing with sick and hurt animals, cyotes got to eat to. Now if we can tell that this animal has been poorly shot, or maybe say something like bailer twine or fencing hanging off him. That would point to a human cause. Then I think you should end his suffering, so maybe you'll have to get out of that stand and find a better shot.

My original thought was that he had been wounded by a hunter. Our first shotgun season ended 2 weeks prior to this sighting. When I saw how badly his rack was busted up, I thought that he took a good butt whippin' from another deer, or had been hit by a car, although I haven't heard of anyone hitting one around here recently.

I would have exited the stand and tried to trail him to his bed, but I was 20 feet up in a climber, and last I saw him he was only about 75 yards from the property line and heading towards it.

Then I wouldn't feel to bad about it, cyotes gotta eat to, and when the eat good there hide is wortrh more $$$$$$$$$$$.