Who's Trophy is it anyway? Wounded Animals

[Ridge Runner]

An honest outfitter won’t charge the 2nd hunter.

I was once the 2nd hunter. The Outfitter said that’s an animal the previous hunter wounded. Would you mind putting it down, or letting me so we can send him the trophy? Now whether or not the outfitter told that hunter it was finished by another hunter or they “found it” I don’t know. It was only a day or two later w/ 1 broken leg on a hard quartering shot that missed all vitals and ended up in the guts.

That’s an outfitter I would like to hunt with’

Unfortunately the Case in point, I was referring to the outfitter/PH is the polar opposite of the outfitter @Mtn_Infantry had.

The animal was Cape Buff in Zimbabwe.

The implications I got, via our conversations and his actions, the outfitter/PH had no intentions on looking for the previous client's buff and subsequently putting the buff out of its misery.

Sadly we never found the previous client's buff.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Unfortunately the Case in point, I was referring to the outfitter/PH is the polar opposite of the outfitter @Mtn_Infantry had.

The animal was Cape Buff in Zimbabwe.

The implications I got, via our conversations and his actions, the outfitter/PH had no intentions on looking for the previous client's buff and subsequently putting the buff out of its misery.

Sadly we never found the previous client's buff.

Unfortunately I can see this and understand it if the outfitter/PH thought it would’ve come at the possible expense of Hunter #2’s safari/hunt experience being anything less than the best. Now I also believe there are a lot of hunters who respect the animal enough to say ok let’s try to find him.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Unfortunately I can see this and understand it if the outfitter/PH thought it would’ve come at the possible expense of Hunter #2’s safari/hunt experience being anything less than the best. Now I also believe there are a lot of hunters who respect the animal enough to say ok let’s try to find him.

In 1983 I was in Zimbabwe. PH Ian Lennox came into the camp with an old guy that was hunting with him. They had found a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his front leg and dragging a piece of log. The outfitter had no more buffalo on quota. Ian told the hunter to take him if he wanted, and he would straighten things out with the game department. Leaving the injured buffalo was inhumane and a danger to the local people. The old man killed the bull. The game department had no issue with putting the buffalo down and ending his suffering, the client got a buffalo, and everyone can feel that they did the right thing. I never asked who paid for the bull or if the hunter got to keep it, but to me it was people doing the right thing.

About three weeks before this a worker at the ranch where we stayed had surprised a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his leg. The bull punched the worker in the guts, spilling intestines. The poor guy had to hold himself together and walk about a mile back to the house. He told the property owners what had happened. Then he died. No one knows if this was the same buffalo.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Unfortunately I can see this and understand it if the outfitter/PH thought it would’ve come at the possible expense of Hunter #2’s safari/hunt experience being anything less than the best. Now I also believe there are a lot of hunters who respect the animal enough to say ok let’s try to find him.

The details are in my Zimbabwe hunt report.

This particular outfitter/PH I had, only had himself in mind.

There are good to lexcellent outfitter/PHs and PHs that actually want their clients to have a good experience.

As to the OP's question and experience he had a PH wanting to make things right.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

In 1983 I was in Zimbabwe. PH Ian Lennox came into the camp with an old guy that was hunting with him. They had found a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his front leg and dragging a piece of log. The outfitter had no more buffalo on quota. Ian told the hunter to take him if he wanted, and he would straighten things out with the game department. Leaving the injured buffalo was inhumane and a danger to the local people. The old man killed the bull. The game department had no issue with putting the buffalo down and ending his suffering, the client got a buffalo, and everyone can feel that they did the right thing. I never asked who paid for the bull or if the hunter got to keep it, but to me it was people doing the right thing.

About three weeks before this a worker at the ranch where we stayed had surprised a buffalo bull with a wire snare around his leg. The bull punched the worker in the guts, spilling intestines. The poor guy had to hold himself together and walk about a mile back to the house. He told the property owners what had happened. Then he died. No one knows if this was the same buffalo.

I think most of us hunters would have shot as the old man had. I think there’s a difference in spending your safari actively pursing/targeting another hunters wounded animal as your primary target vs coming across it by chance and shooting it, or pursuing it if blood/spoor is found on another stalk.

 

[HUNTROMANIA]

În România we have diferent rules for big game and small game on who is claiming the game.
1. On big game the one who give the first shot who is possible to cause the death of the animal. That means vital organs or blood vessels, arteries.
2. On small game is the one who is killing the animal, bird.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

If some slob hunter wants to claim a bird that I've hit or killed, I'm not going to fight over it. Just means I can keep hunting longer. How badly can someone want to gut and pluck birds? He's back at the motel room cleaning his limit of birds while I'm still in the field hunting with my dogs. Thank you very much, fool!

 

[Hunter-Habib]

In Africa & Asia, it goes to whoever drew first blood. I don't necessarily agree with this philosophy but it is what it is.

 

[spike.t]

Great question @hunting anything.

And some good responses so far. Don't want to hijack your OP but add more to it.

Case in point:

A client wounds an animal, pays for that animal and then pays and kills a second same species animal, client leaves without him or the outfitter/PH putting the first wounded animal down.

Next client shows up. The new client and outfitter/PH fond fresh blood on the first day of the new client's hunt, outfitter/Ph claims it's probably from the previous client's wounded animal.

Against the new client's hunting ethics the outfitter/PH has no intentions of hunting or killing the wounded animal.

By sheer coincidence the new client kills the previous client's wounded animal.

Whose animal is it?

New client considers the animal belongs to the previous client since the previous client paid for the animal.

Outfitter/PH considers it the new client's trophy animal with the intentions of being paid twice for one animal.

If that ph/ outfitter didn't do everything to find the animal and finish it, or when as you say in this theoretical situation go after it when finding blood with the next client, and either of them finishing the animal then he is a prick...plus no way is that animal the new clients trophy even if he finishes it...or have to pay for it....that's bullshit

 

[DieJager]

Please let us know which outfitters let wounded game out there for a slow painful dead. All because a new hunter arrives and money comes first.

That way I can certainly and definitely say I will not hunt with that outfitter. Everything that can be done has to be done to find a wounded animal. For the animals sake as well for the danger that animal poses to humans.

 

[DieJager]

When hunting with de Klerk in South Africa I wounded a black Wildebeest. Only nicked one lung at the very end of it in the direct of the gut.

Never felt as sick to my stomach as those couple of hours searching for the animal. We almost lost track. Luck would have it that I spotted some blood and the amazing tracker did the rest. She was already laying down when she tried to stand up again and I made the kill shot.

Light was running out fast. I think I would not have slept if we did not find her before dark.

I can not fathom that someone just walks away not doing everything he can to end the suffering of an animal he has wounded.

 

[cperso]

Great question @hunting anything.

And some good responses so far. Don't want to hijack your OP but add more to it.

Case in point:

A client wounds an animal, pays for that animal and then pays and kills a second same species animal, client leaves without him or the outfitter/PH putting the first wounded animal down.

Next client shows up. The new client and outfitter/PH fond fresh blood on the first day of the new client's hunt, outfitter/Ph claims it's probably from the previous client's wounded animal.

Against the new client's hunting ethics the outfitter/PH has no intentions of hunting or killing the wounded animal.

By sheer coincidence the new client kills the previous client's wounded animal.

Whose animal is it?

New client considers the animal belongs to the previous client since the previous client paid for the animal.

Outfitter/PH considers it the new client's trophy animal with the intentions of being paid twice for one animal.

Great question.
This scenario is exactly what I've also been thinking about.

 

[375Fox]

But, I hope that it’s rare an outfitter needs to put down the clients animal.
Yes if you completely fudged the shot or shots and have shown you are in poor form or the PH has to stop some DG to keep everyone safe but I hope most clients get to complete their own hunt and finish the animal if subsequent shots are required.

It becomes much more common with DG. Any doubt on the shot, whether that be the shooter, the angle, brush, etc, it’s a common occurrence the PH will shoot too to avoid a situation becoming dangerous. I’ve only had PHs back me up on giraffe (to help ensure dropped close to road) and elephant. Both discussed before hunt.

 

[Hunt anything]

Where I grew up in Northern California, the buck belongs to whoever drew first blood. Over the years, I have been able to fun show several bucks and a hog that had been hit by other hunters. Never any question as to who claims it.

Oddly enough, an incident in Northern California is what prompted my question. In 1989 I was hunting black tails in the Yolla Bollas. I had already killed my buck so I was along with my friend when a buck came sneaking by. He killed the buck and while we were gutting the buck another guy came along and said it was his as he had wounded it, we looked everywhere and found no wound and the deer was moving normally. A huge argument ensued and I finally found a crease on the buck hind leg just above the hoof where the other hunter hit . When the other hunter saw where he hit it, he relented and helped us get the buck to the horses. Everyone was happy but it could’ve ended so much worse.