Who's Trophy is it anyway? Wounded Animals

[HankBuck]

Well thank you. I do appreciate it. More than likely, they probably did end up getting it. The trackers and PH's they had were something else. They tracked the impala wounded by someone in our party over 4-5 miles for a day and a half.

It just blows my mind how these guys will leave a track overnight, pick up on it the next day, and get the animal.

In retrospect, I would have gladly offered my 300WM to the PH. He had a 308 and that would have done it as well, though.

@HookMeUpII - I am always impressed by the African trackers —- for Me, if I follow a bleeding deer track in fresh snow and don’t lose it after a few 100 yards - I “think” I’m doing a good job.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

HookMeUpII: I think you made the right choice for several reasons - 1). Not your job to clean up someone else’s sloppy mess. 2). No reason for you to risk paying a $$Fee and especially for an animal that was already wounded by another Hunter (didn’t that hunter also have to pay a $$fee for drawing blood??). If your Guide wanted to help those other Hunters or put the animal out of its misery - HE SHOULD SHOOT IT

Yes. Someone should have shot it.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

A hit in a leg that breaks bone may or may not be mortal. It is certainly serious. A year or two later, on that same piece of property, my buddy and I were hunting that same piece of property. I heard a shot and thought it would be my friend shooting. A radio call showed that it wasn't. A while later I saw a small buck making his way down off the ridge in my direction. I could see that he was.limping but could not see the actual injury. I saw that it was a forked-horn and could see no eye guards. Mule deer in Washington must have at least three points on one side, and an eye guard can be counted. At about 200 yards he turned and dropped of the two-track. I could see then that a back leg was broken above the knee and there was a lot of blood. Obviously a bullet wound. I was debating whether to kill him even though I was pretty sure he wasn't legal. I just hated seeing him suffer. Then he jumped the fence and was no longer on our lease. Game over. As he made his way up the hill I saw him stop and then fall down. He got back up and kept going until he was out of sight. I went down to where he crossed the fence and there was a huge amount of fresh blood. Disgusted, I started to make my way back to where my truck was. Going out ahead of me were two guys. Since they weren't with us they were poaching. I called out to them and said that I wanted to talk to them. They sped up trying to get out. I then called out, "Hey, did you guys lose a buck?" That got an answer, "Yeah, did you find him?" I told them that I knew where he was, so come down and talk to me. They and my buddy Wii got to me at about the same time. I told them I would show them where they crossed out of our property, but I then asked to see their hunting licenses. Once I knew their names and addresses I showed them where the buck had gone and it was up to them to.make it right and off the went. As soon as they crossed into the next property, I called the T at and Wildlife "Poaching Hot Line" and gave them all of the information. I do not know what happened after that. I can only hope that they suffered big fines.

See that’s where we’d disagree. A broken/blown off leg is serious but not necessarily mortal. I’ve see. More than one deer walking around on 3 legs. Got a buck by me that was hit by a car breaking one of the legs. He’s a little slower than the rest but been at it for almost a year.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

See that’s where we’d disagree. A broken/blown off leg is serious but not necessarily mortal. I’ve see. More than one deer walking around on 3 legs. Got a buck by me that was hit by a car breaking one of the legs. He’s a little slower than the rest but been at it for almost a year.

So where do we disagree? I also have seen deer survive a broken leg, but not always. I'm pretty sure that the buck I described would have died from the injury. Just too severe. As I said, a shot through the upper leg is serious, but may or may not be a mortal injury. It depends on the circumstances.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

So where do we disagree? I also have seen deer survive a broken leg, but not always. I'm pretty sure that the buck I described would have died from the injury. Just too severe. As I said, a shot through the upper leg is serious, but may or may not be a mortal injury. It depends on the circumstances.

If the vitals or a major artery aren’t hit then it belongs to the shooter that inflicted a wound to one of those areas that would ensure the death of the animal IF they want it and weren’t doing the other hunter a favor.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Well thank you. I do appreciate it. More than likely, they probably did end up getting it. The trackers and PH's they had were something else. They tracked the impala wounded by someone in our party over 4-5 miles for a day and a half.

It just blows my mind how these guys will leave a track overnight, pick up on it the next day, and get the animal.

In retrospect, I would have gladly offered my 300WM to the PH. He had a 308 and that would have done it as well, though.

@HookMeUpII,

I'm with @HankBuck. Your PH should have done the buffoons' PH a favor and dispatched the wounded blesbok.

Any outfitter having a double dip policy like this needs to be called out; as I definitely wouldn't want to book with them.

Under the circumstances, reluctantly IMO, you made the right call by not making the kill shot because things could have gotten ugly when the buffoon that wounded the blesbok ended up paying for the blesbok as a lost animal, that you and your PH recovered as being your trophy animal.

 

[Ridge Runner]

@Hunt anything - I’ve Never seen a Hunter “kick or hit” another Hunter’s dog…that would be a risky move and I wouldn’t be surprised if an incident like that ended up in a fist fight.

Or a lot worse.
Some dog owners have a tendency to protect the family and/ or hunting dog better than their family.