What's the best practice if I kill/wound the wrong game?

[bckpckhntr]

We often make split second decisions whether to pull the trigger, and I'm wondering what to do if it's the wrong decision. What is best course of action (legally or ethically) if you kill/wound the wrong thing? Specifically two scenarios:

1. You kill the wrong sex (say, turkey or pheasant) or maybe even the wrong species for the season. Do you harvest it since you're not supposed to leave meat out to waste? Just leave it right there so you don't run the risk of running into a warden? Turn it in to the warden at the trailhead and face the music?

2. You wound a non-game animal. Do you put it down immediately? Try to bring it to a wildlife rehab center? (I wouldn't even know where to find them.)

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

 

[P304X4]

I've never faced either of these scenarios, but I have come across injured wildlife. We have one for birds and another for small animals where I've taken them. I've never had to deal with deer or larger animals so I would know who to call.

 

[Common Sense]

Years ago I came upon a little spike flopping around on the side of the road. Both front legs were broken, it had obviously been hit by a car. I stuck my .22 out the window and put one behind his ear. I threw it in the bed of my truck and took it to a feller who lived a mile or two away. He was out of a job and his family was tired of beans and potatoes.
What I did was the right thing to do, but it probably wasn’t legal. Doubt I would do the same thing today. As it would probably take hours to get a response from the government to that area, I might euthanize the poor thing, but I wouldn’t move it.

On the other hand my local chief of police told me a story about a deer he validated for a big rancher. Seems the antlers were very short and no bigger around than a pencil. The chief commented it must have been very close for the rancher to see it was legal. The rancher said it was over two hundred yards away, wounded and dragging itself up the hillside. The rancher thought it was a doe someone had shot and left, so he would put it out of its misery and take it to the barn to butcher. After killing the deer and realizing it was a legal buck, he tagged it. He had no problem harvesting a wounded doe, but if it was legal he felt he had to waste his tag on the small buck.

 

[bckpckhntr]

Thanks for this. Why wouldn't you move it?

 

[#1Predator]

When I was on the job I had a man bring me a doe to me at my home that stepped in front of the buck he was trying to kill. He gave me his explanation of the situation. In watching his telling of the story I could tell he was telling the truth. Mistakes happen BUT he should have waited for a clearer shot. I gave him a citation and told him to dress out the deer, take it to a local battered women's shelter and to bring me the receipt. He followed my instructions. On his court day I produced the receipt and fought for him. That was my job - to help those who inadvertently break the law (versus the poacher who tries to get away with breaking the law). The judge said it was the first time that he had seen an officer sided with the defendant.

The outcome? NOT guilty, however the defendant was required to pay court costs ($50.00). No record, no DFG (sorry, DFW) violation on his record, as it should be. Today, after seeing some of the shenanigans some wardens will pull to get their ticket counts up, I'm not sure. Obliviously, some of these wardens have not read the DFW Mission Statement. The Statement reads, and I paraphrase, the duty of the department is to give a break to legitimate sportsmen but to apprehend & punish those who intentionally violate F&G law.

I once watched a very VERY good shot take nine doves with nine shots using an over-and-under 20 gauge on the opening day of dove season. Impressive. The limit at the time was 10 doves (Eurasians weren't in the picture yet). However, as two doves came within range, he neatly dropped the first dove but missed the second with a follow-up shot. His first miss. Take, or attempt to take, is a violation under section 86 of the Fish and Game Code. When I contacted him and told him of what I observed he was visibly shaken. Did I cite him? Hell no. I shook the man's hand and congratulated him on some great shooting. I made him aware of his mistake but I'm old school. Let the honest mistakes go but I was death on legitimate poachers - short drop and a sudden stop.

 

[bckpckhntr]

That was my job - to help those who inadvertently break the law (versus the poacher who tries to get away with breaking the law).

Thanks for this, #1Predator. I've seen and appreciated your posts on here before.

 

[quaildeath]

Hey #1 is that upland DFG bio, named Rocky, still doing surveys.
He was always so great to talk to and point me in the right direction.

 

[#1Predator]

quaildeath - I don't know if Rocky is still working. He may have retired.

 

[#1Predator]

quaildeath - Interesting story involving Rocky and me. A rancher found a dead cow elk on his property. Rocky and I were dispatched to determine the cause of death, do a necropsy and take tissue samples from the elk. There weren't any external signs to indicate a cause of death so we took muscle tissue, organ (heart, lung, liver, kidney and stomach) samples and bagged them up. Rocky drove them to the lab in Rancho Cordova.

A few days later, Rocky came down with "flu-like" symptoms. He notified his supervisor that he was taking a few sick days off. His supervisor decided to tell Rocky that the elk samples were being examined for anthrax. Rocky immediately called me. We hadn't been told why we were taking samples or what the lab was testing for. Huh.....sheesh..........imagine that. Probably an important piece of information, don't you think? It would appear that we were the canaries in the gold mine. I never trusted the lab people again. As it turns out, Rocky DID have the flu.

 

[quaildeath]

Good memories…however risky ha!
Maybe the selected analyses were just a guess by some lab rat.

 

[dthome]

I’ve wondered about this question, too. I don’t think anyone should try to escape the law when they break it, but I’m not sure I see the point in reporting your accidental error. I don’t report to Highway Patrol when I break the speed limit. My wife didn’t report herself to the police when she recently left a grocery store with an item that hadn’t been rung up (though she did pay for it the next time she was at the store).

I like #1predator’s approach to law enforcement, which incorporates the spirit into the letter of the law.

One thing I do know: if you accidentally break a game law and your conscience tells you to do something, you should do it.

 

[#1Predator]

Just about everyone carries a camera with them every day. You never know when your picture is being taken. Red light cams, body cams, door bell cams, trail cams, security cams, etc. seem to be everywhere these days. Even Wal-Mart records my image when I use the self-checkout. It seems somebody is always .

 

[sportyg]

Just about everyone carries a camera with them every day. You never know when your picture is being taken. Red light cams, body cams, door bell cams, trail cams, security cams, etc. seem to be everywhere these days. Even Wal-Mart records my image when I use the self-checkout. It seems somebody is always .

this is true

 

[ChrisAMX]

The hills have eyes

 

[spectr17]

The hills have eyes

they sure do. About 25 years ago i was easing down this ridge and POW!. A guy to my left shot a deer across the ravine in front of me. As he hiked over to the ravine he hollered at me that he had shot a forkie. I told him i was gonna go look for it as he tried to find a way to cross the deep ravine. As i got to the deer it was a spike. Holy crap. I hollered over to him it was a spike and he took off. He had to have seen it was a spike, it was like a 70 yd shot in mostly open terrain. As i was sitting there i saw movement up the ridge and there was a guy glassing me with his binos. Aw crap, i was hoping he didnt think i shot it but then i figured if he had been glassing he knew who shot it.

2 hrs later i was hiking up the forestry rd back to camp and a jeep rolled up with 2 guys. I told them no luck today and the one guy said there was a spike back that way laying dead. He knew I was the guy who walked up to the deer. I said yeah, some guy had shot a spike in front of me. He asked me if i was gonna go get the meat and I said heck no, i aint going anywhere near that deer.

Never saw the shooter again. I thought about calling it n but didnt have a real good description of him and never saw a veh.