Who gets the deer?

[Finlander]

This happened yesterday. I was in stand overlooking a feild on the inside corner of pines and regular woods.

All of a sudden there's a 8 point buck at 30 yards from me and he's down wind. So I go to raise my gun and I made a liitle noise from the forearm when raising it, it looks a me and he bolts so I fired 4 shots at him hitting him on the first shot so the blood on the ground shows.

Then it ran into the pines where my friend and brother are sitting, then I hear a shot, then another shot. I figured one of them got it so I stayed put and after an hour or so, some hunters are driving up and down the road looking for this buck. Then after they determined it came in the direction I shot at it, they got permission from the landowner to look for it therefore ending our last hour of gun season. So I talk to these people as they were very nice about the situation and I said to them without knowing for sure that the deer was down by getting shot by the three of us. And it was down for sure as my friend fatally hit it and my brother also hit it and it finally dropped. My friend had it gutted and tagged as he did not know that it was shot hours before from someone a few miles away.

So who legally gets to tag this deer? They didn't know either.

[BobT]

I'm assuming your friend validated his license before field dressing the deer and that would seem to dictate who has possession.

[goblueM]

Legally? Whoever made the first fatal shot, I'm pretty sure. Good luck trying to ascertain/prove that though. Sounds like if it was walkin around hours after getting shot, it would probably belong you and/or your friend.

sounds like the deer was hamburger by the time it died...

[paceman]

The killing shot gets the deer....

[slimngrizzly]

Every situation is SO different! This will go on for pages and pages...

But if you shot the deer several times, hours after they shot it, I cant see how they figure they would have ever caught up with it? Its yours in my eyes. I dont think there is a legal/not legal issue here.... its just a gray area that hopefully the hunters can resolve w/o too big of an argument.

[snapcrackpop]

So who legally gets to tag this deer? They didn't know either.

Legally...anyone who shot.

Usually...whoever is the grumpiest!

[mrklean]

I would say kill shot

[BobT]

From a personal perspective, if I failed to make a killing shot the first time and someone else managed to finish it off before I could track it down, I'd figure it was his. In my mind I'd be glad that someone prevented it from dying somewhere and being wasted. Sure, if it was a really nice wall hanger buck or the only chance I had to get one that year, it would be most disappointing but hey, my bad for not making a clean kill.