jamesp59

I was out for the last day of shot gun season in ohio and seen a nice doe coming in about 45 yards, so i decided to take the shoot. Well the first shoot hit high and missed. She went about 20 yards so i bleated at her and she stopped, so i took a second shot which double lung her. She walked about 15-20 and her front legs was giving out on her then i hear another shoot and she dropped, i hear this guy yell to his buddy and say i got one, and by this time i was pissed and yelled back i shoot her first, so i got down from my tree stand and walked over to where my second shoot hit her. There was blood sprayed all over the snow and had a good blood trail going to where she fell, so i was like its my deer and walked over to her and seen my double lung shoot and noticed the left side facing eye was grased. Well i never could of hit here there because she was walking to my left and the eye hit was on the other side. The other hunter said i dropped it so its my deer even though my shoot was the kill shot and she only went 15-20 yards and started to wouble and he shoot her in the eye. We called the DNR and he looked where i shoot her and said my shoot was good and had good blood, but there was blood by where the other hunter shoot her in the eye even though she was already going down if the guy would let her besides shooting. The DNR said we can sit here all day and fight about it like kids or we can flip a coin for it, by this time it was already two hours after she expired which he walked out to call the DNR and i even feild dressed her, so i said go for it, and i lost. I think he should of did his job and said i made the first kill shoot so its mine. The DNR even said in his classes they said who ever takes the first shot and hits its there deer, but there is no law on that. What do you think? Has this ever happened to you?
James

kodiakhuntmaster

Historicly, in roman times, the game belonged to whoever drew first blood weather hit was a killing shot or not. Like in the legend of the boar with the golden hide. This rule was the way things were done back in the day because the one who drew first blood was the first one to find the animal and the hunt was his.

Then back around the day of the depresson, if you killed an animal you were unlikely to give it up just because someone else shot it before you did. So the "rule" was changed to suit the times. "I killed it, you just ran it to me with your shot".

Nowadays, it's about as confusing as you can get. Different areas beleive different things, and different people. But most people believe that the one who dropped it gets it. But sometimes the shot that dropped it was superficial, this is where it gets confusing. Flipping a coin is standerd practice in this situation. It is unfortunate that this is the case, I shot a huge buck once, then someone else shot it, we flipped a coin and it was his. He didn't even want it that much, he just wanted to argue. I was 16 at the time and had never got a buck. I shot this one with a bow.It sucked but everyone has a story about something like that, and now you have yours. Just be glad it was a doe and not a huge buck. Oh, and congrats on the great shot, and harvesting a doe. As far as I'm conserned, you can consider that your doe that someone else got by luck alone.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

bigbulls

I think I would have told him to kiss my arse cause she was walking dead anyway especially if you had good blood from where you hit her. Also if that guy was that close (talking distance) he had no business what so ever shooting anyway. You could have been killed walking up to her when he shot. It would be hard for me to imagine that he didn't hear you shoot. Next time tell him it's not your fault that he shot a dead deer and that he needs to go back to hunter education class cause he must have missed the day when they talked about making sure of your target and WHATS BEHIND IT.

nodose

i live and hunt in ohio and typically during shotgun season the person who hits a deer last is the one who claims the deer. i hear about these kind of arguements all of the time. thats why i usually only bowhunt. dunno how it is in other states but here in ohio shotgun season can be one big cluster f**k.

kodiakhuntmaster man that just plain suxors.....here in ohio during bow season the rule of thumb changes. if you make a lethal shot w/a bow and someone else shoots it the deer would IMHO be yours. of course you're probably gonna run into an arguement. but man if this happened when you were 16yrs old....what kind of adult would argue w/a 16yr old kid over a deer especially you're first buck. had that been me that shot your buck and saw after the fact that you had made a lethal shot, i would have let you tag the deer.

james59 sorry about your luck but from my point of view the guy that won the coin toss is the person that should have tagged the deer in the first place.

boltman

If you made a killing shot on her, which it sounds like you did, then she's yours. As far as I'm concerned he interferred with your hunt by shooting a deer you had made a killing shot on and were trailing.

PaulBear

First how close does everyone hunt there sound's like he wasn't but a stone throw away,but in my opion you did the right thing not because he shot and it dropped or he was the last to hit it but sound's to me that he was an idiot or one of those drive around and blast types he shoot's at a deer and then yell's for his buddy who probally was setting behind him at the same tree he was at

Striper Phil

Boy what a mess, Lots of stuff behind the seans here. The close hunting and all, Missed the first shot, who hit where is always a guessing game after 3 shots. Any way the way you describe it I would have given you the deer. Last I knew in Jersey the last hunter to shoot gets the deer. Altho I think I remember whoever gets the tag on first is the law.

Heard some shots and watched a Buck 8 point walking to me when I was a kid. It would have been my first buck. Walked for 200 yards or so. I was set up aiming at it and it dropped dead in front of mee at 40 yards. Some guys came buy and I showed them where He fell. If I had pulled the trigger a second sooner I would have been sure he was mine! Oh Well!! One Shot One Kill Striper Phil!!!

This was Buck shot season in Jersey long ago and there was often drives with lots of shooting and lots of missing. So It got to if you shot and got to the deer first it was yours.

Tree climber

hard choise to make.I have never been there.a few years ago we killed a buck in our club,Kay shot the buck first,he acted like she missed.she didn't jut a little far back. two more people shot and clearly missed. he got to my wife,and she droped him.(she could tell he was hit when she say him). when we all got to her the fierst thing out of her mouth "that deer belongs to Kay". after we looked we knew Kay had hit a fatial shot,through the liver and ponuch.(with rifle)

although he was dead,he had gone from 1/2 to 3/4 mile when my wife finished him. "I was very proud of my wife". we had never even talked about this when I taugh her to hunt.

as far as your case,the way you tell it;I would have opened a can of whoop a$$,or took the deer home.whech ever way he wanted it. after it was all over You did right I guess. the DNR officer should have done his job and settled the problem.that one of the things he gets paid for.

"You Done Did Good"
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I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

cardeer

The guy who shot the killing shot gets the deer.There is no awards for slop shots,like gut shots ,legs blown off,or butt shots.Thats my thought and the Pa game commissions rule.Sorry but I would of defended my rights to that deer with my weapon.I have just had my fill of the slobs in the woods today.

Jack Magnum

I beleive lt's a question of ethics! I have killed other hunters deer that have come by me but have given them the deer because they drew blood first.Normally if the shot would have proved fatal you turn it over to the other guy.I shot a nice nine point one year which ran 100yds before dying in mid air while trying to jump a barb wire fence.The shot was a lung shot and I saw him run full out then slow down,jump and get entangled in the fencing. I also saw two guys walk upon the scene look down at me and shoot my deer in the head.They said they were keeping it because they put it down.I said imagine that!The deer is shot in the lungs and collasped on the fence and infact his rear legs were caught in the fence.Oh well two against one so I agreed to let them take it.