jjt

I dont know if i would shoot it or not
i guess if i ever find my self in that possition we will see

on the other hand i once removed a deer from a fence (first i tried to untangle it but i got kicked and bloody) second i went to the truck and got a pair of wire cutters and cut the fence (this freeing the deer) but while i was repairing the fence the deer that had run 20 yards and stopped just layed down and died

the game warden informed me that they go into shock and you mix that with exhaustion it a recipe for death

stinkyfish

I`d let the tired one rest in my freezer. I don`t know about you guys but I don`t see many big rack bucks around where I hunt , let alone two stuck together ...

norsgodm

I am a stone mason by trade and I did some work on a shooting preserve and many tevenings watched the bucks gather at the feeders. many times i observed them picking on a limping or sick deer. the owner told me that the dnr would bring deer that where wounded to him to try and let them recover. he informed me that the healthy deer would always kill these weakened deer. with that thought in mind i would say that the deer being released would be easy challenge for other buck in the area and probably end up being killed just out of the dominance game that exsists between deer. after thinking about it i would have to say that i probably agree with shooting it for the meat in the freezer. i can' t be positive though till i actually experience for myself.

Texas Hunter

I believe I would have tried to release the one that was alive, just doesn' t
seem that sporting to kill.

uncle matt

Defcon-in regards to the fair chase , no deep snow, etc... that' s for B&C or P&Y. Not in the hunting rules here in IL, just those record clubs, of which mean nothing to me. Folks put too much ephasis on racks. There really tough to cook and taste terrible. Every magazine for " deer hunters" is about a " new world record?!" , Massive rutting bucks!, Where to place your stand for bruisin" bucks!, How to drive for big bucks!, etc...

Uncle Matt (in IL)

Striper Phil

I would shoot them bolth.

Tazman

I will be honest and say I don' t know what I would do. If the season was out I would try and seperate them, that I can honestly say.

Lefty26

I saw a TV program a while back where they found five different sets of bucks locked up over a period of time. In every instance one of the bucks was already dead and the second buck was alive. They freed the buck that was alive and radio collared it to see how the battle affected the bucks. 4 out of 5 bucks released died within 48 hrs of being released. The stress the battle put on their bodies was just to much. In the instance mentioned above with one of the bucks dead and starting to decompose, I seriously doubt the second deer would have survived anyway after being locked up that long. So with all that said I think I would have done the same thing and taken the buck that was alive. Now If I came across 2 bucks that were still alive and appeared to not have been locked up for very long I would probaly see what I could do about getting them free.