Morality vs. Fish and Game

[Robert]

This can sometimes be a gray area.  Doing the right thing is not always the appropriate legal thing.  People make mistakes.  Sometimes animals do also.  Has anyone ever had any hard decisions to make?

[Joe44]

How about a wounded big game animal that someone didn't bother to find and finish? Guts hanging out of their belly, for certain they won't make it. If you do the right thing and finish it off, you have to tag it, but you can't bear to let it suffer for the next couple of days while it dies a slow very painfull death. If you tag it, you don't take it home cause it was shot the day before and the meat won't be any good. If you end it's pain and don't tag it, that is illegal, if you shoot it and tag it, you lose the meat and leave an edible portion of a game animal to waste and that is illegal, if you walk away without doing anything, that is immoral. What would you do?

Joe

[Robert]

I once came on a large Doe laying on the center-line of the highway, head up and looking around, 3 broken legs and bones sticking out.  There were 5 other rigs sitting there when I arrived, most of them big pick-up trucks with local red-necks.  They were all just sitting there trying to figure out what to do.  I got out and she started jumping around and couldnt get up. I uncerimoniously whacked her in the head with my framing hammer, dragged her out of the road, and by the time I got back to my car, everybody had quietly driven away.  It really bugged me thinking about it, so I went back and got her.  Totally against the law here.  It is so stupid.

[crow_feather]

In the law, there is a term called "legislative intent".  It is the reason the law is written.  If a person breaks a law, but the only intent is to save an animal from suffering, I can not see where a competent law enforcement official would want to take any action.

Of course, I have been wrong before.........................

C F

[Robert]

That is good to know.

[FWiedner]

How about a wounded big game animal that someone didn't bother to find and finish? Guts hanging out of their belly, for certain they won't make it. If you do the right thing and finish it off, you have to tag it, but you can't bear to let it suffer for the next couple of days while it dies a slow very painfull death. If you tag it, you don't take it home cause it was shot the day before and the meat won't be any good. If you end it's pain and don't tag it, that is illegal, if you shoot it and tag it, you lose the meat and leave an edible portion of a game animal to waste and that is illegal, if you walk away without doing anything, that is immoral. What would you do?

Joe

Old post, but I feel compelled to reply.

Put the poor thing down.  If you have to burn a tag and don't take home even an ounce of meat, at least you can sleep at night knowing that you've done the right thing by relieving the suffering of that unfortunate creature.

Perhaps nature's own way does not include the mercy of putting a wounded and suffering creature out of it's misery, but my way does.

I realize that if you're like me you enjoy your venison, but truthfully, you can always buy meat.

Just my opinion.

[gwindrider1]

I like the idea of the framing hammer.  I dispatched a doe that had been hit by a truck, and suffered a broken back with a knife some years ago, and got completely soaked with blood. :eek:   That'll learn me!