Multiple shots-Who claims deer?

[Realtree]

Here is another situation we have encountered in our deer camp several times in the past with neighboring hunting partys:


Hunter 1 shoots a deer but it does not go down.

Hunter 2 sees the deer and makes a kill shot.

Assuming Hunter 1 and Hunter 2 encounter each other at the downed deer, who's deer is it?


What are the factors that would dictate this with you or your group; first blood, kill shot, public hunting land, private hunting land, was blood trail being tracked, etc....? Have you ever experienced this situation and how did you handle it?


I will share one or more of our experiences after hearing back from some of you.

[Randy Kaar]

if hunter 1 had a good hit he gets it..  if hunter
1 gut shot it 2 gets it.

randy aka bh

[Faceman]

I have been in this situation a couple of times.

First time: hunter one got good hit and took off to me and I downed it. He came over and I asked if he shot it. He answered yes but told me to keep the deer beings I downed it. I insisted he take it because it would have been his any way. He took it and thanked me. Two weeks later he showed up at my door with six packages of steaks. What a great respectful hunter.

Second time: hunter leg shot a deer and it ran to me and I downed it. He came over and I asked if he shot it. He answered yes then I told him it was a leg shot. He argued with me about and said his was the heart shot. Instead of arguing any further I let him have the deer but he had to drag it off my property before he gut it. What a respectless a**hole hunter who can give the rest of us a bad name. It isnt worth arguing over a deer.

I have also stopped and helped a young hunter out by himself gut a deer. He shot it and it fell on my property and he came walking over and asked if he could retreive his deer. Of course I said yes and asked where his father was? he said he was hunting alone because his father did not hunt. Then I took him to his deer and he was glowing at his first kill. Then I asked do you know how to gut it. He had no idea so I showed him and helped hime get home. Now he always waves at me anytime he sees me. Great kid.

[Outdoors Junkie]

If the first shot is in the kill zone, the first hunter can have it.  If it is not, and the second hunter finishes it off, then the second hunter has gets it.  Unless you are hunting by yourself or in a small party and the first hunters has some big rowdy hunting party.  Then you might want to let them have it to avoid trouble.

Where we hunt we never run into this kind of trouble.  Both hunters in this senario would be from our hunting party.  So they would have to discuss who has the bragging rights over some barley pop.

[Randy Kaar]

cool story faceman!  good to hear there are people
like you and the kid out there!

randy aka bh

[schwinger]

I would agree with everyone else. If the 1st shot is a "kill shot" he get's it. Leg shot or something that would just allow the deer to run forever making tracking difficult and you down it, I say it is yours.

Faceman, great story about the young hunter. I am sure that will have an affect on what kind of hunter he turns out to be.

[Mayfly]

I had a situation like this happen to me my first year deer hunting.

It was a day or two into the season and I was sitting in my stand when a small 6-8 point buck walked right into my shooting lane. He stopped broadside giving me the perfect shot. My first shot and he hit the ground. A second passed and he was back on his feet. In a panic I unloaded on him not knowing if I hit him again or not...I think I had a case of buck fever. Anyways he just decided to walk off slowly. I watched him go about 75yds and then he went down. I thought that I had better wait to see what would happen next but I was sure that was it. I ran over to my buddies stand to get more shells and then I went back into my tree. I was watching the area the buck had bedded down and then I saw him get back on his feet and begin walking into the neighbors land. A few seconds after I lost sight of him I heard a shot and knew that they had got him. I didn't even bother.

[GirlGuide]

I have been in this situation a couple of times.

First time: hunter one got good hit and took off to me and I downed it. He came over and I asked if he shot it. He answered yes but told me to keep the deer beings I downed it. I insisted he take it because it would have been his any way. He took it and thanked me. Two weeks later he showed up at my door with six packages of steaks. What a great respectful hunter.

Second time: hunter leg shot a deer and it ran to me and I downed it. He came over and I asked if he shot it. He answered yes then I told him it was a leg shot. He argued with me about and said his was the heart shot. Instead of arguing any further I let him have the deer but he had to drag it off my property before he gut it. What a respectless a**hole hunter who can give the rest of us a bad name. It isnt worth arguing over a deer.

I have also stopped and helped a young hunter out by himself gut a deer. He shot it and it fell on my property and he came walking over and asked if he could retreive his deer. Of course I said yes and asked where his father was? he said he was hunting alone because his father did not hunt. Then I took him to his deer and he was glowing at his first kill. Then I asked do you know how to gut it. He had no idea so I showed him and helped hime get home. Now he always waves at me anytime he sees me. Great kid.

Faceman, it's guys like you that make this world a better place!!   happy2.gif  You sound like an awesome guy!!  And I bet that young boy will never forget what you did for him..I  believe in "what comes around goes around"..and because of you that little boy will probably turn around and help somebody else out someday.  If we had a hunter of the year award...you would be number #1 on my list!!   ::cheers::  gg

[scott43]

My son and I were hunting a parcel and he took a 300 yard shot with a .243 and hit the deer in the shoulder.  I was situated  up the trail a bit further and the deer meandered in my direction like nothing had happened!  I shot the deer and put it on the ground.  My son (14 years old) was elated.  When we gutted it, the bullet he shot stopped in the shoulder (plenty of caliber (100 grain Federal) at that distance, dont know why.  The deer weighted 195 field dressed but was only a 6 point). We called it a tag team!  Had a lot of fun with it, but he got his photo with it. :rock:

[Spinach]

I think every situation should be handled differently. When 2 seperate parties are involved in the same kill, I would think and hope that most will make the right decision based on the circumstances of the entire process.

There are way too many variables for this question to be answered easily. I personally would give the "other" person the benefit of the doubt if i felt they worked for the recovery of the deer. If someone took a shot and only wounded the deer, and that deer came across me and i put it down, i would ask a few questions, find out how far they were away, where they felt the shot hit etc.... If it was a young hunter, i would immediately give them credit and not say a word.

I've witnessed many situations where someone else in our hunting party had made a decent shot and the deer ran all the way to me (sometimes hundreds of yards) After i made the kill shot, just to put the deer down, I gave them the credit for the deer. More than likely, the deer would have went down without my help, but I just made a lot less work for everyone involved.

I've shot enough deer in my lifetime to never have to argue over a kill shot, i'd never feel right about claiming anything that may not have been mine in the first place.

Good question though!  happy2.gif

[tripnchip]

I have finised off a few deer and never claimed any of them. If the first shooter is tracking and trying to get it, he can have it.

[outdoorfamilyof6]

I have finised off a few deer and never claimed any of them. If the first shooter is tracking and trying to get it, he can have it.

As I know last year, I did a lung shot, but when we were tracking and what not, it was still breathing, (hard) when we got it to lay down, my boyfriend took the deer out, but it was still my deer. 
Other than that, I would have to say that the first shooter gets the deer, as if they are tracking it, the deer would eventually lie down for the first shooter and they can claim it. Even if some other hunter kindly helps you out!! :) 

[ttopformula]

2 Seasons ago I was hunting with a group of friends, and encountered a situation like this. I had been sitting in my stand all morning, and didn't see anything except for the occasional squirrel. I decided to head back to the cabin for a bit to eat around lunch time, about 3/4 of the way back to the cabin I jumped 4 does and 1 buck I got off 4-5 rounds at them as they cleared a near by ridge. I walked over to check for blood and found that I had indeed hit one of them. I immediately got to tracking, and jumped the wounded buck a dozen times, each time I jumped him I was not able to get a shot off due to thick undergrowth and downfall. After 2-3 hours of tracking this guy I began to get frustrated, so I called a hunting buddy up on his phone to tell him that I was tracking and would not be back to the cabin for quite some time, he asked my location and I told him where I was and the direction I was headed. He then went down the road and headed in the woods ahead of where I was, thinking that I may drive this deer to him. Which indeed happened, he got a good shot on it and it went down, I walked up a short time later and thanked him for his help. We stood around chatting about the day and how everything had happened and I mentioned that I was glad I got my buck today, and he looked at me funny and said "no you didn't, I got a buck today", I laughed thinking he was just messing around so I did what I thought was fair and said "ok then I got 1/2 a buck and you got 1/2 a buck". He looked at me funny again and said "No! I killed it therefore its MY deer", he was totally serious! I told him fine if that's they way its gonna be then you gut it, you drag it, and you skin and quarter it, I'm going back out hunting, and I walked away (normally I would have helped with all of the above). The way I see it is he would have NEVER known about the deer or known where to go set up for that matter if I hadn't told him the situation, and I had already put about 4 hours of sweat and effort into this guy, and wasn't going to give up till he was down, therefore it should have been my deer. Heck I was even willing to share the credit with him 50/50, but at least I learned a lesson, I learned NEVER to tell him anything about where I'm at or what I'm doing in the woods. The way I see it is if a hunter wounds a deer and puts the effort into tracking it and another hunter downs it, the 1st person should get the deer, and if I'm ever in that spot again and someone downs the deer for me, I would be willing to share it with them 50/50. The only other way I would handle it is if the person who downs it for me is a 1st time hunter or this is there 1st deer, then I would let them have all of it, just to make them feel good about it. Because as most of you know, you NEVER forget your 1st deer.

[Mayfly]

Wow! Some friend huh  ::


That happened to my Aunt a few years ago. She hit a buck pretty good and eventually my Uncle (her husband) came to her stand and they tracked it. A good blood trail led them clear across the 80 acre parcel. As they were nearing the south border of the land they saw the deer walking slowly and my uncle let a shot fly and put him down. It was her deer and no way would he take that from her. Who would!? At that point it didn't matter who shot, it was a give me.

That same year we were all coming out of the woods after a morning hunt. My Uncle gets my attention and there is a deer standing about 75yds away on the edge of the woods so I take a shot and missed. I knew she wasn't hit but we walked down just to see if there was anything. There was a fresh snow on the ground so blood would of really stuck out. No blood but my Uncle decides to track the deer. I agreed and in the woods we went slowly. I never thought in a million years we would of caught up with this deer but she had looped around and was headed back for the road. As soon as I saw her I hit the ground on one knee and got her right in the heart! Perfet shot! Now even though I shot that deer it was both our deer! I just happened to have the gun and there is no way I would of tried to track it. As nice as my Uncle is he even gutted it

So it is sad that your buddy could not recognize good team work! That is like saying an assist in hockey is worthless. There is no I in TEAM

 fudd.gif

1st Pic: The above mentioned buck with my Aunt and Uncle

2nd Pic: Me with the buck and the small doe that my Uncle and I tracked.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[deadeye]

ttopformula,
The only thing wrong with your story is when you called him "a hunting buddy".  No way was that his deer. 

[ScottPugh]

Have had this happen a few times on our land up north.  It's rare to have someone else outside our party shoot something and we put th ekill shot to it later on.

Three years ago on a Saturday AM of 2nd weekend my buddy thought he had put a good shot on a big doe.  We find bone and blood and track for 1 hour with blood everywhere in the swamp and all of a sudden the blood stops.  We look around for another hour with no blood or deer to show for it.  Fast forward to Monday AM.  My cousin and his buddy were walking out to their stands and jump a big big buck with a doe that looks hurt badly.  The Buck took off towards the swamp and the doe just "stood" there looking at them.  Cousin knocked her down and she only had 3 good legs.  That doe had been running from the buck for 2+ days, getting shot probably felt good.  help1.gif

Years ago (before I hunted) a guy came up to our cabin around 4pm and no idea where he was.  He said he came from our back trails and found the cabin and needed to get back to his shack.  One of my uncles started driving up and down the road to see if he knew where he was, ended up finding out he tracked a deer from the South side of a lake by us since the early AM.  As the crow fly's it was probably 2 miles through swamp, THICK woods and more swamp, that's if he went straight to our place... As my uncle was bringing him home my dad and another uncle went out and as they got to the back of the cabin entering the woods saw some blood.  Knowing that no one had shot a deer in that area they following it into the woods.  20 steps in they jump a 6pt buck and take it down with one shot.  The guy had gut shotted it and ran for those 8+ hours.  Never heard from the guy so it hung on our rack.

Here's my buddies / cousins deer.  Notice the front left leg or there lack of.

[deadeye]

Hard as it is to believe, we killed 4 deer this year that were previously wounded.  Two by other parties, and two by our party. 
1. Brother in law in stand watching 3 guys searching in a point across a small swamp.  He could clearly hear them looking for and finding blood.  A deer jumps up and heads across the swamp, a shot is fired.  My b in law sees the deer in thick brush and being it was wounded fired at it.  He stayed in the stand expecting the guys to come over to see if he got it.  They just left the area so after a half hour he went to check where he shot.  He found a small 8pt dead from a chest shot.  It also has the hind leg shot off just above the knee.  Had they come and talked to them he would have given them the deer. 
2.  Shortly after a small 5 point came in the woods I noticed one bloody hind leg dangling.  It had also been shot just above knee.  I killed it with a neck shot.  I waited a half hour and did not see anyone tracking it.  Later I spoke with the party about a half mile south of me.  On guy had taken a shot at a running buck, wounding it.  They tracked it towards me for 1/4 mile but quit when it crossed a swamp.  Had they tracked it to me I would have let them have it but being they just gave up, I kept it. 
3.  About 15 minutes after my brother shot, (he was about a quarter mile away) I saw a buck crossing about 70 yards out.  Through the scope I saw blood midway up the chest.  I found an opening and killed the nice 8 point.  The wound had occured from a nearly head on shot.  I could see the hair cut on the shoulder and the bullet entered the chest but at an angle towards the rear of the deer.  The bullet went into the gut and never came out.  Although it bled for a couple hundred yards when it was shot, I could not find any blood where it went prior to where I shot it.  The deer most likely would have died but there would have been no way to track it.  When I met up with my brother he described how he blew a head on shot at a nice 8pt.  The story matched it was the deer I shot.  We never really discussed it but I'm pretty sure I will claim it.  (Ok, I will give him an assist.)
4. My uncle wounded a nice 8pt Sat. evening.  He followed the trail until he lost it when the deer went through a small beaver pond.  Sunday morning my brother in law took up the trail and jumped it.  He got off a couple shots as it went into the cattails.  Here the story could really get long but he eventually ran out of bullets.  When I arrived he had it cornered in a large swamp.  I shot it in the neck to finish off the ordeal.  (we had to retrieve via boat but thats another story).  Because we were able to track and eventually get the deer, we called it my uncles deer.  (note: he had hit it high in the back leg and it would have eventually died.)   

[rssheik29]

Wow, I was well aware this is a common problem but I think everyone of us could tell a story or two of this happening.  The unfortunate part of this whole situation is that no matter what kind of hit the first shooter has on it, if its a big buck the person who draws first blood will think they are deserving of the animal.  Funny how as the size of the deer increases, the true character of people start showing. 

[riverman]

Iwas setting on a high river bank a few years ago and i heard a deer crossing the river. Well I waited and waited and it never showed.  then low and behold here he came running right down the river!  He wasn't crossing just running down the center.  I scoped him and shot him in a shallow spot about a foot deep water.  As  I stood up I noticed that as soon as he fell he started floating downstream! I had to go down about a 40 foot bank. So i grabbed my rope and headed after it.  Of course it did stop in the middle of the river hooked to a tree.  The water was about 3-4 ft deep at that point, not a desireable location for the 10th of november in northern Mn.   So with my brand new Rocky boots I waded in and floated him to the bank.  I hooked the rope on and tried to pull him up the bank. To no avail I could not get this water logged deer out of the water so i went back to my car to call for help.  My brother came to help. at that time another man and his 2 daughters showed up tracking this deer. So they helped me get him out and we looked him over and indeed he had been shot by his daughter. It was her first deer.  They had tracked him for over 3 miles.  I offered them the deer and they said no that was alright.  They probably never would have caught up to him anyway the way he was running they said.  I should keep the deer. I know I would have felt better if they would have taken it.  I would never argue over a deer though it's just not worth it. (My wife hates the meat)  Even if it was a large buck, The pride is in getting it your self.  We all hopefully will have many more shots at a big one. This sport to me is more about the comradere'  I have as much fun watching some young kid get his first deer as getting one myself.  2 weeks ago I was duck hunting with my son and his college roommate.  They both have hunted ducks for years and I had never done it.  We only called in one duck and those 2 young gentleman had as much fun watching me get my first duck as getting one themselves.  But the 3 of us will have that story to share forever and I may do more duck hunting.  Enjoy your hunt with family and friends!