# what would you do?



## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

today i had something happen to me today that i would have never thought would happen. ive only heard "stories" about things like this taking place, but thought for the most part, they were just stories.

i got up early to go hunt a spot i had scouted some bucks in the night before. i was where i planned to be well before light. as i waited for it to get light enough to glass, i thought to myself that i had the entire place to myself since i hadnt seen any atvs, bikes or trucks come up the road. when it got light, i was a little shocked (cuz usually my plans never come together like i want when hunting mule deer) to see a dang nice buck heading my way on the trail i was sitting on. a big 4x4 i estimated to be around 26" wide. when he got close enough for an ethical shot, i took it. the shot was a little farther back then i wanted it to, but from the moment of impact i saw blood come out the side of him as he ran away. after looking through my binos, i determined it was a liver shot. the buck only traveled around 100 yards before he laid down under a tree. i watched for about 20 minutes as he slowly lowerd his head. i assumed he was dead by the way he was laying and i couldnt see him move anymore. just when i thought i had given him enough time to die, out of nowhere, i see a guy come over the ridge, 30 yards from the dead deer, knock an arrow and shoot the same deer i had just killed. 

when i got down to where the deer and guy were, i calmly explained to him what had happened, where it happened and that i had killed this deer. i told him the deer was already dead when he shot it. instantly the guy became defensive telling me that the deer was completely fine and alive. he was just sleeping. he told me that he killed the deer. he told me my hit wasnt fatal and that the deer was his. "a liver shot wont kill a deer very quickly, it just makes them sick for awhile, but many deer can survive after taking a hit to the liver". after a long intense arguement, he told me the deer was his, there was nothing i could do with it and that i need to get my ass off "his hill" or i wasnt going to like what would come next... i left the hill without my deer and alittle peeved about the outcome. the only solution he would give me was that i could keep the meat, i just couldnt have the horns. 

i thought about calling the sheriff and having them deal with it, but i was a good 3 hours away from that being possible and knew this guy would be long gone before i could get back up there.



im not a fighter. i dont like to create more problems then what i already have. thats why i figured it was just easier to let him have his way, believe what he wanted and leave. im just curious to see how some of you would have handled this. is the deer in theory his because he released the last arrow? or is it in theory mine because i shot the first arrow and wounded him? i really think the deer was dead when he shot it, but what if he wasnt completely dead? who is right in this kind of situation and who gets the tag the deer? did i do the right thing by walking away? or should i have fought until i got what was, in my mind, mine? -)O(-


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## Yahtahay (Jul 3, 2008)

In theory it was your deer.....BUT do you value your life? I'm sure the last thing you need to do is get your butt kicked and/or killed. You were in the right and it sucks but don't lower yourself to that scumbag level of your fellow hunter/jackass because it's simply not worth it. Look at the brighter side, your still here, breathing, and you can hunt tomorrow for a bigger buck. This is one reason I don't hunt ANYWHERE close to where ARMY platoons are hunting or even within a mile of any road where even possibly another hunter might be hunting as well.


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Ive never walked away from a good brawl but in a situation where there are weapons involved and over something as, I'm sorry trivial as a deer, chances are I would have done the same thing. Always better to err on the safe side then have the situation escalate and somebody get hurt or killed over it. Besides, things happen for a reason and maybe there's a bigger one waiting for you.


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

Yahtahay said:


> This is one reason I don't hunt ANYWHERE close to the ARMY.


thats the thing tho. i rarely see people in this spot. they hunt the same canyon im in, but not on the same hill. i couldnt believe there was someone else up there.


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## Yahtahay (Jul 3, 2008)

shaun larsen said:


> Yahtahay said:
> 
> 
> > This is one reason I don't hunt ANYWHERE close to the ARMY.
> ...


Regardless, I'd rather think your better than that, right? You don't need to lower yourself to scumbag level and I'm sure you have family that cares about you! Trust me, there has been many times I wanted to all out brawl because of some [email protected]$!!#@%'s idealogoy but really is it EVER worth it? No.

Now, 20 years ago when I was 18...Well...I was invincible and that dude would have been seeing RED pop out of my EYES and he would have ran off the mountain... :lol:


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## kailey29us (May 26, 2011)

When I was about 16 I was hunting with my dad and younger brother and my brother shot a nice buck. When we made it to where the buck was another hunter starting yelling dont touch that buck. Well there was a little bit of an arguement between my dad and the other hunter but in the end we walked away. My dad told my brother its better to have the satisfaction of knowing he had taken the deer than to have a bunch of tainted meat in the freezer. You did the right thing and I would like to think I would have done the same.


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## pheaz (Feb 11, 2011)

DUDE thats a bummer I'm a fighter not a lover things may have been different or maybe the same if I waz in the situation.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Too bad you lost a good buck, but you did the right thing. Let's look at it from "his" side. First off, he does not know you are anywhere on the mountain. He comes up over the rise and right below him lays a sleeping big buck. Maybe the buck raised its head a little or blinked its eye. To him it is trying to lay real still so as not to let him know he is there. He raises up, places his pin on the vitals and fires. Dead deer right where it lays.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

When I hear stories like this I get this tingling sensation in my neck and throat, my guts tense up, and my pulse gets quicker with the rage I start to accumulate inside. Bottom line, it's not good. I really sincerely hope this never happens to me in the field because I'm afraid of what I would do to an idiot like that. It's maggots like that who give hunting a black eye. I don't know how you managed to keep your cool like that and let him have YOUR deer. 

I would have taken lots of pictures, fallowed him to his truck, got all the info from him I could and called the sheriff and the fish and game. This kind of "game poaching" shouldn't be allowed to happen. That douchebag clearly needs an ethics lesson.

I know your not a fighter, and sometimes it pays to take the high road, but you don't want to be a doormat either. In this case, you should have turned him in for stealing your deer.


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## polarbear (Aug 1, 2011)

You did the right thing to walk away. I've heard of people getting shot at over such things. My buddy once shot a whitetail back east that fell dead on a dirt road. When he went to retrieve it there was a toothles, banjo playing, overall-with-no-undershirt-wearing fella that claimed he killed the deer with his truck. My friend calmly explained that an entry and exit wound the size of a .300 win mag bullet was impossible to create with a bumper. Then the toothless fella's kin showed up. They argued for quite some time. My buddy was outnumbered and surrounded but stood his ground. Eventually, they backed off and he got his buck, but I think I would have given up, especially in that state where you can kill 5 deer.

I had another friend that shot a deer and while watching it start to sway had two guys come up behind him on ATVs and shoot the deer over his shoulder. There was a fist fight over that one. 

Long story short, I carry bear spray wherever I go even if I'm not in bear country . I figure if I feel threatened and someone has a weapon....

I'm sorry you lost your deer to a guy that didn't even care about the meat. If it was me I'd return to see if he took the meat or not. Maybe you could pin a wasting charge on him.


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## polarbear (Aug 1, 2011)

On the bright side, you get to kill 2 bucks this year.


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## TopofUtahArcher (Sep 9, 2009)

I have bear deterrant with me when hunting too... but it doesn't come out in a spray. I have to say that I think I would've followed the guy and then called it in. I am almost always running a video camera after a shot so I probably would have had evidence to support my side, and had the guy on video being a jack___.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

I think Tex's solution is the one I would follow. Call the Sheriff! He stole meat and antlers from you.


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

God bless America!


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## rockymountainelk (Jan 18, 2009)

shaun larsen said:


> did i do the right thing by walking away? or should i have fought until i got what was, in my mind, mine? -)O(-


Depends on if he was packing heat or not. If not, well i always am. Now i would never pull my gun on someone over something like this unless i felt my life was in danger. But there is something about having a Glock 22
strapped to your hip that makes you feel a little safer while dealing with retards like this guy.


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## COOPERD (Sep 16, 2007)

I bet the dude didn't take the meat. It is coyote food


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## quakeycrazy (Sep 18, 2007)

I agree with Polar on this one, I would doubt that DB actually took all the meat. Chances are that he took a few choice pieces, the antlers and left the rest. I would go check it out again and while you're at it go shoot another deer. Sounds like the guy was a major dbag but at least he didn't just walk up to it deer without shooting it and try to steal the deer like so many other stories I hear each year during deer season. What is it about getting a deer that makes people want to steal someone else's animal???? I don't get it....


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## adamsoa (Oct 29, 2007)

Walking away is probabally the smart thing to do in that situation. However, if you had any pics at the kill site you could always post those up.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I've had this happen twice. The first time I went to the fish cops. They told me without witnesses whoever tagged it first gets the animal. To pursue it in court is a waste of time. "His word against yours".

The second time I shot a nice 4x4...blew pieces of lungs on the sagebrush. Another guy finished the deer off less than 50 yards away and was putting his tag on it when I walked up. An argument followed, and we decided to flip a coin. I lost the coin toss and the deer. So goes deer hunting.

I did have a nice wounded 6x7 bull elk wander up to my spike camp one time. I finished the poor thing off and found the guy that wounded it and then let him tag it. Seemed like the thing to do.

I think you did the right thing. Karma will catch up with that other guy.


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## RoosterKiller (May 27, 2011)

In the bigger picture you were right to handle it the way you did.


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## ddhunter (Jul 17, 2011)

I will say you did the right thing for you. If your not comfortable taking someone on for that reason then don't, but for me...

The line "you wont like what comes next" is when my gun would have been drawn and the cops called to tell them I killed someone in self-defense. I don't go looking for trouble but that guy brought it on himself. He threatened your life and that is all the justification it takes. People like that need to be shown the truth of life and that actions have consequences.


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Since when were mere words justification for killing someone....For all you know what he meant by " You wont like what comes next" is that he would fall to the ground in the fetal position and cry like a baby. You sound like the type of guy we all need to watch out for. Irrational, quick tempered and carrying a loaded gun.


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

i dont usually pack a gun with me when archery hunting. i didnt have one with me yesterday. i wouldnt have used it if i did have it with me. but if i would have had one, i might have stayed and argued a little longer with the guy. i dont believe this was a situation where a gun would have been needed. i think it would have made things way worse. but sometimes its good to have that assurance that its there if you needed it... and i didnt have it and didnt want to get in a situation where i might need it. i didnt know if he was packing or what he was willing to do to make sure the deer ended up with him so i figured the safest and smartest thing to do was walk away and be the bigger person.

i am trying to look at the bright side on this and look at it as i do get to shoot another buck this year and continue hunting longer. but on the other hand, this was the biggest mule deer i have had a legit opportunity at and i actually connected. it was hard to see something i have worked so hard for in years of scouting and preparing for, taken away from me.


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## COOPERD (Sep 16, 2007)

I hope it doesn't happen to me, I would be pissed too. It would suck to shoot what you thought was a bedded buck only to find out it had been hit also. But I agree with you being the one who should have got it. You deserved it


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

I've had a few encounters with idiots in my days as well and I'm sorry it happened to you. I think that your situation was something worth fighting about but there comes a time when enough is enough. That point was reached when he threatened you. It could have meant nothing at all but he could have been serious. 

My advice: If an armed moron is mad at you, it is best to walk away.

I've had a few good hunts ruined by others. Sometimes your luck just sucks and that's all that there is to it. Don't let it get you down. Karma will catch up to you eventually. It will also catch up to the moron.


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## bullsnot (Aug 10, 2010)

At the end of the day you probably did the right thing. You still successfully took the deer. You did the ethical thing by giving the buck time to expire. I think any rational thinking person, including a game officer if you could prove it, would say this is your deer. Without witnesses or video though legally it is now his deer. You could've fought it out but a bar room fight is one thing with people there to break it up and get someone help if needed. A fight on the mountain is a whole different thing altogether, especially when weapons are generally handy and you are alone. There is no sense in completely ruining your hunt with a fight and all the ugly things that come with it. A deer just isn't worth it.

The guy won't admit it to anyone but somehwere deep down inside he feels like a complete a--hole and he knows he didn't kill that deer. He was excited to see it and let his emotions get the best of him in the heat of the moment. My guess is if he could go back and do it again I bet he does it differently after thinking about it. He'll be hanging his head tomorrow and that deer will haunt him a little bit every time he looks at it on his wall.

If he posts a pic of it here there just may be a little justice for you coming.

PS - I was in the exact same situation on the rifle hunt about 8 years ago. It's the very reason I took up bow hunting. I let the deer go and looking back I have no regrets. There are always more deer.


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## quakeycrazy (Sep 18, 2007)

bullsnot said:



> At the end of the day you probably did the right thing. You still successfully took the deer. You did the ethical thing by giving the buck time to expire. I think any rational thinking person, including a game officer if you could prove it, would say this is your deer. Without witnesses or video though legally it is now his deer. You could've fought it out but a bar room fight is one thing with people there to break it up and get someone help if needed. A fight on the mountain is a whole different thing altogether, especially when weapons are generally handy and you are alone. There is no sense in completely ruining your hunt with a fight and all the ugly things that come with it. A deer just isn't worth it.
> 
> The guy won't admit it to anyone but somehwere deep down inside he feels like a complete a--hole and he knows he didn't kill that deer. He was excited to see it and let his emotions get the best of him in the heat of the moment. My guess is if he could go back and do it again I bet he does it differently after thinking about it. He'll be hanging his head tomorrow and that deer will haunt him a little bit every time he looks at it on his wall.
> 
> ...


Spot on bro, I agree. I think if the guy would could go back and do it differently he probably would have. I imagine he was excited to have finished off such a nice deer and didn't take the time to think his actions at the time out. And to Shaun, you did the right thing man, a deer is not worth the long term consequences from letting your testosterone get out of hand.


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## SteepNDeep (Sep 11, 2007)

So, probably couldn't have snapped a pic of him right? Like, yes, I guess it's yours, let me take a picture of you so I can show my woman what a real man looks like...then post his ugly mug up here with the story you told. Dude is obviously deserving of some public humiliation for getting too heated about a deer. 

Shot a deer a few years back and hit it poorly. It was alive, and minutes from death. While I was climbing to it, and the other guy knew I had shot at it, a guy beat me to where he was sitting, and he finished it with a 10 yard shot. Got up there, out of breath, and basically we talked it over. He had never even seen a horn to shoot at in some 15 years. I congratulated him on an awesome buck, (2 point) and offered to help him get it off the hill. He promised me some jerky he never sent, but I had a fun day on the hill. 

It's kind of obvious. If the deer has a big hole in him it will show as you cut him open. I don't think any of us would fare to well with a hole ripped in our liver. The hours of the deer were numbered, but you just can't know anymore what kind of psychopath you are dealing with. Lots more time to hunt, you'll connect on a better buck sometime, even if it isn't this year. Sucks though. Sorry you had to have someone spoil your plans. 

Guess what else - your plans work! That's good to know.


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## Kdub (Sep 6, 2010)

I would have brawled. No body tells me what to do or how things are gonna play out for me except my woman. I would have lost it. Somebody threatens me like that they are leaving with a concussion. I commend you for your actions shaun. My way of operating usually only gets me in trouble.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I woulda walked away, then stripped down naked and charged him!!!!!! one of two resullts would have happened, 1. the dude is terrified and runs away! or 2. he holds his ground and gives ya a wink! we're hoping for option 1!!!!!!!!! but you handled it well, its a deer, ain't worth somethin bad happening!


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

utahgolf said:


> I woulda walked away, then stripped down naked and charged him!!!!!! one of two resullts would have happened, 1. the dude is terrified and runs away! or 2. he holds his ground and gives ya a wink! we're hoping for option 1!!!!!!!!! but you handled it well, its a deer, ain't worth somethin bad happening!


 -_O-


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## ddhunter (Jul 17, 2011)

Bo0YaA said:


> Since when were mere words justification for killing someone....For all you know what he meant by " You wont like what comes next" is that he would fall to the ground in the fetal position and cry like a baby. You sound like the type of guy we all need to watch out for. Irrational, quick tempered and carrying a loaded gun.


When those mere words are said by some one with a lethal weapon, and given the setting I don't believe this individual was ready to fall to the ground or run off naked. I do in fact like that you assume I am irrational, and quick tempered though. Your quick to judge from an online post. Get to know me and you may think differently. Had that guy said it was his deer and left it at that, enough said. He shot it and tagged it, it's his.That is the law. Is it ethical? No, but it is what it is. Things change when you threaten someones life.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I'd also advise against pulling the naked move in the duck marsh.. my buddy tried that with a hen mallard dispute and almost ended up getting goosed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

I think in the long run you'll be glad you walked away, letting that tool tag out and get his sorry butt off the mountain. Just reading your post made me steam. You could have gone all CSI on him and said "OK, Mr. Almighty Hunter of wounded animals, if you're so sure you are the first one to shoot him, then how come there is no blood pouring out of the holes from your arrow???" Seems to me that the initial shot would have resulted in some blood pumping out and getting all over the hide around the area you hit, as the heart was still beating at the time. If the deer were dead when he shot it, it wouldn't have bled much. On the other hand, if it were gut shot, there may not have been much blood from your shot either, as it bled out internally. 

I just don't understand the mentality of some people. What pride is there in shooting a buck that's laying there dead, or close to it? What pride is there in shooting a buck in his bed? If there are no other options, and you just HAVE to, then whatever, but I was always taught to shoot them standing. Hopefully every time this guy looks at the rack, he'll be sick to his stomach over it all.


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

i agree. i pointed out the extremely evident blood trail from where i had shot the deer to where he lay. he was in a pool of blood. it didnt matter to him. it didnt matter to him that his arrow hole didnt bleed at all. it was his deer, he killed it and there was "nothing i could do about it". i calmly tried to explain from every angle that i had killed the deer, but it was like talking to a brick wall.


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## deerlove (Oct 20, 2010)

I would of took a pic of the DB and posted on the web asking if anyone knew this azz clown.


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## Kdub (Sep 6, 2010)

What's wrong with shooting a deer in its bed if you are sneaky enough to get up on it without it busting you?


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

I would have used the camera function on my phone and video'd the guy field dressing my kill... I know that I would make a great narator... :lol: Then I would have followed him to his vehicle ever so sneaky. Then as he steps away from his vehicle I would make sure that there is a perfect imprint of my fruit basket on the hood of his truck (complete with banana and key limes) I am sure that he could appreciate that as he travels down a dusty road. 

My trophy would be the new video posted up on youtube......


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

On second thought maybe Utahgolf is onto something. How do you think the guy would have reacted if you got naked and started making chimpanzee noises and started throwing your own feces around? If you poop on the bucks rack I makes it a lot less appealing to the other hunter. I watched that on the discovery channel. But if all else fails human feces on the drivers side door handle gets them every time. Even if it is not immediate you enjoy the pure bliss of knowing you got him good.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

You did the right thing Shaun, someone as stupid as to pull that is certainly capable of something exponentially stupider. Good luck!


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

I think that it is only fair to let Tex Tell his side of the story before we make judgments.


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## HOGAN (Sep 8, 2007)

you did the right thing, you never mentioned how far your shot was, maybe a little closer and you dont have to start this thread. Wish I had been there, would of loved to put my foot up that dudes arse.
Good luck the rest of the hunt.


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## quakeycrazy (Sep 18, 2007)

elk22hunter said:


> I think that it is only fair to let Tex Tell his side of the story before we make judgments.


Hahahaha!


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

HOGAN said:


> you never mentioned how far your shot was, maybe a little closer and you dont have to start this thread.


why do you have to be like that? i must really bug you for some reason... :roll: im sure you hit every deer right in the heart from 0-70 yards every time... lighten up dude.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

quakeycrazy said:


> elk22hunter said:
> 
> 
> > I think that it is only fair to let Tex Tell his side of the story before we make judgments.
> ...


 :roll:

Shaun, was the guy wearing plaid, and shooting a recurve with wood arrows? Just want to clear this up for Ol' elk22. 



> HOGAN wrote: you never mentioned how far your shot was, maybe a little closer and you dont have to start this thread.
> 
> why do you have to be like that? i must really bug you for some reason... :roll: im sure you hit every deer right in the heart from 0-70 yards every time... lighten up dude.


Joey's got heartburn... It's just his little way of telling you that the Gods of the hunt are punishing you for killing that doe at 136 yards... _(O)_


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> quakeycrazy said:
> 
> 
> > elk22hunter said:
> ...


Don't you roll your eyes at me when I make a funny! :mrgreen:


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

nope he had on some cheap walmart brand camo, had moon gazer binos and was shooting a Bear bow with mis-matched arrows  definitely not tex!


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## quakeycrazy (Sep 18, 2007)

shaun larsen said:


> nope he had on some cheap walmart brand camo, had moon gazer binos and was shooting a Bear bow with mis-matched arrows  definitely not tex!


Oh crap, I fit that description!! Did the guy smell like Stetson cologne and cheap walmart brand soda as well??? Just wondering.... -)O(-


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

quakeycrazy said:


> shaun larsen said:
> 
> 
> > nope he had on some cheap walmart brand camo, had moon gazer binos and was shooting a Bear bow with mis-matched arrows  definitely not tex!
> ...


Ha no but he was missing a tooth! Kinda got me thinkin that this probably wasn't his first rodeo on trying to take other peoples property! :|


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## sbs20ga (Sep 20, 2009)

you did the right thing. 
the guy's a donkey butt. too bad we have people like that in our society......... but we do.
he doesn't belong in the woods hunting. i love the comment about "many deer have been shot in the liver, and survived". Nothing has ever had a broadhead through the liver and survived.. makes me think maybe he's not as much A**hole, as just stupid.
look at it this way. you're still hunting, and he aint! you had a good hunt, did everything right, and he has to go through life knowing he stole the deer.
(though i supose that lowlife segment of society might take as much pride in that, as as you would have, ((and should)) in your accomplishment.)
you did good.. got a nice buck.. didn't get killed.. and still get to hunt.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

I seem to remember Joey having a Hell of a time a "Great Shot", "buckets of blood" in 2007. maybe he should recall all the heartache he had with that deer before he starts with the whole "You wouldn't have to start this thread if you had been closer" BS... just saying


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