If you don't have a name tag in his Ear its all fair game

Probably this but it really depends on a few things.

And I don't consider this to be about ethics.

It's just easier to take a picture and know how easy it would've been to kill something sometimes. I have 1 deer that I'm going to have to pass up this year regardless of what it looks like since someone has already staked claim to him.. that's fine...I'll just see what else I can find. As far as kids go, there are 2 kids who have the keys to the locks on my stands on a different place. I haven't hunted those stands in 5 years, but keep them maintained and feeders full. I have a good idea of what's coming to them and have no issue with the kids hunting those stands and have been happy for them when a text comes through with a deer they've shot (which has been a 139, 143 & 7yo buck with not much going for him except really long browtines in the past 3yrs)

OMG where do people get these questions from.

If someone said,"hey, I'd really like for my Son to shoot this deer", I'd give them a couple of weeks, after that he's fair game. This depends, of course, on how good a fellow he was.

Lots of variables. If the guy was a jerk, I'd tell him to go pound sand.

Lol! That is one of the variables!

On our family ranch, we are happy for each other no matter who shoots the deer. As long as it is a deer that meets our standards (age most importantly), it can be shot by whomever wants it. We are always excited when we hear a shot fired.

Is the original post a joke?

Hell yes I'd take him. You don't get to call "dibs" on a buck just because you got a picture of it.

depends on your lease/camp arrangements. we hunted many years on a lease where there were several lease hunters. the lease rules were that you were entitled to shoot what your license allowed. we would see deer that frequented at times many of the feeders. at that point its just firt come first served. whoever sees him first.

where we hunt now we hunt only among family and its an understanding that we rotate who's year it will be to harvest a higher quality buck and then everyone else hunts for does/culls/hogs, etc. we do this to try and preserve our number of higher quality bucks until they are mature. in this instance....if it wasn't my turn...I wouldn't shoot him.

unless the lease rules provide for it I would say a person has no expectation of claiming a deer until he's killed him and tagged him.

yep...that's a lot how our place works. majority of the meat ends up in the same community freezer anways. always exciting to hear a shot on the place. means meat on the table.

Our lease is mostly for wives and kids to shoot deer...unless a monster walks out...the guys mostly go after the hogs....everybody is happy!