So, you’re out hunting and it’s 5 minutes before dark. You’re in a one buck county, 13” limit. You’re watching your feeder and a big buck comes out, outside the ears. You squeeze off a shot and see him bolt. You get down and look, no blood, you look more, no blood. You start circles trying to get a blood trail-nothing. Brush and grass are waist high.
Hour and a half later; you quit. You go back to camp, you can’t stand it, you and another hunter go back, more light, look another hour-nothing! The next morning, you’re at the same stand, it’s early but legal. Out comes that buck and you drop him like a sack of potatoes. You go to look at him and he’s good, 16” deer. As the sun is coming up and glistening on the grass; you see something!! Eighty yards out is you’re giant buck from the night before!!!
1. Did you violate the law?
2. Do you call the game warden?
3. Do you keep the first buck and trash the second?
What do you do?

Is this something that really happened or are you asking for a friend?

Let’s say asking?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No

A man with integrity..

So, could the game warden fine you a $1,000.00, take your deer and you end up with nothing?

How good is your hunting friend? Would he appreciate one of the bucks you took enough to use his one buck tag?

Accidents happen, and if it's truly an accident that you'll learn from and not repeat, I have a little more grace.

I sped yesterday to pass someone and didn't wind up in an accident, causing an accident, or mowing someone over -- I didn't call the police afterwards and ask for a ticket. If you didn't waste meat, you accounted for the buck with a tag, and you aren't going to repeat it then I would say the same thing.

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes he could take your deer and fine you. He could
and most likely would take both bucks. Who's to say
that you did not shoot the little one first, then the big
one steps out and you shot him also.

Tag one or the other and one has to be left laying.

If your young son was with you, what would you do then and what are you going to teach him?

How are you going to explain to him why you hunted the next morning versus looking for the deer in the daylight?

Could have called for a tracking dog.

This is 2020 happens.

1. Did you violate the law? By the book, no.
2. Do you call the game warden? Not only no, but hell no.
3. Do you keep the first buck and trash the second? To keep it legal you better tag the second buck, no law broken if you make an attempt to recover and cant find it, but if you shoot one and leave it lay because you like a different one better that is against the law.
4. What do you do? You are allowed to keep deer heads you find on your property as far as I know. If it all happened to your... buddy... the way you say, the attempt was made to recover the deer and was unable to you are not required to burn your tag. So the second buck is legal and I would tag him. If it were me I would still collect the head.

If I were in that situation, I would absolutely tell my boy I messed up, why, and how. Contrary to what you're insinuating though, he would remember it because he wouldn't ever let me live it down

I agree with RedChevy. An honest attempt was done the prior night, that is legally all that is required and prior to shooting that 2nd buck, no knowledge was known the other buck was laying dead from night before. Anyone saying a law was violated obviously does not know the law. Feel free to ask a game warden if you think I'm wrong on this...

You do what you think you need to and keep it to yourself.

These are some gut check, moral inventory questions:

1: I don't think so. You legally shot what you believed to be a legal buck. You, and your friend, made a concerted effort to look for and retrieve that deer (that is what the law requires).
Should you have gone looking for that deer the next morning rather than hunt again? That's up to you. What was the weather like overnight? Was the meat going to be salvageable the next morning?

2: That's up to you. The GW may, or may not accept your version of events. They might cite you or give you a warning (the meat being salvageable the next morning might come into play).

3: Probably take whichever rack is better

Maybe you 'punish' yourself by only taking a doe next year because you already took next years buck.

Keep in mind, though you broke no laws whatsoever, your lease rules may be an entirely different situation regarding wounded deer, etc..

I would call the game warden to see what he/she wants you to do. I can see one of two things happening...

1. He tells you not to make the same mistake again. Doesn't seem likely.

2. He shows up and takes one of the two deer to give to some needy person and issues you a ticket for exceeding the bag limit, but only if you tagged both deer, which you should do. I'm thinking this would carry a lesser fine than exceeding the limit and also not tagging the deer.

So either way, if you call the game warden or not, I would definitely tag both deer.

So, you are saying that he can tags two bucks in a one buck county and is legal.

If the deer was only 80 yards away you didn’t look very hard, now if the same scenario happened to me I wouldn’t waste either deer, but I wouldn’t call a game warden either even if it was an honest mistake. Also you should’ve been looking in the morning instead of hunting.

I am saying he was within his right to shoot the 2nd buck and tag that one.

I guess it comes down to legal and moral issues and effort put into finding the first deer.

If the deer was believed to be a 195 class deer, what effort would have been put forth?

Bet the dog would have been called and no hunting the next morning.

One has the right to remain silent on the internet.

They seldom do though.

As for suggestions on how to further infringe on the law,... I don't think that's great advice either.

I think this is the correct answer almost. Tag the second buck and leave the first lay. No laws are broken. And if I was on a lease I wouldn't shoot a buck next year.