Situation ethics: what would you have done?

[Skyvalhunter]

I agree with Bone on this one. Probably would have looked for this guys vehicle and reported it to fish and game even if there is not a law or violation.This type of behavior is uncalled for. I have too much respect for both the living and harvested animals. Anyone can call themselves a hunter but there are unwritten ethics and responsibilites that come with this. Have to remember your actions are portraying to the public how you want a hunter to be viewed as and a few bad apples can spoil a batch.

[yelp]

You did right by your fiance too.  They need to teach how to dispatch a wounded animal in hunter education classes.  

A few years back I was elk hunting and saw a herd of elk coming through the timber....thinking I was all alone on the mountain...I was waiting for the opportune  moment.  As the elk approached rifle range I prepared myself...all of a sudden shots rang out from the timber to the left of me a mear 100 yards away.  the elk I was watching drops but is wounded..I see this excited hunter (no hunter orange) run out of the timber with a 30/30 lever action and start shooting at this elk.  He hit it every time but failed to produce a kill shot.  I finally watch him kill it with a neck shot and go up and talk to him.  He said it was his first elk and he was so excited.  He hit  that elk five times... yummy!..I asked him if he was hunting by himself and he said his partners were in the area.  I congratulated him and then told him where I was going to be...there were elk all over that day and I figured I would sit and wait.  I go off and about 10 minutes goes by and I hear 3 more shots..I go WTF!  I walk back over and this guy is standing there I go what were you shooting at?  He said I figured I would let my partners know where I am by shooting three times in the air!  I shook my head and walked away.  Opening day of elk and you could hear over 50 shots...I am sure his partners located his ass.    There are all sorts in the woods....be careful!

[EastWaViking]

You did exactly what I would have at least wanted to have done in the situation.  Risky though.

[CP]

Who was right and who was wrong is not always the same as who committed a crime and who didn’t.  I think you went too far when you threatened violence. 


RCW 9a.46.020
Definition — Penalties.   
(1) A person is guilty of harassment if:

     (a) Without lawful authority, the person knowingly threatens:

     (i) To cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the person threatened or to any other person; or

     (ii) To cause physical damage to the property of a person other than the actor; or

     (iii) To subject the person threatened or any other person to physical confinement or restraint; or

     (iv) Maliciously to do any other act which is intended to substantially harm the person threatened or another with respect to his or her physical or mental health or safety; and

     (b) The person by words or conduct places the person threatened in reasonable fear that the threat will be carried out. "Words or conduct" includes, in addition to any other form of communication or conduct, the sending of an electronic communication.

     (2)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a person who harasses another is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

     (b) A person who harasses another is guilty of a class C felony if either of the following applies: (i) The person has previously been convicted in this or any other state of any crime of harassment, as defined in RCW 9A.46.060, of the same victim or members of the victim's family or household or any person specifically named in a no-contact or no-harassment order; or (ii) the person harasses another person under subsection (1)(a)(i) of this section by threatening to kill the person threatened or any other person.

     (3) The penalties provided in this section for harassment do not preclude the victim from seeking any other remedy otherwise available under law.

[boneaddict]

That was an oftley pretty gun to shove up that guys ass.  I would have had a hard time resisting. LOL

[yelp]

How many hunting harrassment cases are made by fish and game officers each year....probably very few...why? Hard to prove maybe.  Who sticks up for the suffering elk? There is no ethical police in the woods people.  You going to run up to a gamey and say there is a asian american elk hunter beating a wounded elk with a stick and he is throwing rocks at it!   I probably would have reacted in a similar fashion.  Many of people on here said you were wrong in how you reacted...but they don't really know how they would react if in your shoes..its all hindsight.  Biting your tongue and sucking it in is always hard. We live and learn.  That gentleman though will remember that if he wounds another animal a gun is better than a stick or rocks.  We all use instinct and reason, but you never know what will flip your switch.  We all learn lessons good and bad with all of the new experiences we have in life.

[Intruder]

I would have interveined but tried to do it in a manner that wouldn't create a confrontation.  As upset as I would have been things can go sideways fast with ignorant people.... which seems obvious this guy was.   

[KillBilly]

it appears that the key word is threatened.... I gues the prudent thing to do is to just do harm without a threat and it will be okay

[bucklucky]

I would have done the same thing, but about the second time he told me Ya Ya I would have exploded! That kind of irresposibility pisses the hell out of me, probably would have shot the elk my self , then shoved is gun up his anus, and then taken that damn caell phone and shoved it down his throat.

I had a similar situation happen in a dithch off a main highway on private land. A father had his kid shoot a doe from the road, she fell in the ditch with a broken back. I thought when I pulled up they hit it with a car and didnt have a weapon to dispatch it, boy I was wrong. They proceeded to tell me what happened as I was looking for something to kill her with, when he said his boy shot her ......well   I got angry. I took it easy because the kid was real young and didnt want to bitch slap his dad in front of him. I told him to shoot her in the head and end her missery as she is crawling down the ditch. They were waiting for his partner to get up there to shoot her with a pistol. OMG, I was loosing seriouse patience. They didnt want to load up the muzzle loader to dispatch her. My wife had to hold me back, I was about to rain on this dip*censored*s parade, this is where I wish I was the size of Bone cause when your only a buck fifty it dont get through to them big *censored*s unless you send the jackhammers flying towards there noggin! Right about the time the storm was gona start thundering there buddy showed up and took care of it. This happened in about 5 minutes. Told them the cops were on there way , and that was that.
  I fricken hate stupid people !

[deaddog]

Norsespeak I belive you did the right thing and congatulate you on having the balls do do it. To many folks just look away and are afraid to do whats right and yes whats right may not be legal. personaly i may have broke his gun in half and kicked his ass!

[HardCorpsHuntr]

I would have interveined but tried to do it in a manner that wouldn't create a confrontation.  As upset as I would have been things can go sideways fast with ignorant people.... which seems obvious this guy was.   

Well put Intruder.

Who knows where this guy was born and how his culture and upbringing was!!!  Many countries don't treat animals the way most of us sportsman think they should be treated. We don't always agree with ourselves about what is ethical, humane, and border legal and we all have somewhat similar backgrounds.  Was this an older gentleman or a young adult?  Was he swinging the stick yelling "Tora! Tora!"  Situation dictates tactics on confronting this guy!!!  But, I am not willing to risk life or limb over the way this guy is dispatching the elk. 
I've heard DOUBLELUNG say, "Animals live short lives and die violent deaths."  Was this any worse than a pack of wolves disembowelling an elk?  I think not!  Now we should do everything we can to make a clean quick kill, but anyone who has spent time out harvesting game knows how messy a kill can be and wouldn't want the armchair hunter critiqueing us on our perceived folly!!!  I think being professional and educating this guy would be the best for all, and I do think this guys conduct should be reported to WDFW and/or the SO.  Maybe this guy has a background and shouldn't possess a license or a firearm.  In God we trust, all others need to be checked in NCIC.

[boneaddict]

Stick the phone on vibrate before you shove it down his throat and get the number.  I'll start calling it.

[bucklucky]

Stick the phone on vibrate before you shove it down his throat and get the number.  I'll start calling it.

 

[HawkenBob]

As soon as he was clear of the animal and looking for his rock or stick, Id have yelled "Ears", and shot as soon as he realised what I was about to do and his ears were covered. I would have walked away after cycling another round, flipping on the safety and explaining the ethics involved....I would have been patient with him though. He obiously had no idea what to do.

[demontang]

I probly would have done the same thing, but like bucklucky said it would have been the secound time he said yaya. I dont know if I would have said the same thing but you never know in the heat of the moment what your going to do.