Would you shoot?

[Team Baze]

So I was hunting in a spike only unit (not a true spike unit) I jumped a elk that was a two point on the right and he had about a 5 inch spike on his left that appeared to be broken off. I chose not to shot because how can I justify to a game warden that it wasn't a 2x2 and I broke off the one side? Two days later a warden saw my brothers elk hanging in camp and came in and checked it. My brother asked her and she said it's a grey area ir would be up to the warden discretion and she would recommend not shooting it. In the end I got another spike and we filled 3 cow tags for a total of 5 elk in camp this season.

[bobdog86]

Any doubt, don't shoot/  My motto, simply not worth it…..I wouldn't leave anything up to a LEO's interpretation. So, for me I probably wouldn't have. Why take a risk on possibly ruining a great trip.

[Big6bull]

I'd let it walk 

[Lucky Eric]

I'd let it walk 

Same here, it's not worth the trouble should someone question it.

[Rick]

What a BS regulation. Technically legal but up to the wardens discretion.  Risking a ticket for being totally within the law. Just make it illegal to shoot an animal with a broken antler in a unit that is antler point specific

[baker5150]

I'm not sure how a warden could give you a ticket since no crime was committed.  What would the ticket be for?  What law would be referenced on the ticket?   

[Hot Lunch]

Every time I hear the word "right" tossed out I cringe. The laws are very clear hunting is a privilege not a right. In this case that should be a legal animal to take. But unfortunately game wardens frequently have to determine the legal status of animals. I have heard of people breaking off extra points, so I am sure the game wardens have to. To avoid a potential conflict I would let the animal walk. Game wardens have the Attorney General backing them and you would have to pay a lawyer if it ends up in court. Simply not worth it.

[JWEBB]

shoot

[The Gobble-stopper]

As I read the laws, it says nothing about not shooting an elk with a broken antler... I am sure that it would be a different story if someone broke it off themselves after the shot. A horn broken off months earlier would look different then one just broken off. I would shoot. And if they took me to court I would submit to a lie detector test. But I personally know a few of the wardens. And they told me there would not be a problem. If that is the way I found the animal... Just my two bits!

[Old Man Yager]

As I read the laws, it says nothing about not shooting an elk with a broken antler... I am sure that it would be a different story if someone broke it off themselves after the shot. A horn broken off months earlier would look different then one just broken off. I would shoot. And if they took me to court I would submit to a lie detector test. But I personally know a few of the wardens. And they told me there would not be a problem. If that is the way I found the animal... Just my two bits!

    meets the legal definition of a spike. And like he said, you can look at the broken antler and see that it's not a fresh break.

[JakeLand]

When I hear people say it's a "PRIVILEGE " I call B.S it's our right to be able to hunt its whether or not you act on it my

[headshot5]

When I hear people say it's a "PRIVILEGE " I call B.S it's our right to be able to hunt its whether or not you act on it my

I understand your feelings, but according to Washington State law hunting is not a right.   It is a privilege they provide the opportunity to partake in. 

 

[toyman2]

Like a couple others have said, it would look different than a fresh break.
If I could clearly see that is was a spike, broken or not, I would have shot.
There should be no issue, and the wardens I know are smart enough to see the difference.
Imo it is legally and morally ok.

[JakeLand]

Ya and if you look how the state runs things you would ? A lot of the decisions they make and why if it was not for us the sportsman whether you fish,hunt trap or? Our wildlife would be in more terrible position our funding ( price we pay for stuff from fuel to tags to meat processing )to everything we spend on when we hunt or fish or whatever with out us there wouldn't be a lot of funding for helping the animals we harvest through out the year enough of this     
    If I could be 100% sure one side was only a spike then I would drop the hammer on him

[elkfins]

I would have shot... in fact, several years ago I killed a 1x2 that after the shot, I found that he had broken off the 2nd point on the right side.  The break was old and rubbed / worn down.  It was pretty obvious that the break was old. When the game warden checked the elk, he asked me "is that an old break"?  I answered truthfully that it was like that when I shot the elk and it appears to be quite old.  He agreed and congratulated me on a good harvest.
I suspect it would be quite hard to replicate the look of an old break.