Ethical scenario

[Jpmiller]

I think I would have left it be. I'd you talked to the other camp id wager whichever one of them shot it would go back for it assuming you told them where it was. I couldn't shoot it without taking meat and hide and that's opening myself up for a load of legal troubles whether it's right or not and I don't want that hassle. I've come across and witnesses some gruesome stuff out in the woods, I don't think a quick painless death is afforded to those residents of the natural world.

I'm not going to say shooting it would have been wrong though, whether you shoot and leave or pack it out. It's a tough call but I'd leave it be.

[Stein]

Another reason to have an InReach or sat phone, it's quick to get in touch with WDFW.  I wouldn't shoot it without talking to a warden, I would try to find a guy with a tag while I was waiting for a reply.  Most of the units I hunt I have the Warden's phone so it's quicker to get a reply from contacting them directly rather than through the general WDFW phone or e-mail.

If you don't at least contact WDFW you run a big risk in my opinion.  I'm sure every warden has heard the "I put it out of it's misery" story before and they would have no way of separating me from the other guys.  Once you shoot it, you have hunted without a license.  You then either leave it (waste of a game animal) or pack it out (possession of an illegally harvested animal).  It may be remote that you are confronted, but those are some pretty serious infractions and potentially loss of your hunting privilege for a time.

It's a personal call for sure.

[HikerHunter]

Tough call! I bet you have a bear tag in your pocket year!

[Platensek-po]

Kind of wonder what the reaction from WDFW would be if you shot the bear and came down and called them right away explaining what happened. In that case though I wouldn’t harvest the bear and would let it lay so that the warden wouldn’t think you were trying to cover something up. I dunno tough call.i

[Bango skank]

I wouldnt even consider calling it in, youre going to end up getting charged most likely.  Just put it out of its misery and walk away.  Not like youre wasting meat, that animals scavenger food regardless of whether you put it down or leave it to die on its own.

[grundy53]

Id say put it out of its misery.  Sometimes the right thing to do may not be the legal thing.

Agreed

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[CackleBird98]

I would have shot it, and let him lay.  9 miles in the odds of anyone seeing it are slim, and I wouldn't have felt right letting him walk. 

[ribka]

Kind of wonder what the reaction from WDFW would be if you shot the bear and came down and called them right away explaining what happened. In that case though I wouldn’t harvest the bear and would let it lay so that the warden wouldn’t think you were trying to cover something up. I dunno tough call.i

Neighbor called me when he discovered a spike elk tangled up in his cattle fence. I went over to help release and it’s gut was open and broken rear leg. I called WDFW to come out and put down and was told to just leave it alone. Said can an officer just come out after witnessing the tangled up suffering elk and I just shoot it and put out of misery and donate meat to local shelter. Was advised would be charged if I did.

We did the right thing. WDFW will charge you too if you self report an honest mistake based on my experience observing good ethical
People trying to do the right thing.

That’s Washington, take the low hanging fruit and ignore the really Wildlife and fish problems.

[h20hunter]

That's sad when the right thing to do is criminal. 

[Bob33]

I suspect there have been multiple “I had to shoot this deer because it was suffering” instances that were really poaching over the years. If I were nine miles in I’d probably dispatch the animal if it was certain it couldn’t survive.

[Shoofly09]

I had a similar situation several years ago and I didn't put the animal down for fear of legal repercussions.

I still regret not doing what I know would have been the right thing.

[jeffro]

I don’t hunt for bears or cougars specifically, but I always buy and carry the tags..
In 15 years, It has resulted in 4 bears and 1 cat, that made themselves available.
And would allow for legally dispatching this wounded animal.
For an extra $11 it’s totally worth it and almost a no brainer

[TriggerMike]

I wouldn't fault anyone for putting it out of its misery, never telling anyone, and moving on.

[Stein]

I suspect there have been multiple “I had to shoot this deer because it was suffering” instances that were really poaching over the years. If I were nine miles in I’d probably dispatch the animal if it was certain it couldn’t survive.

That's the thing, WDFW can't tell you to do something illegal.  They also can't change the law to allow for it otherwise there would be a dramatic rise in the number of mercy killings of animals for sure.  It's just one of those unfortunate realities of life.

[HikerHunter]

That's the thing, WDFW can't tell you to do something illegal.  They also can't change the law to allow for it otherwise there would be a dramatic rise in the number of mercy killings of animals for sure.  It's just one of those unfortunate realities of life.

It's a slippery slope if they start telling people its okay to break the law in certain situations. I don't think we want them to do that. Shady people would be all over that, taking advantage of it.