Hunting Forum

Last week I was up north with my hunting buddy for opening day of Deer season. We have been hunting together for the last 26 years or so. On Friday I took him out for dinner for his birthday (His 74th.)     After dinner we were heading back to camp, when he tells me to slow down. There was a Deer standing on the Highway in my lane. The ditches on either side of the Highway are very deep, so there are guardrails that run on both sides for about 200 yards.  I stopped my truck so I wouldn’t spook him too much. The 6 point buck went to the other side of the 2 lane Highway and stopped, he didn’t want to jump over the guardrail. He trotted back across to my side, and my buddy saw he was limping a little on his back right leg .My buddy said, so that’s why he doesn’t want to jump over the guardrail!                                                  If we don’t do something soon, someone might not see it in time, and will hit it with their car.                  No cars were coming yet so I started to drive very slowly toward him, and he started to move slowly along ahead of me, then he started to move a little faster, and he wasn’t limping very much now. When he got to the end of the guardrail he wasn’t limping at all anymore. He turned off of the road and stood on the edge and looked back over his shoulder at us, my buddy said, “Your welcome, “and with a flick of his tail he trotted off into  the woods and out of sight, just as a car came speeding by, going the other direction . We laughed about it all the way back to camp.

When I told my wife the story after I got back home, she said “You went all the way up north to kill a Deer, and instead you saved one’s life”. Are all hunters like you?                                                      

Not only did you save the deers life but possibly that person that came speeding by form the other direction.

I drive back and forth to my hunting area which is only 20 mi. south of town. I don't like to drive over 55 coming home at night(speed limit is 65 the last 6 mi.) I have had several tailgaters get the message when I hit my brakes for deer spotted standing in roadside ditch.

I would have done the same thing. It's just like a commercial I saw once. It showed a shot of a bunch of dead crabs and made it seem like it was a animal rights commercial and all the sudden he says, "What a waste" (they were killed by an oil spill or something) and takes a bite out of a cooked crab and then says, "Let's save the crabs so we can eat them!".

Yup ! its hard to comprehend, But We love the game we hunt ! It also seems Hunters have morals also !

That's the problem with the animal activists. They refuse to recognize that if it weren't for us hunters, they'd have no wildlife to watch! They damn sure don't pay anything for wildlife, but they don't want to acknowledge that it's our dime that keeps the wildlife here in the first place.

Yes I would say most of us if not all true outdoorsman, and women, would do the same thing. The outdoors is in our charge and most of us do anything we can to help out whenever possible. In Europe they have certain individuals appointed as gamekeepers, here in the good ol' USA we are the gamekeepers. We of the outdoors have an understanding and a respect of the animals and the land that you can only fully understand by being in it, and living by a code of ethics that comes from being taught, for most of us from a young age, others have been tauggt by other outdoorsmen.
This respect and understanding cannot be properly explained to most people because they have never experienced it (sadly). The most amazing things I have experienced have been in the outdoors, with the exception of a few things, my son, ol' lady and such. Nothing like sitting outside in the dark of the morning a wathing and listening to nature come alive and vice versa in the evening. No couch ridden "nature lover" will ever experience the things we do by watching nat geo or discovery channel, but know whats best for the outdoors, what a joke.
I would say most if not all of us are just alike when it comes to the outdoors, its a passion that goes to our very core.

I agree! I always hate to see road killed game. I always think "What a waste." And just because we are hunters doesn't mean that we have no compassion for living creatures. Nearly all the hunters I know are true outdoorsmen that respect the animals they chase. I've always loved just being out in the woods, even when I come home empty-handed from a hunting trip. Like others have said, many of these animals wouldn't be as plentiful as they are today without the help of us hunters.

I'm thinking putting one of the guys well off the interstate with his bow, and chase the deer from the highway, to the hunter...would have been the best way to do it. Save the deer, a driver, and feed the family

If your hunting season is like ours here in Virginia, the season started on Saturday.  Since this was Friday night, tell your wife that the season hadn't started yet so you couldn't legally kill it.  LOL.  As was stated above, your actions prevented a possibly fatal accident involving the next person driving down that road.  Well done.

yep - would have done the same thing. The alternative wouldn't of had a good outcome for the deer or your vehicle. ;-)

My wife's always amazed 'cause we'll see deer at the camp not in season and we'll just sit there admiring their beauty be they buck or doe. Invariably she'll say - "how ca you shoot those?" do which she'll usually hear something like, "well, I look at 'em when it's not the season and I see a beautiful and graceful animal, but in season; I look at 'em and see steaks, chops, etc..."

I'm a meat hunter, I couldn't care less if it's horned or bald and actually, I prefer doe as they're not all pumped up with adrenalin ... but that's a whole different discussion

My wife asks the same thing.I would have tried to get that deer off the road also.Good job.

I would do the same exact thing! Like it was said before, You are not only saving the life of the deer you are saving someone else by preventing an accident that can result in serious injury or even death. Good job cshep!

Yep. Real hunters that is, maybe not so much the "shooters" but hunters definitely.

The irony in your wifes statement though was funny. I believe if you chose to become a member @ this orginization, your probally an avid hunter, therfore you would do the same.

Not crazy, compassion.  Thanks

Pretty sure most all "real" hunters would have done the same thing. One of my first years hunting I was driving to camp and had the biggest buck I have ever seen on hoof, he was standing in the road that friday night looking at me as if to say "ha ha". I slowly creeped my truck up to him to get him off the road thought I would have to hit him to make him move though. Crazy critters.

I know I would have. I have trapped snapping turtles for eating (and no I won't anymore as these are the most{1}*******ly thing I have ever tried to get meat out of)and was driving to town one day and seen one of the biggest one I have ever seen crossing the road and knew someone would run him over, so I stopped myself and other traffic while I got out and picked him up and put him across the road. My wife cannot believe the passion I have for wildlife even as a hunter. Now cats are fair game anywhere in my opinion.

rthomas4 you are absolutley right.

rthomas4 you are absolutley right.

I would definitely do the same thing because I share the respect and admiration for all the animals I hunt as others have stated. I love seeing them and being able to watch them in the offseason, and I REALLY love seeing them during the season.

I had a button buck get hit by a car on the main road near my house, and he was just lying in the northbound lane with his head up but obvously dazed. There was a woman and a young police officer who had stopped, and they were standing about 15 yards away. The woman was a nervous wreck, and the cop looked a little spooked, like he didn't know what to do about this situation. I walked over to them and asked the cop if he needed any help, and he said, "Sure do!". So I walked toward the deer and waived my hands, saying "Ya! Ya! Ya!". The deer snapped out of his daze, stood up, turned around and slowly walked back up the hill into the woods. I wondered if he would survive, or if he had internal injuries for which he would not recover. Either way, I figured getting him off the road would give him the best chance of survival.

The way you phrased your question, I would have to say yes, all "hunters" are like you.

On the other hand I've seen my share of slobs over the years that would probably tried to kill/poach the deer right there. And if they were successful they would have bragged about it later