Sad part is… dnr types will happily hit you with a poaching charge and whatever else they feel like if you shoot a wounded animal.
I totally agree, I was even going to start a thread about that situation. seeing a wounded deer on a hunt. do you put it down and use your tag or let it walk and keep your tag for that trophy.Many years ago, I put down a small basket 8 in Indiana. It was clearly gut shot plus ham shot. I put my only tag on him. He was in bad shape. I checked it in at DNR location, showed it was really not edible but they would not replace tag. Thanked me. I called CO, same answer. I asked why if it was the most humane action anyone could do, what do you expect hunters to do? Kill and let lay? Can't do that either. If it was "diseased" then maybe but not if result of poor shots on them. No freaking common sense. I will still put down with loss of tag. For me no choice.
I totally agree, I was even going to start a thread about that situation. seeing a wounded deer on a hunt. do you put it down and use your tag or let it walk and keep your tag for that trophy.
Where I live you get 6 deer tags and bonus tags are easy to buy over the counter. I would put down the wounded critter. But I know if I was traveling and only had 1 tag I'd have to think about it a min. Most likely I'd still put down the wounded animal but I'd have mixed feelings about it. Western hunts for non-residents are expensive.