You see an animal that’s suffering…

[Bustercluck]

Do you put it down?
Let it suffer?
Tag it and roll it down the bank?

Theres a black bear who looks like he’s been hit by a car and his hind leg is obviously broken. Day by day he’s having a harder time getting around and probably won’t make the winter.

https://images2.imgbox.com/9b/36/9IK7u3zU_o.jpeg (https://imgbox.com/9IK7u3zU)

[HarryToolips]

He definitely won't make it through winter: if I were you I'd definitely put it down, tag it, and harvest the meat and hide..

[dbergen69]

Harvest and punch your tag or phone the CO and let them deal with it.

[BCHunterTV]

tag it.....

[KodiakHntr]

Animals are a lot tougher than people. The 6pt elk I killed last week had been shot and lost by someone, what looks like 2 years ago. The bone attached to his shoulder blade was completely shattered by a bullet and healed into a giant mass of bent bone, pointy shards, and odd little bone spikes. That leg was 6” shorter than the other, and he wasn’t limping or favoring it at all.

A handful of years ago there was a doe that had been hit by a car and had about 20” of lower intestine outside her body, and she lived for a couple of years and raised 2 sets of fawns before getting hit again.

For me though, an animal that has no mobility and is waiting for coyotes to find it and eat it alive gets shot between the blinkers without a second thought, regardless of time of year or time of day. That’s simply finishing the job someone else started. I have no moral qualms about speeding up the process, and there is no thought to cutting a tag or salvaging anything. Exactly the same thing is going to happen whether that animal is finished off, or lived out the entire extent of it’s life away from the eyes of man - coyotes, birds, and bugs are going to eat it.

In the specific case of said bear in the OP, maybe he’ll make it, maybe he won’t. If he is noticeably deteriorating and isn’t showing any improvement after a couple days…. I’d have called a CO after first seeing him though. Anynof the times that has happened previously and they go out and can’t find it they have called back with a follow up and every time they’ve also indicated that if it can be safely done, then it’s ok to show some mercy without repercussions.

[Norwestalta]

Like Kodiak said they're pretty tough. Shot a bear in my uncles oats few years back. Went to skin it and it only had 3 legs. Turns out some one had shot it before. The hair had and grown over where the front leg should of been. Having said that ya I guy hates to see anything suffer. I'm figuring you can use your one if two bear tags, call the co and see what they want to do or let mother nature take its course. I can't remember what the regs say about selling bear hides but for some reason I thought we were allowed to now or maybe I can only as a trapper. Your a good guy and I'm sure you'll make a good decision.

[ratherbefishin]

I won’t let an animal suffer..

[wideopenthrottle]

I feel cruel to not put it down if any animal is definately on its last legs...but as mentioned they are driven by a toughness we can't understand...our group once shot a big buck that was fighting with other bucks and chasing does when buddy spot and stalked him...there was a wound from a straight on shot that hit lower neck and went in just inside of the ribcage travelling down between the ribs and lungs and out...It was running around with a 2 inch pus channel inside from neck to belly....

[180grainer]

Phone the CO and offer to put it down for them if their not willing to come out and do it themselves.

[tri777]

Phone the CO and offer to put it down for them if their not willing to come out and do it themselves.
^^ *Best reply*

[BULLNUTTS]

Do you put it down?
Let it suffer?
Tag it and roll it down the bank?

Theres a black bear who looks like he’s been hit by a car and his hind leg is obviously broken. Day by day he’s having a harder time getting around and probably won’t make the winter.

https://images2.imgbox.com/9b/36/9IK7u3zU_o.jpeg (https://imgbox.com/9IK7u3zU)

I think most who have a love and respect for nature and wildlife hate to see any animal suffer. Having said that, mother nature is very cruel in the wilds. Uncounted times I have witnessed this myself, often very hard to watch. In this instance it is very unlikely that a CO would come and put down this bear. Not uncommon to see three legged animals in the wilds. Bears are extremely tough!! There was once a big black Bear locally known as old Goliath. For years many tried to down the huge brute but to no avail. Finally two young fellas chanced upon him with the stars lined up and he was harvested. When butchering the beast 26 different bullets, of various calibers, were pulled from the massive beast. Incredible resilience and abilities to heal. Mule deer missing a hind leg from knee down seen lots with huge front ends, still fast and strong.......point being hard as it seems, life isn't always easy or painless but is always mighty fine!! And that bear, suffering as it is - Without a doubt in my mind, if given the choice of life or death?? Till the last breath it would pick life. I to must respect that, as my choice would also be the same.

[Bustercluck]

It looks like he was probably hit by a car. His right rear paw is inverted towards his belly and dragging on the ground. I’ve seen this bear a bunch of times over the summer and he’s pretty shy of vehicles and runs away at their site. Yesterday he just stood there staring at me and tried to take a couple steps, but couldn’t make it anywhere.

If we weren’t on a busy road than I would’ve put him down. For now he lives. I guess we’ll see if he’s eating grass in the same ditch come the spring.

[blackhawk19]

that's a Co's decision

[high horse Hal]

We have no idea what 'suffering' is in an animals world

from a distance its easy to say 'leave it alone' and 'he'll be fine' or 'why interfere'
but every year peoples emotions get the best of them and they have to 'rescue' fawns or chicks , or protest about 'suffering' pigs or 'disrupted' orcas

Stick to your convictions, don't worry about what others think

[Bugle M In]

Yup, if you are seeing this bear repeatedly, call the CO and see if you can have permission.
On 2 separate occasions over the years I was asked by CO if I came across wounded elk that had arrows in them and if they appeared to be struggling to use my discretion and if need be, put them down.
Hunters had reported wounding elk on 2 occasions but couldn’t track them down.

I watched a young 2 pt buck hobbling with one of his hind l legs up, most likely wounded during any buck season.
Both me and a hunting partner saw it on 2 separate days and we thought he might survive it.
3 days later he had died, and from the sign in the snow, had found a 30 yard flat area to loiter in, just couldn’t go on.
Appeared he spent his last full day just in that small spot.

Call the CO.

[BRvalley]

kodiakhntr and bullnuts sum up my thoughts...it's not livestock here, nature is cruel but wild animals are tough, and that bear still has a fighting chance imo

if it's legal and you want to shoot it to end the misery, cut your tag on it, otherwise call CO's if you feel so inclined and let them deal with it (ie injured bear in city limits is different situation)

[warnniklz]

I once seen a big sow that could barely walk. Was going to bag it and tag it, however it still had 3 cubs with it.

Animals are tough and nature is a bitch.

[boilerroom]

I gotta say - the posts on this thread remind me of the great respect that hunters have for the land and animals. Proud to call myself a hunter!

[Steeleco]

Once saw a nice buck in Harrison east that had clearly been attacked by a cougar. It was spring so no season. Sadly we left it. The right CO and he'd have shook our hand, the wrong one??? Let it be Mother nature is a bitch.

[Redthies]

I may have recently seen a whitetail fawn that had been hit by a semi, and was missing a big part of its rear half. It might have been still trying to stand up, despite being in about 5 gallons of blood and gore with no hind legs. I may have put a slug into its head. If I saw the same thing tomorrow, I might do exactly the same thing.

[Ponderosa Pine]

No one wants to have an animal suffer but the surrounding circumstances would likely dictate.
In season with a tag to cut it's a done deal.
Non-huntable urban area and firearm needed to dispatch: more difficult

[KodiakHntr]

What difference does it make if there is a tag to cut? Are people seriously taking a damaged animal
home that has been hit by a vehicle and is stressed and damaged or is otherwise sick, to EAT?!?

You didn’t “hunt” that animal, you merely ended it’s suffering.

What about this: you drive around a corner in September, and there is a woman crying next to a mule deer doe tangled up in the wheel well of her car. Doe is bleating and crying and thrashing around, lady is crying, and all you have is an axe. What do you do? “Sorry lady, there isn’t a mule deer doe season right now, I can’t help
you. When I get to cell service I’ll call a CO.”

No, you do what needs done, you help get the person on the road, and you carry on with your day. That isn’t hunting, it’s humanity.

[Bugle M In]

Agreed, we can still be humane.
I know nature can be harsh, and lots of this happens that we do not see or witness.
Its not like they can get help on their own!
Not like us.
So, if it looks bad, like after hitting a deer on the road and it’s just laying there, unable to get up, then time to man up.

[emerson]

The only concern is not running afoul of the CO’s. Without that issue, badly wounded animals would be put down without hesitation. That’s why I would call the CO before mercy shooting anything that anyone might report.

[Bugle M In]

Honestly, most of the time I buy a bear tag is not to go hunt them at all.
Its to legally deal with a pesky bugger every so often that finds the stuff in your camp a big chew toy.
Even if the food and bbq are away, they find something appealing like bike seats or whatever.
Sometimes they just like to keep coming back.

[wideopenthrottle]

they seem to love chewing on gas cans like they are bubble gum...heheh...i also get a bear and cougar tag every year but never hunt them
Honestly, most of the time I buy a bear tag is not to go hunt them at all.
Its to legally deal with a pesky bugger every so often that finds the stuff in your camp a big chew toy.
Even if the food and bbq are away, they find something appealing like bike seats or whatever.
Sometimes they just like to keep coming back.

[vincentcui]

I have harvested a bear I nick-named him "Tripod". He had four legs but had only three feet/paws. Not sure if he lost one from trapline and had no choice but to bite off his own limb.

[browningboy]

Thought about it, just depends on the extent of the injury, say hit by a car and paralyzed, then yes put it out, but if in the wild most likely let nature take it's course, eat or be eaten...

[sako75]

Years ago i saw a cow elk with what appeared to be a broken rear hip could not walk very good and struggled to keep standing and move around. I was all set to put her out of her misery. Then I decided to let nature take it's course. In the spring I seen that cow elk again she was still having trouble getting around but she had a new born calf with her and both doing ok. I say let nature take it's course because you never know what she has planned.