Passed On An Immy

[dana]

I don't know what it is about those young bulls but I sure seem to have good luck finding them. First bull I saw on the weekend was a small forky. He was standing in the middle of a FSR about 100 yards away. The problem was on both sides of the FSR where he was it is a small section of non-fenced private. In fact it is the only piece of private for miles and miles. Any person that were to drive up this road for the 1st time wouldn't have any idea of the private and probably would have dumped that bull right where he was. I, on the other hand, have been up this FSR a ton of times and I knew there was a small little cabin a couple hundred yards down the road from where the bull was. The cabin is tucked in the trees a ways off the road so it's not like it would be anywhere close to the dirrect line of fire, but I figured it's best not to shoot regardless. Sooo, long story short, I passed and let the bull go on his merry way. I had my kids with me and teaching them proper ethics is very important to me.
Sooo, could you pass on the Little guy knowing that these things are rarer that rare and that you probably wouldn't see another one this season? It would have been totally legal to dump that bull right where he was. I just didn't like the idea of him running onto the private.

[Fisher-Dude]

Good choice all around dana. Better to have a good story than a crappy situation. The kids benefitted from that too. I think more hunters need to learn these same basic ethics.

[Jetboater]

Showing your kids guidance on whats right and wrong makes a huge difference in the way they approach things in life.
A lot of people from the valley would have shot that moose anywhere it stood, even behind a fence. you are blessed to live right where you hunt and have to opportunity to get out whenever you can. sometimes just having the chance to see one is better than never getting the chance at all.
congrats at the opportunity to see an Immi. now lets see some pics from all those critters again.

your pics keep a lot of people entertained through out the year. I still l,ovethe three generation pics from trip earlier.

[Elkhound]

It would have been tough but I wouldn't want my game animal running on to some guys property. It's good to know your hunting area

[willyqbc]

given that you say it would have been totally legal and that there was no safety concern.....I believe I personally would have gone prone and shot that bull in the head. That being said if you had any misgivings about the situation then you did the right thing, each hunter has to be comfortable with the decisions he/she makes.

Chris

[PGKris]

Being legal, I would have dropped him. But knowing the info you do....I would have had second thoughts.

[3kills]

i agree with willyq and pgkris on this one....

[dana]

Chris,
I've never been too comfrtable with the whole idea of head-shots, especially on a moose. Big head, but only a small target that is actually going to kill it. Would hate to blow off it's jaw or nose just because I was impatient and figured I needed to push the limits. My whole point with this thread is that even if something is legal, doesn't mean it is best to do it sometimes. There is way more to hunting than killing. Many nowadays loose sight of that. A successfull hunt in many people's minds is when they kill. That is not how I want to teach my kids. There is nothing wrong with walking away from an animal. The hunt doesn't have to end in the kill. There is so so much more to it.

As a side note, I actually passed on a immy that was on the same property last year because I was unsure of the property boundary. A few weeks later I talked to a CO who told me where I had seen the bull was actually Crown not private. But....good things come to those that wait and I killed a 4X1 the last week of the season in a totally different area. Soooo, sometimes doing the right thing pays off.

[ryanb]

I'd say it's better to not take a shot and regret it later on, then take a shot you WILL regret.

[Gateholio]

In this circumstance, I don't think there is any hard RIGHT or WRONG answer- I doubt if you woudl be charged by a CO if he witnessed this, so it 's really up to the individual.:lol:

[mark]

Im with wily, right between the eyes, Ive shot most of my moose in the head! they go straight DOWN everytime! Thats just me, your points are very valid though, and good to teach your kids good ethics as it seems to be the one thing missing in alot of hunters these days!

[Bigbuckadams]

I wish more people would think the way you did Dana. I help patrol a parcel of land that is both posted and fenced ( with exception or man-made holes:mad: ). Each year I have to explain to people private property is just that, PRIVATE. Every excuse under the sun I have heard, but they just don't get it. No only are they trespassing, but if you hunt on private property without owners consent, it is basically poaching. That being said,2 years running I see an Immature bull that may run onto the same piece of private property after being shot, I would probably contact the landowner and have a talk. There are still people around who allow hunters on their property, so it may not be an issue for the property owner. It's a tough call, but I think you made the right choice :lol:

[Fisher-Dude]

I haven't seen a head shot work on a moose yet. Saw one run away when the guy beaned it, never saw it again. Another one, the natives shot right under the eye. My buddy ended up getting it later in the day when he found it standing beside a tree.

Still, I wouldn't even consider it in the circumstance dana was in. He made the right choice in my opinion.

[Bushman]

There is way more to hunting than killing. Many nowadays loose sight of that. A successfull hunt in many people's minds is when they kill. That is not how I want to teach my kids. There is nothing wrong with walking away from an animal. The hunt doesn't have to end in the kill. There is so so much more to it.

But....good things come to those that wait and I killed a 4X1 the last week of the season in a totally different area. Soooo, sometimes doing the right thing pays off.


Dana:

In my books, that was very well said indeed...spoken in the fashion of a true sportsman.
There's always another day...and most likely another moose.
Always better to be safe than sorry, and in the process give the kids a moment hunting with dad that they'll cherish as long as they live.

[Will]

Good for you.....8)

[Kirby]

Personally I have a really hard time shooting at ANY animal standing in the middle of the road, I love gimmies, but really why sling lead straight down a road? There are other people driving too...

As to the situation, the moose takes 10 steps its on private, PASS. I work on several ranches and there is nothing more annoying than some dick head tromping through private land without permision, last year one of the ranches had a coyote nailed from the hay field 30m in front of the house.

Good call dana.

Kirby

[Islandeer]

Good on yah Dana. Your attiude re the true value of the hunt is the one needed to carry the future of hunting. Shooting something at all costs is not what it is all about

[willyqbc]

There is way more to hunting than killing. Many nowadays loose sight of that. A successfull hunt in many people's minds is when they kill. That is not how I want to teach my kids. There is nothing wrong with walking away from an animal. The hunt doesn't have to end in the kill. There is so so much more to it.


I totally agree with this statement and do not believe that a hunt needs to end in a kill to be successful, and that is not what i am teaching my kids either. However, we have established that this would be totally legal and totally safe. In addition to that I have never had any problems with moose taken with head shots either by me or by people I've hunted with. Frankly I am having a hard time understanding why people have had such problems with this shot....I have had and witnessed nothing but extremely dramatic results. So, knowing MY abilities with MY rifle I feel totally confident that from a prone position I am going to dump this bull right where he stands thus eliminating any problems with the land owner. Given all that I see no good reason to pass on this wonderful opportunity.

BUT... as I stated above, if YOU did not feel comfortable with the situation then you did the right thing in passing it up.

As always...just my opinion
Chris

[dana]

One time I came upon a moose that had been involved in a collison with a large vehicle. His RearEnd was busted up real bad. He was trying to get up out of the ditch but was too messed up to move very far. I had the rifle in the truck, so I decided to do the proper thing and put him out of his misery. I grabbed one bullet and walked across the road and at point blank range shot him in the head. Next thing I knew he was up and trying to drag himself again. I had to walk back across the road get another bullet and then walk back and this time I held the barrel pretty much right on his head and finished the job. Tell me, where did that first bullet go at point blank range? It certainly didn't do the job. The head of a moose is big, but the brain actually isn't.
I'm not saying anyone is wrong with their choice in this matter. But.... like other's have pointed out on the headshooting thread, the room for error seems greater for many of us. I'm sure many are willing to do the Texas Heartshot as well. Just ain't for me. I've let several truly Monster Bucks walk over the years because all they presented me was the classic Texas Heartshot. Let a 200 inch dropper buck go in 03 cause all he gave me was the Head and Ass shot. Let a 230+ whopper go several years ago cause all I had was Ass running into the rhodo jungle. The shot is up to the individual. You make a bad shot and that shot will haunt you for the rest of your life. Knowing your abilities is great. But...shooting paper is totally different than shooting out in field conditions. Do you know how many bucks I've missed over the years at 40 yards? Has nothing to do with my shooting abilities, but everything to do with shooting through thick crap.
Kirby did make a great point about shooting down a road too. It ain't a wise thing to do. You never know when a vehicle may be coming the other way.

[GoatGuy]

I've also seen that with moose headshots. Watching video of a guy I know who lives in the Yukon hammered a 60"er through the spine. Walked up and shot the thing 3 times in the top and back of the head before it gave up finally gave up life. It was actually quite disturbing.

In any case you did the right thing. I ain't all about filling the freezer and it isn' neccessarily about teaching your kids. Ethics are something you carry around with you wherever you go regardless of who's watching.8-)

[Bushman]

Jose Ortega y Gasset summed up what ethics and hunting meant to him in his book Meditations on Hunting. I have found his words goods ones to try my best to practice while out hunting in the wilds of BC:

"Jose Ortega y Gasset, Meditations on Hunting (1942: 35): Hunting "involves a complete code of ethics of the most distinguished design; the hunter who accepts the sporting code of ethics keeps his commandments in the greatest solitude, with no witnesses or audience other than the sharp peaks of the mountain, the roaming cloud, the stern oak, the trembling juniper, and the passing animal."

[Mr. Dean]

.....There is way more to hunting than killing....

As mentioned before. YUP...So true, yet I see more and more people who loose interest, or get frustrated, when something DOESN'T get killed. Hunting AND fishing alike.

I'm surprised that someone hasn’t asked you for the GPS co-ordinates so that they could go in and 'do it right'.









Or maybe you got them in PM's (?)



Last year I passed on a spike-bull that was on a road as well. SOB was up on top of a crest, on the weekend of Thanksgiving. :sad:

No regrets to this day.... But the flak that I get....... :| :| :|

IMO. If you don't like the adventure that's involved in seeking the goal.....You should really consider another hobby. Something that has more immediate results, maybe. OR......Hire a Guide?

Just a thought.

[zigman]

On Monday this week we passed up on an immature bull as we were not 100% sure on the legality of the bull. Looking back at the pics it really looks like it was a legal bull but at the time I didn't feel right. Oh well, this was the first bull moose I ever seen while hunting and I let it walk ( I do feel good about my choice) There's always next year...

[Fisher-Dude]

I've let quite a few bulls go. One had an extra point...but was it 3/4 inch long or 1 1/4 inch long? Another had velvet hanging still...by the time I saw he was really a 2x3...he bailed. It's better to have a memory of the excitement of the moment, than a memory of the fine and humility from a charge under the Wildlife Act.

[jjensen20]

what goes around comes around you'll see another one!

[Shop Lord]

Shooting an animal on or near a road is NOT hunting.

[Will]

Shooting an animal on or near a road is NOT hunting.
I hope I never Age or become unable to Hike around.......
Hunting will be over for me:-(