WWYD

[cnelk]

What Would You Do?
You can be hunting Archery/ML/Rifle:

You are slipping thru the timber one morning and come across an old drift fence and you follow it for a ways.
Up ahead, you see something...

As you get closer, it a small cow elk that is tangled in the wire.
From the looks of the situation, She hasnt been there all that long, probably just a couple hours.

You have a tag and the means to harvest...

What Would You Do?

[Note: this has happened to me]

[bnsafe]

not sure what I would do, but, I know what I wouldn't do. I wouldn't leave her like I found her. I would either free her if I could safely, call dnr an let them handle it, or put a hole in her. but I wouldn't just walk off. probably if I could get her out safely I would get her out and move on. if not I would shoot her for her sake, not mine

[Harmy]

I had this happen to me. Found a small mulie spike tangled in a fence. Its back was broken. I harvested it.

[mtnmutt]

If she showed no signs of severe injury (could recover) and it was safe for me to free her, I would. If not safe to free her, I would call CPW. If severely injured, I would shoot her.

Similar situation, but I can't remember if it was hunting season. 2 hunters came on a bull wrapped around a tree because of barb wire. The 2 guys successfully set the bull free. It was in the CO central mountains along a state highway. Local newspaper printed an article on it.

[JohnFitzgerald]

I would rely on my ethics!

If she was injured, I'd put her down. And if not, I'd set her free and wave as she ran off.

[WapitiTalk1]

Tough one cnelk. If I had a cow tag for that area I would most likely put her down and end my hunt. Freeing a 300 lb elk from barb wire entanglement is not an option unless one wants to die right along that cow on the fence. If close to a rig and ropes/wire cutters, then a possible jail break is possible I spose. Curious to hear what you did.

[Swede]

I would probably shoot and tag her. I had plenty of time one season to shoot a cow with a broken leg. She was very scrawny and I felt sorry for her, but I would not try to eat her, so I left her for the cougars or even coyotes. I am sure she did not last much longer. I had a difficult time watching her, but since I would not use her, I could not kill her either. About three years ago I shot a cow that had a bad limp. She was small, but still in good shape. In the field dressing experience, I confirmed she would be good to eat, so I was satisfied.

[LckyTylr]

I wouldn't care if it took me a decade to draw such a coveted cow tag for that area, even if she was very sick and weak and not safe for table fare, I'd have to shoot her. I don't think it matters that I personally wouldn't get to reap the benefits of my tag (taking home an animal), the right thing to do should have nothing to do with whether or not you get to keep the meat. If she's healthy enough (IMO) to recover, then I'd hike back to the truck, get my wire cutters and set her free. If she's in rough shape (consumable or not), then she deserves a quick and humane death, I couldn't just walk off and leave her. Animals should never suffer. I believe that hunters SHOULD be Conservationists. That means that we have a role in management, and in management, responsibility and ethics are a team. Additionally, would it be fair chase . . . if she's healthy enough to recover . . . but you decide to shoot her because she's an easy kill?

[cnelk]

This has actually happened to me twice, with a variable in each.

The first time I was ML hunting with a cow tag in my pocket. The young cow had its hind leg caught between the two top barb wires.
It looked as when she tried to jump the fence, the back leg went between the wires and when she jumped over, they twisted and bound her leg
There was no way to release her

The 50 cal went off, and I put out a small fire behind her ear and then I punched my tag, dressed her out and packed her to the truck

The other time while archery hunting the young elk was beyond saving. She had been there for quite awhile, had struggled alot and almost dead.
A quick deft move with my Cutco knife sent her to bugle heaven.
Two days later there wasnt a trace of her as the bears had found her.

[BrentLaBere]

I think this is a tough decision. If the animal that is caught up is in good condition I would try to free it (only if it is safe for you). Injured and tired out I would opt to end it or contact game and fish. I have had this happen to me once before and maybe wish I would have done it differently. On my way out from my stand at night with my head lamp on I kicked out a buck that was falling on its chest the whole way out to the next draw. I contacted the neighbor and we both went out after it. We found it in his pasture with both hind legs caught in the next fence it wasn't able to cross. The deer had been injured a long time and it SMELLED! I wasnt about to try and salvage any meat from it but with bow in hand and it tearing up the neighbors fence I put it out of its misery. We dragged it to hit burn pile and before we dropped it in i threw my tag on it. There wasn't much left of the season I figured I would end it on that. No real need to put my tag on it but in the case of some one questioning a dead deer it was accounted for. Should have contacted game and fish either way but to say it was good of us to take a meal away from the coyotes? Rancher didn't want a rotting deer in with his cattle either.....I guess its never an easy decision on what is right or wrong.

[Bowhunter]

If the elk was ok to eat I would shoot it and tag it. If I was sure it was going to die and not fit to eat I would put it out of its missery. I was tracking a deer once that I had shot and came across a buck. He was not the one I had arrowed. He was in some downed trees and trying to get up. He was not able to even stand. I put an arrow into him. When I retreieved my arrow and pulled him down under a log and one of his antlers fell off as I pulled on it. He had infection in his brain. I covered him with some branches to keep soaring birds from feeding on him. I also saw a turkey one spring on my farm that couldnt fly and just flopped around unable to stand. I put her out of her missery. She had ganggreen all over her belly and legs. I burried her.

[Moose-head]

I would absolutely fill my tag if legal. I once watched road hunters shoot a mulie doe and drive off without ever getting out of their vehicle. I watched her slowly deteriorating with her front leg dangling for the next few days. Does were not legal, and I did, at one point, have her in range for a shot that I did not take, I still wonder if I should have shot her to end her suffering.

[Swede]

Unfortunately this is not just a moral issue. It is a legal issue also. In the case of the scrawny cow with a limp, I thought about shooting her. I let that thought roll around in my mind a lot. I would not have butchered and eaten her, but I would put her out of her misery. Tagging the animal is not the main issue. Wasting a game animal or any part of the meat is illegal.
I suspect she was infected, but could I prove it? Could I prove it three days later when the game warden showed up in camp to confront me about the animal? Other hunters know who hunts that location and where my stands are. They see my pickup parked about 1/2 mile away. Someone would see that dead animal, and I could not drag it far from my stand. Would they report me when they came upon a dead elk in view of my stand? It would be the stink of the cow or the noise of the scavengers that would bring them up to it. My hunting license and tag give me no legal authority to dispose of animals that I believe are "suffering".
If that cow dropped where I shot her, I would have to try to drag her off the site and away from my tree stand. I don't want her left there. Besides the problem of stinking and attracting scavengers, I could be accused of illegally baiting bears. What if I am seen dragging off an elk and dumping her? How do I explain that?
Maybe this last part is irrelevant, but should I ultimately sacrifice hunt that I waited all year for and spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars for, because a sick elk came into where I was hunting?

[planebow]

When the game warden was at our bow ed class this was brought up by one of the students. He stated that it was illegal to dispatch an animal unless you are willing to tag it. He also stated to call the warden for the area and if they could not get to the animal in short order that they could give you permission to dispatch the animal.

[Trophyhill]

I'd cut her loose and continue hunting. It just wouldn't feel like "fair chase" otherwise