I chose number two...if the role was reversed and I was the one who shot them there is no way in heck I'd let me buddy take the hit because of my stupidity and I'd expect my buddy to feel the same way in return...Man up and do what is right...

Good thread idea by the way....it did make me think for a moment..l

The bigger one? I'm taking them both! After he pays the processing! And yes, he gets years of ribbing. In fact, his new camp name might be "Two-fer!"

I had a similar thing happen to me. Two 10pt bucks at long range in a draw. They were popping in/out and I thought it was the same buck. Shot once, buck disappeared. Suddenly he jumped up from the draw looking very confused and kinda trotting. So I shot him again and be dropped and stayed where I could see him. When I got down there and started thinking it over, the rifle I was using, the shot just around 350yd, I started feeling a little sick and uneasy! Sure enough, one 10pt dead at the bottom of the draw and the other up top. I got on the radio and explained to the owner/manager what happened sparing no details. Talk about sweating!!! He was hoppin mad because he had seen at least one of those bucks (almost twins) and planned to shoot it himself. In the end, one of my buddies offered to tag it and I paid for two bucks. It all worked out but I bought a good set of binos afterwards!

If it was a family or friend I would tag the other buck. If it was someone random fellow that I didn't know, he would have to answer to the man.

If its an honest mistake, I would take one for a friend.

The easy ethical call is to notify the GW of the error. As long as there aren't prior incidences and there is no reason for the GW to suspect otherwise, presuming this lease property doesn't have a history of idiocy, the GW will likely give a good stern talking to you. Just pray the GW woke up on the right side of the bed that day. Pulling the trigger on any firearm is an irreversible decision and my 'buddy' needs to be more clear-minded before he shoots. A close encounter with a GW will help. Doing anything else is exactly the kind of red-neckery that gives hunters and the sport a bad rap.

#1 and he would owe me the rest of the season and next

I'm pretty sure that with nothing more than hack saw and a cordless dremel tool with a grinding and polishing bit someone could easily turn a mistaken buck into a convincing legal spike.

I would never actually do this, I'm just saying.

Have to agree

I've been there on this situation (one very close to it). Buck shot, ran into a draw, buck runs up the other side and is shot again and goes down. That is it was a different, albeit similar in rack, to the buck shot first which was dead in the broom weed at the bottom of the draw. I showed up tag ready. I don't have a problem helping a friend when something doesn't work right. Fortunately when I got there another friend had shown up first and done the deed. But I ended up not tagging a buck that season anyhow. Neither did his other friend. I'm sure the letter of the law was violated that day but the spirit of the law was maintained.

I'd give my tag for a good friend, and then put the deer in my freezer. I don't care who shoots it, so that would save me getting up early until I got one of my own. I would never ask someone to do that for me though.

Coworkers once allowed me to hunt a ranch they managed in their off-time. It had far too many deer, and needed a bunch removed, but the owners and regular hunters only wanted to shoot trophy bucks. Only does allowed, but they didn't care if they had spots or not - they just wanted deer to die. Shot one doe cleanly, and then a second stopped and turned broadside before getting out of range, and I dropped it. Turns out the second was a button buck, and I knew I was screwed. The coworkers were a little upset, but knew they needed to get rid of deer, and I think it bothered me more than them. When they called the ranch owner over the phone to let him know the results of the night's hunting, he was not happy. He was the type that thought every buck would grow up to be a trophy. My coworkers took the heat over the phone for me, which I was grateful for. I was not invited back, and knew enough to not bother asking.