11 y/o looses buck to a coin flip...

[DEERSLAYER]

... I just dont feel making it easy is good for recruitment either...

Agree 100%. The goal of the hunt is the kill, but the journey of the hunt is what keeps people coming back long term.

[Motivated]

Poor kid!

He's got a crybaby for a father, so he has a slim chance of growing up to be a solid man. This will be a lesson he never forgets.

My three year old girl knows that it's wrong to cry when she doesn't get what she wants. She should go teach that kids father... Maybe they'll settle things over go fish.

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[KLEMZ]

They all acted like 11 year olds.

[hill_hunter]

I too think the dad reacted poorly, considering the coin flip, tracking onto posted property, and that it seems to

have been a poor hit. IF it was a leg hit, I don't think its his deer--kid or not.

About twenty years ago, my brother shot a spike on the first day of gun season. It was running through a brushy

strip and he hit it hard two or three times. It stumbled twenty yards and was seconds from going down for good

when the 40 year old family friend standing beside him shot the buck in the neck and put it down. Long story short, that

guy took the buck. I was there, as was my grandpa. Always thought grandpa should've said something but he just let

the guy have it. It would've been my bro's first buck. I'll always remember that, and I think it will always bother me at

some level.

[JakeJD]

when the 40 year old family friend standing beside him shot the buck in the neck and put it down. Long story short, that

guy took the buck.

I cannot imagine an adult behaving in such a way, this is shameful.

As for the 11 y/o in our story, life will have plenty of hard lessons for him outside of hunting. He is a kid for God's sake.

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[VA5326]

I've seen this before. For the furtherance of hunting and doing the RIGHT thing, the kid should've got it. Come on. He would've made that boys year.

[checkerfred]

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said here except a coin toss is not the way this should have been handled!

Everyone knows that rock paper scissors is the best!

Really though, I think if it was a minor wound, the kid shouldn't get the deer. If he's too young to understand that or be able to consistently make ethical shots, then he really shouldn't be hunting yet. Going to the media was the wrong thing to do as well. Shame on dad for that. Teaching his son that if something as small in life as losing a deer doesn't go your way, to cry about it and go to the news. Things are going to happen you just have to know when to let it go and when to fight. This was a let it go time. This is a problem with our country as well. It's all to easy to make a media spectacle of nothing or sue someone over nothing. I believe there is a time and place for it but not here.

[Brad]

I think if the deer was leg hit the buck shouldn't go to the kid, it wouldn't have died from that hit or been in a spot he could recover it on the land they were hunting. If he mortally wounded it and the adult finished it to keep it from going further thats another story. I know personally if I saw a deer that was clearly wounded and looked like it was gonna die in the near future I would kill it and let them take it, big buck or not, it was more "someone else's" than mine. If it came by with a flesh wound that it would live from I'd shoot and keep provided it was a deer I wanted. If you don't hit it good its no more yours than if you missed it completely. Not everything should end with a participation ribbon these days, and if the other hunter can't understand that they are in for some major heartbreaks over the years as a hunter.

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[whitetailassasin]

I've seen this before. For the furtherance of hunting and doing the RIGHT thing, the kid should've got it. Come on. He would've made that boys year.

I dare say it could have been life impacting. To me you can tell a man, by the hunter he is and the code he carries.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Spysar]

I saw this on the news, and the guy on the private land "said" that the kid shot it in the leg, and pointed out the wound.
He said by the letter of the law he had the right to keep the deer, but decided to do a coin flip to show the kid he was fair. Cause the kid thought his shot was fatal, and the land owner on the private property thought it was his.

The land owner won the flip that was done by the boys father. And then the boys father went to the media to pressure the guy into giving the boy the buck anyway.

For me, I would of given the boy the buck... But, the buck did go onto private land, and I can tell you here, I have never gotten a buck back that ran onto private land. They almost always refuse entry and keep the deer. And, they did agree to the coin flip until they lost...

Still, I would of given the 11 y/o the buck. How about you?

Every one is responding to the leg hit as though it was a flesh wound in the leg. The kids hit could have been fatal for all we know. Or could have weakened the deer to the point where they would have got a follow up shot had the deer not went onto private. Dan, did you see it on the news? And did you see where the guy pointed to the leg hit.? And if you did see where the hit was, do you think the deer would have survived the hit the kid made?

[goldtip5575]

The odds of that deer surviving that kids hit are way better than a 50/50 coin toss.

[tim]

I haven't read everyones opinions but a leg hit is likely not a killing shot in most cases and is an unfound deer.in what way is this the kids deer? Now if he shot it in the chest that's an entire different scenario.the neighbor was more than fair in my opinion to even do that.most would not even do that.not sure why the kids dad would want him to tag a deer he wouldn't have killed? People get crazy in these situations.

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[BigHills BuckHunter]

The odds of that deer surviving that kids hit are way better than a 50/50 coin toss.

With a hit to the leg the deer wouldn't have died unless a coyote or wolf took it down in the winter or some type of infection came about.

[dan]

I saw this on the news, and the guy on the private land "said" that the kid shot it in the leg, and pointed out the wound.
He said by the letter of the law he had the right to keep the deer, but decided to do a coin flip to show the kid he was fair. Cause the kid thought his shot was fatal, and the land owner on the private property thought it was his.

The land owner won the flip that was done by the boys father. And then the boys father went to the media to pressure the guy into giving the boy the buck anyway.

For me, I would of given the boy the buck... But, the buck did go onto private land, and I can tell you here, I have never gotten a buck back that ran onto private land. They almost always refuse entry and keep the deer. And, they did agree to the coin flip until they lost...

Still, I would of given the 11 y/o the buck. How about you?

Every one is responding to the leg hit as though it was a flesh wound in the leg. The kids hit could have been fatal for all we know. Or could have weakened the deer to the point where they would have got a follow up shot had the deer not went onto private. Dan, did you see it on the news? And did you see where the guy pointed to the leg hit.? And if you did see where the hit was, do you think the deer would have survived the hit the kid made?

The leg hit the land owner claimed was the kids hit looked to be centered in the upper part of the front leg about even height wise with the lowest part of the chest... It was a big hole. Maybe a shotgun? I recovered two bucks with bow hits in that leg lower than that, but only cause I pushed them till they bled out. Hard to say if it was fatal or not. I would say 50% chance. if the leg was broke, tracking should of given another shot. They did not show the exit side, which if the deer was at all close to broadside, should of hit the far leg somewhere too.

[dan]

Hit looked to be where I marked the red dot. (this pic is unrelated, just using it to show proximity of the hit the landowner claims is the boys.