A close friend, Tom, related this story to me. He was on his first or second hunt and spotted a nice looking buck, took careful aim and fired. It dropped like a rock.
Tom hurried through the brush to where the deer had fallen, set his rifle down carefully and got out his tag. He had recently taken the state's hunting course and that was one of the things they had stressed: tag the deer immediately.
Tom filled the tag out, tied it on the antler and then started looking the deer over to see where he had hit it.
No bullet hole was apparent on this side, so he grabbed its antler and pulled to turn it over when it suddenly jumped to its feet and ran away!
Tom grabbed his rifle and took off after it.
He hadn't gotten far when he heard a shot, loud and close.
A little further down the trail, he came upon a hunter walking up to a fallen deer. Tom said, "I think that's my deer."
The hunter said, "Nonsense. I just shot it."
Tom replied, "Its got my tag on it." and he pointed at the tan slip of cardboard fastened to the antlers.
"Well," answered the hunter, shaking his head in disbelief "If you can tag it before I can shoot it, then I guess you can have it." He stepped back leaving the deer to Tom.
Upon examination, Tom discovered that his bullet had indeed hit the deer, there was a clipped mark at the base of the antler where the bullet had struck and knocked the animal unconscious.
Tom hurried through the brush to where the deer had fallen, set his rifle down carefully and got out his tag. He had recently taken the state's hunting course and that was one of the things they had stressed: tag the deer immediately.
Tom filled the tag out, tied it on the antler and then started looking the deer over to see where he had hit it.
No bullet hole was apparent on this side, so he grabbed its antler and pulled to turn it over when it suddenly jumped to its feet and ran away!
Tom grabbed his rifle and took off after it.
He hadn't gotten far when he heard a shot, loud and close.
A little further down the trail, he came upon a hunter walking up to a fallen deer. Tom said, "I think that's my deer."
The hunter said, "Nonsense. I just shot it."
Tom replied, "Its got my tag on it." and he pointed at the tan slip of cardboard fastened to the antlers.
"Well," answered the hunter, shaking his head in disbelief "If you can tag it before I can shoot it, then I guess you can have it." He stepped back leaving the deer to Tom.
Upon examination, Tom discovered that his bullet had indeed hit the deer, there was a clipped mark at the base of the antler where the bullet had struck and knocked the animal unconscious.