illegal buck at hagerman

[bowfishin fool]

it takes a real MAN to fess up when you done something wrong,
and believe me we all make mistakes, glad he did the right thing and it was handled with such respect!

[bentman]

he made a mistake we all do

[Ouch]

Hi Guys,

I issued the ticket (State charge)and just want to set the record straight since there are several posts with mis-information.

Thanks for setting things straight. "He said, she said" discussions rarely get it right.

[WoJo]

Hi Guys,

I issued the ticket (State charge)and just want to set the record straight since there are several posts with mis-information.

First of all...the hunter is a standup guy and did the right thing by tagging and bringing the animal in to the check station. He just made a poor decission at the time the shot was taken.

Here are the facts:
-Hunter was a veteran bowhunter
-he hunts in an AR county that has had restriction for several years
-spred was 11 1/4" (note: it did have some mass)
-Hagerman staff aged the buck at 1 1/2 yrs old
-field dressed weight was 85 lbs.
-I let my Supv make the call which was to cite if it was a young deer.
-No fine has been set yet but I did explaine to the JP that it didn't warrant a max fine. Fine range is $25-$500
-No Civil restitution filed

Myths:

Hagerman officals insisted on citation
$800 fine
Manager wouldn't have let me issue the citation...I saw the Refuge Mgr and she didn't mention the incident much less tell me not to issue citation.

As I mentioned before, the hunter was a nice guy. I commend him on the fact that after he made a poor first shot, he went to great lenghts to get a second shot and recover the buck and bring it into the check station. Some hunters might have left it in the woods. This guy was a MAN and took responsibilty for his actions. That said I still have a responsibily to the resource.

One of the things the hunter told me was that he was grateful that none of the other hunter in the segment ridiculed or belittled him and that the officers were professional.

I know I don't have to explain myself but I wanted to get the facts out before posters start hammering the guy. He feels bad enough as it is.

Good Luck the rest of the season...and may your arrows fly true!

Thank you and we all make mistakes. I am glad he did the right thing to recover the deer instead of letting it go to waste. I hope everyone here would have done the samething.

[Landrover]

Hi Guys,
I know I don't have to explain myself but I wanted to get the facts out before posters start hammering the guy. He feels bad enough as it is.
Good Luck the rest of the season...and may your arrows fly true!

Always good to hear from you Dale! "Integrity is what one does when nobody is watching!!!" Glad to hear we still have great folks in our sport.....on both sides of the coin1

[flywise]

great job man(who ever you are) for doing the right thing, accepting the consequences. You sound like the kind of guy I'd like to hunt with.

[Firefyter]

Thanks Dale, for setting it straight. we all make mistakes and we pay for them and move on. Learning experience for all. And thanks to the Shooter for being honest.

[Cuz]

Hi Guys,

I issued the ticket (State charge)and just want to set the record straight since there are several posts with mis-information.

First of all...the hunter is a standup guy and did the right thing by tagging and bringing the animal in to the check station. He just made a poor decission at the time the shot was taken.

Here are the facts:
-Hunter was a veteran bowhunter
-he hunts in an AR county that has had restriction for several years
-spred was 11 1/4" (note: it did have some mass)
-Hagerman staff aged the buck at 1 1/2 yrs old
-field dressed weight was 85 lbs.
-I let my Supv make the call which was to cite if it was a young deer.
-No fine has been set yet but I did explaine to the JP that it didn't warrant a max fine. Fine range is $25-$500
-No Civil restitution filed

Myths:

Hagerman officals insisted on citation
$800 fine
Manager wouldn't have let me issue the citation...I saw the Refuge Mgr and she didn't mention the incident much less tell me not to issue citation.

As I mentioned before, the hunter was a nice guy. I commend him on the fact that after he made a poor first shot, he went to great lenghts to get a second shot and recover the buck and bring it into the check station. Some hunters might have left it in the woods. This guy was a MAN and took responsibilty for his actions. That said I still have a responsibily to the resource.

One of the things the hunter told me was that he was grateful that none of the other hunter in the segment ridiculed or belittled him and that the officers were professional.

I know I don't have to explain myself but I wanted to get the facts out before posters start hammering the guy. He feels bad enough as it is.

Good Luck the rest of the season...and may your arrows fly true!

GOD forbid someone get a warning for an honest mistake that was reported by the hunter...

[J-Bone]

God forbid a law enforcement officer... enforces the law.

[bowhuntertex]

God forbid a law enforcement officer... enforces the law.

Exactly what I was thinking Justin......

[crittergitter]

GOD forbid someone get a warning for an honest mistake that was reported by the hunter...

god forbid a person does what his boss has instructed him to do....

[Atfulldraw]

god forbid a person does what his boss has instructed him to do....

or what he was trained to do.....

Thanks, Dale!! Don't be such a stranger!

[Atfulldraw]

god forbid a person does what his boss has instructed him to do....

or what he was trained to do.....

Thanks, Dale!! Don't be such a stranger!

[WCB]

GOD forbid someone get a warning for an honest mistake that was reported by the hunter...

I guess you missed the part about being an experienced bowhunter, 1 1/2 yrd old and a hunter from an AR county...
Whoever this hunter is I commend him for being an ethical hunter and he is welcome on my lease anytime

Remember guys and gals, if you "think" it's 13", don't shoot.
If you, "know" it's 13, shoot away...

Glad you clarified Dale.

[Archery1st]

I understand mistakes can be made. But this is one I don't understand. If the deer is not obviously outside his ears don't shoot it in a antler restricted county.

For the record all though I like the principle of antler restrictions to get more deer to have better antlers by getting some age on them. I do not like the state telling people what they can and can not shoot. I would much rather see restrictions set in place by hunting lease or in this case a WMA not the state.

If a guy is happy shooting a buck with a spread under 13" so be it - having the state tell him it's wrong is just wrong IMHO.

Heck some deer live their whole lives with out reaching the min spread in these antler restricted counties. I wonder if anyone has been fined yet for shooting a buck that was mature 5.5/6.5 yes old yet did not meeting the minimum spread.