hunting mistakes and coyote hunting

[carnaby]

What do you do if you make a mistake while hunting? Say for instance, you shoot a buck, but it turns out to not meet the 3pt requirement or whatever because a piece of a tree branch was stuck to the antler, or suppose you shoot what you are certain is a coyote but it turns out to be a wolf. I just want to make sure I know what the legal authorities would like me to do in the unlikely event of a mistake. I plan on being ultra certain of my targets, but mistakes can still happen.

Also, what's the deal with Coyote hunting? Are they just considered a pest and you shoot them and leave them where they fall, or do people actually make use of the coyote?

 

[45lvr]

im a cop, not a dnr guy, so this may be a waste of our time.....i think (in ga anyway) coyotes can be blasted especially if theyre a danger. a danger can be what ever you want i guess. my buddy told me there are fines involved for shooting a deer thats not currently listed, if you get caught.

 

[Legionnaire]

Gotta check your state regs. In NY State, coyotes have a specific season; in PA they can be taken year round. It depends on your state.

WRT mistakes, best course of action is to report the mistake. I taught hunter safety for many years in NY and we always had a DEC Officer come talk. That question always came up. The Officers I knew were good guys, who understood that mistakes happen. You might get fined if they thought you had been careless, but most appreciated being called and would give the benefit of the doubt. But the consequences of NOT reporting a mistaken kill and then getting caught with it could be significant.

So my advice: Don't forget rule #4, and if a mistake DOES happen, report it.

 

[carnaby]

Coyote season is year round here, unless you're using hounds. But what do you do with a Coyote after you shoot it, just leave it where it fell?

As for mistakes, I definitely would report, I'm just curious if there's any info about what the consequences are or special instructions about reporting. As you say, a fine might be reasonable if it looks like you were careless, but what if you were not careless? Will they let you keep the animal if it's a deer / elk etc?

This is an honest question btw, I have no interest in trying to poach something and just learning how to get around the law. I'm a new hunter and I wan't to make sure I know the law, as ignorance is no excuse. I guess you'll all have to just take my word for it.

 

[sumpnz]

I've heard enough stories though about guys here in AZ that reported accidently killing a doe rather than what they though was a spike, or killing two with one shot because they didn't see the deer standing behind the one they meant to shoot not only having the "mistake" taken away, but also any legit kills. Some have even had their gun taken, and gotten a big fine. Essentailly no different than if they'd been caught rather than reported the mistake. In the case of the guy that got the big fine and his gun taken, IIRC he got the fine thrown out, but he had to go to court for that, and I'm not sure if he got the gun back.

That said, most of the time you'll be looked on more kindly if you self report.

A girl I knew in college had a cop for a brother. He was the type that if he could at all justify the "cuff and stuff" routine he would do that, even on a simple traffic stop for speeding. He didn't care about anything other than displaying that power at every opportunity. I imagine the guy described above ran into a G&F guy with a similar attitude, and so it may well not be typical.

 

[Sharps Shooter]

Here you can shoot coyotes year around and there are no limits. But we have a lot of them. They hurt the game bird populations, though I don't think as badly as foxes. Sheep and cattle ranchers hate them, naturally. I've heard coyotes will occationally kill fawn deer too.
A good Coyote hide, like one taken in the middle of the winter and not shot to pieces, use to bring about $30.00. But I think prices have fallen way off in the last 12 or 15 years. I leave them for the magpies.