Originally Posted by
JBen
adds for food for thought, though I think to has been "answered".
Theres 2 minutes left of legal light on the last day of the season. A great buck comes in. You pull the trigger, it takes off.
30 minutes later you come down out your stand and start the track.
One hand, uh uh, season is closed
Other hand. Roh Roh, law says I have to do everything reasonably possible.
/grins maniacally
Last day of the rifle season, 15 minutes before last legal. Hunter shoots a buck. The only person with a buck tag left is 30 minutes away.
Hunter sits in the stand for 25 minutes.
Ruh Roh?
There is no way we can cover every possible scenario, every possible contingency. In most cases the letter (and spirit) of the law is straight forward. In most cases the letter of the law is very clear. But we know its not always straight forward, nor is it always possible. I have had to give up on a buck due to thin ice and the likely hood of recovery, and risk to personal safety.
Twice I have tracked bears with no audible death moan. Once at night and that was a serious gut check, and once for safety reasons the track was put off until first light. Late august if the meat spoils.........well letter of the law says X, common sense says Y. This track, despite being in daylight was a gut check to. It was beyond obvious we were going to find a bear piled up. We were going to find a very scared bear, or very angry bear that would need to be put out of its misery right quick. And the bush we tracked it through, well it could have been curled up licking its wound 3 feet away and we would not have known until we tripped over it...Assuming the first sign it was under your foot was its roar.......
Immediate tagging is pretty clear to, even to the extent when party hunting in terrain that isn't suitable to radios and signals.
In virtually all those situations, its the COs discretion.
"intent" or what he deems "your" intent is/was is pretty darn important, its extremely important in the courtrooms to.
I wish the crown had the "tested" the hunting without a license charge in that Moose incident. No doubt the defence would have argued "no intent" and because theres weapons around defence could make a case. But the letter of the law is straightforward ( if you harass, injure, capture, or kill game as a result...you are "legally" hunting)
But these days, crowns always plea things away. Saves court time, saves the system $, and eliminates any risk of it not going their way.