Wounded animal?

[Namibia Hunter]

Came across an interesting situation recently and would love to hear others' opinion on it. If a hunter shoots off an animal's horn(s) and the animal is not otherwise injured and gets away, does that usually count as a full price wounded animal? On the one hand that animal cannot be marketed as a trophy to future hunters, while on the other hand there is still a more or less healthy animal in the field that can be hunted for meat?

 

[John Wasmuth]

Most places are “if you wound it you bought it, recovered or not”.

 

[grand veneur]

Wounded is a vague term, the severity of the injury is not taken into account so that IMHO shooting off a horn is also an injury and the price has to be paid, or there was an agreement before or after the hunt.

 

[Velo Dog]

The horns are not there to make a fashion statement.
Males use them for battling other males, each hoping they can earn dominance and the right to breed females.
They also use their horns to fight against large predators.
Removing a horn or horns is therefore wounding the animal.

 

[raamw]

Just because the animal runs off as many animal do after receiving a mortal wound, the animal could have sustained tremdous head trauma that will eventually kill him. I recall an Alaskan incident wherein a bull moose charged someone who shot it in the antler to scare it off but the concusion knocked him out and eventaully died from a cracked skull, if you ever dealt with the skull of a moose you would be surprised how thick they are.

 

[JimP]

Quite often if you do hit a animal in the horns the bullet will likely pass through with a larger hole in the off side. A friend has a pronghorn that is mounted with a hole that you can see through on one of the horns.

Most outfitted hunts that I have read their contract says that if you draw "blood" it is considered your animal. I haven't seen anything about hitting a horn.

 

[grand veneur]

No blood doesn't mean not to be wounded. A shot in the paunch leaves often no blood and ends deadly.

If there is a hint that a game was hit, and that need not to be evidence of blood, it is considered wounded and must be sought. Depending on how the search goes, it can be decided if the game is injured or not and then a decision can be made about how to proceed.

 

[Newboomer]

No blood doesn't mean not to be wounded. A shot in the paunch leaves often no blood and ends deadly.

If there is a hint that a game was hit, and that need not to be evidence of blood, it is considered wounded and must be sought. Depending on how the search goes, it can be decided if the game is injured or not and then a decision can be made about how to proceed.

Kinda like losing a finger. Ya ain't dead but ya sure as hell are wounded, sorta permanent.

 

[sureshot375]

Yes, if someone blows off an animals horn or horns it should certainly be considered wounded for the purpose of a trophy fee. The trophy is obviously ruined. The animal could also die later from head trauma or infection.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Came across an interesting situation recently and would love to hear others' opinion on it. If a hunter shoots off an animal's horn(s) and the animal is not otherwise injured and gets away, does that usually count as a full price wounded animal? On the one hand that animal cannot be marketed as a trophy to future hunters, while on the other hand there is still a more or less healthy animal in the field that can be hunted for meat?

Unless you are talking about two inches of an actual horn tip being shot off, then I’d suggest you start tracking your trophy.

 

[BeeMaa]

Actually catching up to it and harvesting the animal would be quite the story.

As for shooting the horn, I'd consider it a wounded animal and trophy fee would be paid.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Every game ranch I’ve guided on follows that rule. Antlers, of course being different from horns, still equated to you just bought that animal. The possibility of a skull fracture killing the targeted animal still counted as a hit.

 

[C.W. Richter]

In this economy, it'd promote "horn-hitting" hunts with only daily fees due. Why not aim for the testicles if facing away (they also have 2) and debate with your PH!

 

[Hillcountry63]

I guide on several ranches and the written rule for all of them is if you draw blood and the animal isn’t recovered you pay for it. Had a situation a couple of years ago where a client shot the left main beam off of a 150 class Whitetail just above brow time. Ranch owner said no harm and client kept hunting. The next year we harvested the same deer that had added about 15”’s of antler.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I guide on several ranches and the written rule for all of them is if you draw blood and the animal isn’t recovered you pay for it. Had a situation a couple of years ago where a client shot the left main beam off of a 150 class Whitetail just above brow time. Ranch owner said no harm and client kept hunting. The next year we harvested the same deer that had added about 15”’s of antler.

That's an interesting exception, but it doesn't work on Antelope (or buffalo, goats, sheep etc.) that have 1 set of horns in a lifetime.

 

[sureshot375]

That's an interesting exception, but it doesn't work on Antelope (or buffalo, goats, sheep etc.) that have 1 set of horns in a lifetime.

Agreed. Antlers vs horns is a little different. You shoot a kudu’s horn off it’s gone forever.

 

[Tgood1]

My ph in africa is a great friend. He stays at my home during convention season and I've been at his house and family housee / camps in africa for family affairs. He reminds me every hunt that if a drop of blood is
Found its a trophy fee. I do not argue. Rules are established.

 

[C.W. Richter]

It's NOT just a trophy. By damaging the animal's horns (or antlers for that matter,) you may have had an adverse effect on the dominance of, and ability for that male to successfully breed future trophy generations...(IF after the breeding season, I could see a deer guide make exceptions for continued business and good customer relations.)

 

[Hank2211]

Every hunt I have ever been on had the same rules: any wounded animal is considered to be taken, and a trophy fee is to be paid. I‘ve never felt the need to play lawyer (being one!), and get into a precise definition of what “wounded” means. I don’t understand you to be playing lawyer either, to be clear, but rather interested in the interpretation of the word ‘wounded’ in this context.

My view is that ‘wounded,’ at least in this context, without further definition, should (and would) be given its ordinary, everyday meaning. And, again in my view, that means the animal has been ‘hurt’ in some way. The ‘wound’ need not be fatal, and I expect that in many cases where a drop of blood is found but an animal never recovered that the animal has in fact, recovered, but nevertheless, the trophy fee was paid without discussion.

In this case, your question focuses on the fact that those involved are likely aware that the ‘wound’ is not fatal, but again, there is no requirement that a wound be, or be likely to be, fatal, for an animal to be considered wounded.

I don’t like to admit it, but I’ve paid trophy fees on animals which were never recovered. I try to convince myself that they weren’t badly hurt, but that’s just trying to salve my conscience. A more useful reaction is that I resolve to take more time and shoot better in future! I like to believe that this results in some sort of good karma coming out of a bad situation, and I chalk up recovering a mountain nyala which I wounded some five days after the poor shot, to that karma!

 

[uplander01]

Practice more and take only clear shots with absolute confidence. Seriously, don't take a shot where that could happen.