Everything is Legal.

You have a very long Hunting Season and the land you are Hunting has a Coyote, Feral Dog and Pet Dog problem. They compose a known triple threat to both the Stock and Game on the property. You can hunt the Varmints year round and as luck would have it, it is a Doe Day. No one else is hunting the property this Saturday in October, because they all went to see _____ whup up on ____.

You decide to go blast a Varmint and have a 243Win loaded with a 70gr HP Match Bullet which typically shoots 1" from a solid BenchRest at 200yds. It has a 6-24x 42mm scope with a Mil-Dot reticle, which you have verified the Drop Rate out to 500yds(from the Bench). Your Drop Chart tracks properly across the 6-24x range.

You have set-up on a slight rise in a lightly rolling, fallow field which has been left dormant for 3 years and the fine crop of weeds is right at 3' high, but spotty enough that you will have ample shooting-lane opportunities. Wind is very light and is coming from the West as noted by the Weed Tops gently bending toward you. It is a nice cool 60deg. You are sitting on a Dove stool in Full Camo including a Face Mask and Boonie Hat in a dense section of weeds where you are facing North. About 100yds out from you is a remote-controlled, electronic call and a Fawn Decoy on another slight rise that has just a few weeds on it.

50yds East of you is a HUGE Bean field that has been blessed with perfect growing conditions. The average height of the Beans is right at 2' 10" from the bottom of the furrows. On the far side of it is a set of woods that extends for a half mile.

It is 8AM and sunrise was at 7:30AM. You take a look around and are a bit lost in how beautiful this special place is. It brings back a lot of good memories. And you are ready.

You Remotely activate the call with a "Fawn in Distress" sound on low. A bit passes and you increase the volume just a bit. Well...., where is that Dog, you think to yourself and you slightly increase the volume again.

Your peripheral vision spots a slight "White flick" to the Northeast. As you slowly turn your head, you know the distance to be 225yds from previous measuring and there stands an Old Doe at the edge of the woodline. She has busted you and lots of Hunters many times over the past 5 years, but is unaware of you now. She has walked small Fawns, still in spots to within 30yds of 10-12 of your Stands, stared up at them, and then stomped her foot for at least 3 of those years. The Fawns would then stare and ease back to her. You know for a fact it is "Hillery" as you all have named her because of a small section missing from her left ear.

You start to look down at the rifle and just happen to notice the Dog North of you at about 375yds standing on a slight weedy rise looking toward the Decoy. Hillery has spotted the Dog and has eased into the 2' 10" Beans a couple of rows with her ears pointed directly at the Dog.

Which shot do I take, or is either a good one as you are pondering the delima.You have both a Bipod and a Hasty Sling.

Would you take a shot?

I'd shoot the 'yote.... nasty critters, ha ha.

I'd shoot the dog, Hillery will be back..

I would shoot the yote first, then the doe

"dog-b-gone"

If you have a chance to shoot Hilary, do it!

Hillery doesn't eat deer, the coyote does. Shoot the 'yote. If Hillery happened to be a world record buck though . . .

I'm getting worried about you HC. Are ALL the hunting seasons closed in your area right now???

Kyler

Coyotes, hogs, feral dogs, and feral cats are shot on sight. All else can wait.

quote:

Originally posted by olarmy:
Coyotes, hogs, feral dogs, and feral cats are shot on sight. All else can wait.

You owe it to the land owner and the game to take out any feral and wild pets that you can.

I'd slide down off the stool and use that for a front rest to watch the dog over until it commits to the fawn call and comes closer or I feel comfortable enough to take the shot. The doe can wait, for another year if necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by Kyler Hamann:
I'm getting worried about you HC. Are ALL the hunting seasons closed in your area right now???

Kyler

Thanks Kyler!

I'm in a situation where I have to stay close to the house for awhile. Not on House Arrest, nor am I wearing one of the Ankle Police Cuffs with Paris Hilton . But I just can't get too far away - right now.

Varmint Season is in all the time where I am as it probably is where you are. Just thinking back to some good or interesting situations I've been in on.

Thought it would be fun for everyone. In fact, if anyone else wants to contribute a "Would you take the shot?" thread, jump right in and post the situation with enough details(that is always the problem) that we feel like we are right there.

Thanks again Kyler.

Okay HC, I'm just messing with you.

Some mind bending hypothetical situations are good for us now and then.

We can chase pigs and plenty of varmints whenever we want here and the weather is never bad enough to be a factor so there is no real down time. Hopefully you’ll get out to do the real thing soon.

Great hunting with great hunters,
Kyler

Shoot the dog.
By not shooting the dog and shooting the doe you may in effect be "killing" several deer.
That dog may snatch many fawns who would otherwise grow up to be breeding does or breeding bucks.
Shoot the dog you will have plenty of doe opportunities another day.

NO!!

I would shoot the "dog" first every time.

Only exception, Boone and Crocket buck.

The old doe sounds like she's got some character to her and provides entertain,ent value. The coyote is just a problem, so any opportunity I have too shoot the coyote, I'm going to take it. If the doe is still there after the shot, I may try to take her too.

I'd shoot the dog.

I've never seen a deer come to the stand with a coyote, dog, hog, or bobcat in the area.

The dog must die.

Vapo(the)dog!

The dog.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
... Hillery has spotted the Dog and has eased into the 2' 10" Beans a couple of rows with her ears pointed directly at the Dog. ...

You all may not be aware that the SC Doe are about 3' - 3'4" tall. Depending on how loose the soil is in the Rows, you might only be able to see the Head and a bit of Neck. And in this situation, you could barely make out the line of her back above the Beans.

The free running Dog was killed.