Four minutes after "dark", what would you do?

[Stan R]

Good Call.... It is our responsbility to follow the rules.

[Nitro1970]

I don't feel like jackin' with them that late anyway so I'd let him walk.

You did right but I must say I've never kept that close track of the time.


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[BowDude]

I can never see my pins at around sunset, much less 30 minutes later... once I can't see my pins I put my arrow back in the quiver then just enjoy sharing of the outdoors with the wildlife..

[justletmein]

For me it'll depend on the day, cloudy and clear skies make a big difference. As long as I can clearly see my my target and my pins I don't see a problem with a 4 minute differential. Seems to me we're really splitting hairs counting the minutes like that. Think about a cloudy day or location deep in a canyon, it could be dark as heck with 4 minutes legal time left to go and the shot should not be taken even though it's legal.

[Texpppr]

light to see.. shoot

[Tequilazo]

Interesting situation. I can say I have never counted down official sunset and 30 minutes later. If I knew it was past time then no I would not take the shot. I think you did the right thing. I have always let my equipment tell me if it was too late to shoot. I guess maybe I should be paying closer attention. Good call on your part.

Me too!

[N Dubya]

Integrity is what you do when no one is watching--you did the right thing.

Yes sir.

[jcar]

Interesting situation. I can say I have never counted down official sunset and 30 minutes later. If I knew it was past time then no I would not take the shot. I think you did the right thing. I have always let my equipment tell me if it was too late to shoot. I guess maybe I should be paying closer attention. Good call on your part.

this ^^^

[TxAg]

Seems like that law is best interpreted as the Spirit of the law, not the Letter of the law. Obviously, nobody should poach a deer at night, but who's to say a person's watch is set the same as somebody else's. Conversely, what if it's an overcast day, and legally you have another 15 minutes to shoot, but in reality it's too dark.

I respect your decision. Frankly, it's one of those things that each person has to figure out in in the heat of the moment. I certainly wouldn't be calling you a poacher if you'd taken the shot....I'd be high fiving you.

[flufster]

Seems like that law is best interpreted as the Spirit of the law, not the Letter of the law. Obviously, nobody should poach a deer at night, but who's to say a person's watch is set the same as somebody else's. Conversely, what if it's an overcast day, and legally you have another 15 minutes to shoot, but in reality it's too dark.

I respect your decision. Frankly, it's one of those things that each person has to figure out in in the heat of the moment. I certainly wouldn't be calling you a poacher if you'd taken the shot....I'd be high fiving you.

best answer of the night...cant believe people are throwing around the word "poacher" over this

[Richard]

I had a big buck at my feeder the other evening and could see him good with my naked eye, but couldn't see him when I drew back and looked through my peep. So he got to walk. When you hunt in thick woods your shooting light runs out way before legal shooting light. If you are hunting the edge of a field, you can see well after legal shooting light. If you could see clearly to make an ethical shot, I would have done so.

[Speedgoat]

That is what spotlights are for.

[kyle1974]

I would have called the game warden and told him you considered shooting 4 minutes after legal shooting hours...


seriously, do people track sunset every time you're in the stand, and stare at your watch until it's over?

what if you drew back 30 seconds before legal shooting hours, but released your arrow 5 seconds afterward?

how do you know the exact time of sunset for your location? I typically only see it for the larger cities.

[Tmag]

Well done!

[RedRaiderInAustin]

You did the right thing. Maybe I just need structure but I actually enjoy making an ethical decision like that. For example, I've got a mature 10 pt that hangs around my stand but he's tall and narrow. He might make 13" but it's iffy. I take pride in letting him walk even though nobody would know if I shot him. Take pride in knowing you did the right thing.