[krisoft]

> Also seems like it would be tough to do the former without accidentally doing the latter.

Like put away your gun? I have walked in forests with a flashlight without killing anything many many times. The trick is to not bring a gun to the experience.

[bluGill]

If you are recovering down game you should have a gun on you. Sometimes you discover the animal is not dead, just in pain and will die many hours in the future. The ethical thing is to deliver a clean kill - which requires a weapon. Shooting a gun at close range under light is not dangerous. Most uses of a gun at night are stupid and recklessly dangerous, but this is one of the exceptions where it is safe.

Note that the above is at odds with telling if someone is illegally hunting at night. Which is why it is often prohibited.

[BytesAndGears]

> The ethical thing is to deliver a clean kill - which requires a weapon.

Isn’t a knife also well suited to this purpose? Assuming the animal is on the ground and not able to move well. Though I guess it depends how injured they are

[bluGill]

No. An animal is unpredictable and can still kick.

[krisoft]

One could argue that the fact that the animal which you are trying to kill has a chance of hurting you back makes that the only sporting option.

[peterleiser]

The defense attorney said: “Both the arresting officer and the undercover officer — both a game warden for over 30 years each — testified that it is illegal to recover downed game at night without a weapon”

[Johnny555]

But also, they couldn't point to a law prohibiting it:

He says that during the trial, neither game warden could recall ever citing a hunter for trying to recover downed game at night — nor could they point to a single section of the state’s game code that supported their position. That code was amended in 2018 to allow the use of tracking dogs when recovering deer and other big game.