I doubt two gruff looking buddies would've had the same luck as the dad & his boy. Who knows, maybe it was his first week on the job.
Maybe he issued verbal warnings? Ignorance of the law is no excuse, BUT if the guy didn't know all the rules then he wasn't willfully breaking the law. There is no need for the deer to have still been alive during that situation. One has a duty to finish the kill especially if the deer's death is gonna be an automatic.