I will try to keep this as short as possible. Opening day of the Maryland season I shoot a really nice buck only to lose him. Looking back I guess my shot was a tad high and maybe I should have given him more time but 3 hours that night and 4 the next day turned up no deer. I was sick. This has not happened to me in a long time and I was really down about it. This past friday evening I am hunting the same stand. I have deer all around me. I was going to shoot a spike but I usually only shoot mature bucks from this location. 6pm I have 3 does under me and see a really nice buck approaching. He sees the other deer and is coming my way at a pretty good clip. I manage to get an arrow on the string without the other deer seeingme. He steps inot my opening 20 yards. I tell myself to aim low. I was watching the "pocket" where the Treeshark tipped broadhead disappeard. Off he takes on a death run. I wait about 30 minutes and take up the easy to follow trail. I am now on a neighboring property with my flashlight. The landowner came out and was screaming to get off his property. I explained what I was doing and he said he was calling the police. I was forced to back off the trail. On my way out I FIND the deer I shot on opening day. He was a 130plus inch 8 point. He had double back and was way off where we had looked. So I take the rack from him and head out. I called the Warden and they tell me if the deer is on another property without permission there is nothing I can do. I went back the next morning in regular clothes and sneak up to the trail to find a gut pile and the deer gone! I have heard of this happening but never to me. I am having a euro. mount made of the 8 point and will share when I get it back. BILL
Wow, strange but cool. No meat, but you got your trophy. It was almost like the hand of fate was helping you find/recover the big boy. Awesome!
Bill,
Sorry to hear about the neighbor and the gutpile but so glad you found the first one...Hey were you at Tuckahoe shooting with us a few years back with a Northern Mist longbow? Not sure if I'm thinking of the same guy or not? I hang with Otis and Bruce... Keefer's <")))><
My father lost a 12 point he shot with his Hawken during early muzzleloader season pretty much the same way. We returned later, just as you did, only to find the gut pile too. It is BS that people will take your deer. Maybe its a Maryland thing, this was when we hunted in Frederick MD.
Hi Bill,
What a raw deal at least you were able to find the first one. Look on the bright side, the best hunting is yet to come. I love mid to late October!!
This would not happen in PA. The deer would be considered yours by the Game Warden. He or she could go and recover the deer. You could not but they could. I am suprised that it is not the same on the MD side of the border.
Martin
You should of asked for permission first. And then called the game warden if he didn't let you on his property. At least you got your first one, better luck next time.
In Minnesota we are not allowed to persue it and have to call the game warden - they say they get most of them even if the people don't want you too - we would not be allowed to take that rack either. Least your getting some action
mmisciag,
I am not aware that is how it works in PA..... I don;t think a warden can go on another property to retrieve a deer if the owner says no.
Bullfrog, sorry to hear your story. Did you know this neighbor?? Knew he wouldn't give permission to retrieve it?? Sounds like time to go in late at night.
Wow, I'm shocked... I don't understand people some time... It is to bad that you couldn't get to your deer. Hope for you that it never happen again!
Cheers
What an a-hole. I would had helped you look for #2.
When hunting near another property it is a good idea to get permission ahead of time in case these things happen. Good relations with land owners and hunters is paramount. I would have been a little angry if you didn't ask me first.(Of course I would let you). Game wardens are not always the answer to a dispute. BTW in PA you still need permission to retrieve a deer on another property. The warden can help you, but it is not a sure thing. We should all be careful and not just assume you can go on another property to get your deer.
In Iowa one is allowed to go after their game, unarmed. If there is a problem, the game wardens are real quick at setting the situation right.
Think positive,you have a very good spot and having fun.
I've had my share of Gotchya's. This past weekend I shot a doe hit it good saw it run around some thick brush. I'm heard a bunch of crashing and figured it went dowm around 40yds away.
I'm hunting near a logging road and the guy's that cut wood there are major stand stealing bandits. I saw there trucks going down the road as normal but they stopped where I couldn't see them for about 5mins.
This was 15mins after I had shot the deer. I waited 1 1/2 hours to go after the deer since it was 8:30am any how when I shot her. I got down picked up heavy blood 10yds from the hit. It went farther then I thought about 80yds to the edge of the road. No more blood no deer just a mess in the leaves and boot tracks! It was about ten yds off the road in a turn around area where the blood and deer stopped.
I looked all day with a bud nothing! I get home and have a message from the land owner saying the wood cutters found a deer laying in the middle of the road and she needs to have a talk with her hunter.
They are trying to get me tossed off the property so they can hunt it. The land owner can't stomach the guy's she knows the drill. There kids and them have been caught poaching on the property twice.
Problem is there making my life miserable. I lost 5 stands (Lone Wolfs and Gorilas plus sticks) totaling $1500.00 this season. Lotta hate there and vengence!
My job is not to forgive, it's to arange the meeting so God can.
Conservation officers can go where they want, when they want, without a search warrant. Their jurisdiction even extends beyond state lines. I don't know Maryland law, but perhaps once that deer enters another property the deer becomes the property of the land owner. One should always ask permission when stepping even one foot on private property for any reason. I have had my hunting ruined for the day by trespassers trailing allegedly shot deer through my property more than once. The deer should be yours to recover, but it should be on the landowners terms. Nobody ever has the right to trespass for any reason. Period.
I am gonna have to side with jrstegner on this. If you come to my house an asked permission, I would help you find your deer. If you showed up on my place looking with a flashlight at night, I would also run you off.
The reason is simple. Not trying to be hard to get along with, but I am sick of folks thinking that my land is public use land. I have folks poaching on it every year. One fellar even shot a deer in my front yard and drove his truck up in the yard to get it.
Fact is, you never know what the neighbor has had to deal with in the past. You should always try to put yourself in their shoes before making a decision like that.
God Bless,
Nathan
QuoteOriginally posted by Bullfrog 1:
I am having a euro. mount made of the 8 point and will share when I get it back. BILL
And unfortunately the other land owner is having one done of the deer you just shot. :laughing: I would try and talk to the other land owner and get some recovery rights for when this happens again.Maybe offer him some meat for the freezer if he allows you to recover game on his land.
I hear what a lot of you guys are saying. I would also come out if I saw flashlights and wonder what the hell was going on. The problem is the place I am hunting is residential. Everyone has 3-5 acres. I would venture to say I am the only one hunting the whole place! That is why I don't want to raise a stink and try to keep as low key as possible. The place is UNREAL for deer. BILL
Officer access laws vary from state to state. Even more variable is the officer's discretion in most situations. As much as the law other things such as demeanor, history, work ethic, etc. impact an officer's decisions.
The book is to try to get recovery permission before you need it. Offer to 1). call the landowner when you need to access property for recovery.
2). To take no bow or firearm on the property during recovery.
Like others have posted, it is an all to common ploy of trespassers to feign recovery attempts when they are really hunting illegal or scouting.
Yep get permission first, but have the DNR number stored in your cell. I'd like to see IL go the way Iowa did, but it's still the best idea to ask first.
The first deer I ever arrowed , this happened to me . IN PENNA> Lost the trail when it got dark was lookng for it with friends and flash lights and lanterns but still lost the trail in the dark. Next morning picked up the trail and followed right to the gut pile , next to the dump that the next property owners had. We are sure they saw the lights and knew what was going on waited till we left and then went up and found it and took it . Was a medium 4 point but it was painful back then sitll is !!!!!!
well i dont want too sound like a jerk,but ill not let someone come on my property for any reason.reason being im having bad problem with tresspassers.i have been watching a big 140 inch 8 this year and new where they are coming from and going too well moved in on him and never saw him sat..well thats because a guy jumped the fence and shot him sat.before the 5 bucks came my way...i cant stand a tresspasser for whatever reason
If that happens here, you call a wildlife officer to come to the scene. He gives the property owner two choices, either let the hunter recover the animal or they will issue the property owner a citation for wasting game. In the few cases where this has occured, the hunter has always prevailed.
In Rhode Island a Conservation Officer or Police Officer can assist in retreiving your deer regardless of property lines.
And the soloution is use a smaller flashlight with a red or green lense. Or wait until 1am and go for it. As long as there is fences this will always be an issue. First preference is to know landowners but in cases where person is avid anti hunting - what they don't know never hurts them.
QuoteOriginally posted by jrstegner:
[QB] Conservation officers can go where they want, when they want, without a search warrant. Their jurisdiction even extends beyond state lines.
That is NOT true. The 4th amendment prevents that very thing. Had a case in Penn. is the late 90's that went to the Supreme Court that supported that.Wardens searched a Taxidermist there w/o a warrent. Said because he was licensed by the state it gave them the right. Courts said nope, still need a warrent.
Even IF you or the CO can legally go after a wounded deer the land owner should be contacted FIRST. I can't say as I am too surpised at the land owners reaction. Getting on his good side is going to be harder now.
If you showed up on my land looking for a deer I would help you find it.Some people are just a$$holes.
PrairieD-"Conservation officers can go where they want, when they want, without a search warrant. Their jurisdiction even extends beyond state lines."
As far as I know this is true.They have more authority then a regular law officer.Yes you can protest it and take it to the supreme court but who has that kind of money?
I read stuff like this and it just makes me happier that I hunt state land. No nonsense like this to deal with. I know the deer are more spread out and you have to look harder for them but I'd rather have that than have to deal with this crap...angry landowners, people who steal treestands..I hunt to enjoy myself...how can anyone enjoy themselves in situations like the ones described here?
up here we have a right of retrieval, and we DON'T have to be unarmed.
In Maryland you are required to have in your possession written permission to tresspass or hunt on private property. You first mistake was to tresspass without written permission and your second was not going immediately to the neighbor and explain your situation before tresspassing. He may have let you recover the deer. We don't have any laws on the books that allow you to recover wounded game on someone elses property to my knowledge in this state like it or not.
I would move to the far end of the property or don't shoot deer moving toward his property as the chances he will grant you permission now are very slim especially if he finds the decapitated buck carcass.
CO's are basically bound to the same laws as police.
That said, one cannot claim the deer without a tag.
You might want to contact the CO and ask him to verify if in fact your neighbor had bought a tag prior to the incident, and even if so, if he in fact ever tagged your deer. What comes around goes around in the world of karma.
It's not like you're going to hurt your relationship with the guy, because he's already against you. But you may teach him a quiet lesson in karma.
An addition to tag info. In MD you don't need a licence to hunt on your own property but you must tag it with a homemade tag. Then you call the kill in and replace the field tag with a possession tag with the confirmation number you get over the phone on it.
The property owner must have a confirmation number. You may be able to get him on that. Be carefull because if he finds and reports the first buck you could take a fall for the untagged buck skull. Could be a can of worms.
I tell you I am a very nice and gentle spirit until it comes to trespassers. We have had our fill over the years on the farm of finding gut piles and running off trespassers that claim to be looking for a wounded deer, but can't produce one drop of blood anywhere, and sometimes they don't seem to even be on a track in the snow. We also have a load of neighbors who think it is perfectly fine to hunt right on the property line with their stand in a fence line tree and them setting so their shooting side is facing us; they have to stand up and turn around 180 to shoot on the property they are supposed to be hunting. Then there is the neighbor with the shooting shack setting three feet from the fence who sets facing the fence with his back to his 5 acres with no window on that side. Or the guys bow hunting in another neighbors back yard of their one acres lot with their pop up blind setting on the fence line right in a gap in our pine trees we planted to screen off all the neighbors. How likely is it that they could shoot a deer and not have it leave the property if it was ever on it in the fist place? So when one of them comes looking for a deer even if they ask I tell them to head home unless they can show me blood starting on their side of the fence at least. I get soooo tired of seeing the orange army march up and down the fence line. I have had three very close calls with shotgun slugs so I have had it with all that. I don't even feel safe hunting within 100 yd. of the property line.
Don't get me started on the construction works that used our pines as a toilet for a good part of a year while building a house for another new neighbor, but that is another trespasser type along with the dogs, kids, and ladies on horses who think riding on the property in the middle of gun deer season would be as good idea.
So what I am saying is ask first because some of us have had all we can stand from the neighbors and don't care to have you just do as you please. It could be your first hunt on an adjacent property, but you have no idea what the neighbor has put up with in the past. Even with all my experience and more new neighbors on the way, I would let anyone who asks come get a deer if they show blood on their property leading into mine. If you feel you can't ask then make sure your deer doesn't leave your property. I would recommend anytime you start to hunt a new place that you meet all the neighbors before you hunt, tell them you will be hunting in the area, and ask if you can get their phone number to ask to get a deer if one should cross the line. I think that would go a long way.
Man sorry to here about the second deer but i'm glad you found the first one.
20 yrs ago i was hunting with a family who own some of the best hunting land in the state.
They had a walk in cooler that would hold around 20 deer.
To make a long story short me and my friends brother shot 2 bucks one afternoon and mine was a huge rack 7 pointer that weighed 226 lbs.
The next morning we returned to hunt and both our bucks were gone. All i have left to show are a couple of pictures.
I was so sick i could hardly hunt that day, the buck i shot was just a monster and for someone to come into the cooler and take it really sucked.
Xtrema/Tood, you're preaching to the choir with me. Perhaps it's a Michigan thing with 300,000 "bowhunters" and 650,000 gun hunters, and the huge numbers of stolen trail cam and stolen treestand stories, it makes you wonder if we're the 10% minority out here.
I have no issue with a guy tracking "blood". And I have an agreement with my neighborbors about looking for wounded deer, but sometimes the overall BS makes it tough to be understanding to the legit guy tracking a legit bloodtrail.