My worst day hunting ever!

[sturmruger]

We are still in the regular season deer hunt here in WI. I sat the morning in a tree stand and got out of the woods about 10am. I had time for a short cat nap and joined my favorite party for a few well orchestrated drives. On our first drive of the day I was sitting on the edge of a bean field. About 20 minutes into the drive a very nice 8 point buck came running out into the field I was watching. I shot at him once while he was trotting about 75 yards away and then again while he was running. The second shot was just as he was cresting a small rolling hill about 150 yards from where I was standing. I thought I saw him cartwheel and started to run after him to see if I had dropped him on the other side of the hill. A buddy of mine who was standing on top of a high point said he saw him go down, and that he was hit good. He recommended I wait and give him time to bleed out. After 30 minutes of waiting I hiked out into the field to start looking for blood and any sign that he had gone down. I looked through the whole field for sign of blood but was unable to find any. The small patch of woods that he was running towards was very small maybe 4-5 acres at most. The problem was we did not have permission to enter this patch of woods.

We went over to talk to the landowner to ask permission for two of us to follow the trail into the woods where the deer I had shot was most likely laying down. As soon as she came to the door she was pissed. She told me that if I set one toe on her land she would call the sheriff on me!! I explained that I did not want to hunt her land just recover the deer that I had shot. She told me her son was going to go out there and make sure no one entered her land for the rest of the day!

I am so mad that I can’t go in and get this deer. I have shot nice bucks before so it isn’t even that I am missing out on a nice rack. I just hate to see a nice deer like this go to complete waste. I was really looking forward to some venison in my freezer this year. I guess the coyotes have to eat too.

In hindsight I should have just kept looking for the deer. She doesn’t have her land posted so there is no way I could have gotten a ticket for walking on her land. In WI you have to be notified that trespassing is not allowed or they can’t give you a ticket. Notification can be via signs or verbally. Since I was verbally told not to enter her land if I had trespassed at that point I could have been ticketed. I guess it all goes back to the saying “ is easier to ask for forgiveness then permission.”

It crossed my mind to go out there with a good flashlight, but I really don't feel like a $500 tresspassing ticket.

 

[mustanger98]

Tell you what the game warden told us here... always make the effort to retrieve a deer you've shot. If somebody wants to act like that, call the game warden. He'll talk to the landowner and probably be able to help you recover your deer, especially since they have federal authority and can go places without a warrant that other LEO's and you can't.

 

[countertop]

especially since they have federal authority and can go places without a warrant that other LEO's and you can't.

I agree he should contact the game warden, but the idea that 1) they have some super authority that allows them to tresspass or 2) it comes from some "federal authority" is simply ludicrous.

 

[mustanger98]

Well, that was what they more or less said. Unless maybe they find out a game law or hunting ethic is being broken or trampled on, respectively, and get a warrant based on the hunter's word as probable cause. It's been a couple of years since I took that course.

 

[MFH]

My understanding also is that in many cases they do not need a warrant for search/trespass. At least for trespass, they enter private land at will without a warrant. I know several individuals who have had them "pop-up" to check out hunters on their own land.

MFH

 

[dakotasin]

call the warden and go get your deer. it should be cold enough that it will be ok.

the landowner can deny the warden permission to go out there, but cannot deny a ticket for wanton waste...

 

[sturmruger]

Dakotasin that is the best idea I have heard yet. Thanks I will give that a try.

 

[dakotasin]

d'ja get your deer?

 

[Lupinus]

That SUCKS. Goes to show nice guys finish last, if yo uhad jsut kept going and trespassed you would have a nice freezer full of meat, now you don't cause you were nice and asked. Not saying you shouldn't have, just saying that sucks big time.

Im all for calling a game warden but to my thinking right now whats the point?
Not sure what the temp is right now but even cold with it sitting there all night not at least field trimmed I wouldn't personally bother. And besides a fresh kill like that? Probably will be messed with by coyotes or something else by the time you can get a game warden to go out there with you.

 

[mustanger98]

I'd bother just on principle. One, a guy goes to the effort to hunt, shoots a deer, tracks it and makes the effort to recover because that's the ethical thing to do. Coyotes or no coyotes, the antlers may still be there, even after 24 hours. Two, why let a belligerant person win for getting in the way of an ethical recovery, even if they are the landowner where the deer went. They want to be ticked off... give 'em something to be ticked off about... legally. And not having the last laugh on a hunter going about an ethical course of action is poetic justice on that kind.

 

[Don Gwinn]

In Illinois, that's not an option. You have the legal right to recover wounded game after it crosses a boundary. You must go unarmed to do so, and it's a good idea to call the game warden in to accompany you if you think the landowner will get froggy, but they can't legally deny you passage. I hunt a stand right next to the boundary with some pretty uppity folks who hate hunters, but l no longer worry much about going over the fence after a deer. I just leave the gun on "my" side of the fence.


The game wardens (Conservation Police Officers) also DO have the legal authority under Illinois law to enter private property to look for wildlife code violations. They don't always need warrants. That may be unConstitutional (I sure think it is) but that's the way the law works in Illinois.

 

[sturmruger]

I talked to the DNR and the warden wasn't willing to help me out. I might go back in a week or two to see if there is any sign of a deer back there, but for now I guess I am out of luck. Thanks for all the good advice. I wish WI had a sensible hunting laws like IL.




I never thought I would say anything good about IL laws!!

 

[Lupinus]

Tell the police your property accidently landed on hers and she is keeping you from getting it.

You want your bullet back

 

[OH25shooter]

In Illinois, that's not an option. You have the legal right to recover wounded game after it crosses a boundary. You must go unarmed to do so, and it's a good idea to call the game warden in to accompany you if you think the landowner will get froggy, but they can't legally deny you passage.

Same here in Ohio. Not sure about being unarmed, but you can cross into anothers property to claim a kill. Farmers know that. Kinda screws up other hunters who are quit and still in the hunting mode, not recovery.

 

[scout26]

Correction:

Don, check the upper right hand corner of page 8 of the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2005-2006. http://www.dnr.state.il.us/admin/systems/Digest/index.htm

"Hunters and trappers must obtain permission from the landowner or tenant before entering his land regardless of whether or not the land is fenced or posted.

Also:
" Illinois law does not grant the right of trespass for the purpose of retrieving wounded or crippled wildlife. You must secure permission from the landowner or tenant before entering any property."

Sorry, If you shoot a deer on your or public land and it crosses onto someone else land, you CANNOT just hop the fence and get your animal. If they deny you permission to recover it, you're just SOL. Now if they recover it, they do have to properly tag it.

You legally/ethically have to make every effort to recover the animal, but if denied permission by the landowner to enter, you are no longer responsible and cannot be ticketed/fined for wanton waste.

Don, if you've been jumping a fence with or without a gun you are still trespassing. If your animal does goes over onto other property getting a CPO involved may help in efforts at recovery.

 

[svtruth]

I'm not a hunter

but if you shoot at an animal cresting a hill, isn't it possible for there to be something/one you don't want to shoot beyond the target?

 

[mustanger98]

svtruth, that's why they say don't take skyline shots. According to the USMC manua