Claiming a deer question

[FearNoFish]

Here the short version of what happened, I was on stand Saturday evening a doe with a large buck move by me I had a shot at 30 to 35 yards broadside to a large buck ( he turns out to be 14 points plus some junk) largest buck I have ever seen.I place a slug from my browning 12 ga behind his right front shoulder he goes down, after kicking for a few miuntes he stops I give him 20 min before approaching, as I do he tries to get up, I give him another quarter away shot into the ribs. he manages to his feet. I can see hes hurt bad so I leave him for another hour before tracking some more. He ends up cross the property line and beds down in some swamp grass. the nabour has watched him and sneaks up a finishes him off with a shot to his neck. He did take the deer and tag it.

Would you give the deer to the first shooter or the kill shot, even though my shot was killing him. he just needed to die his lungs were in bad shape.

[DonBo]

Where I come from, that's YOUR deer. Hard to compete against a neighbor if it's on his property though. Next time, keep shooting till it's down for good.

[WalleyeChaser]

I would have to say that if you had an obvious kill shot it would be yours. It would be a different story had it only been shot in the leg and be able to survive. It sucks when neighbors are like that, there's no way that guy could. Be proud of that animal in my opinion.

[motley man]

I would at least get a picture of the deer since the nabor is going to be that way.

[harvey lee]

Your deer with a good hard shot. That's that.

People will do anything for a deer. There are so few sportsmen left these days and it's sad.

[AuggieDawg11]

Sounds like that is your deer. Sorry you have to deal with someone like that.

[Jack Peterson]

UGG, that would make me so mad! Nobody has morals anymore.

My buddy shot a 280lb 16+ point buck this weekend. It ran across the neighbors for about a mile. An older man was shooting at it, but he was trying to kill it for my buddy. Then he helped them pull it out of the weeds with his four wheeler.

I wish everyone had good hunting ethics.

[Greg Clusiau]

Judgement call, depending on who's on the receiving end. That deer should have been yours IMO. Anyone with a little hunting etiquette would let you have it. Bum deal. Too bad.

We lost the largest buck taken in the state (for the deer season) one time when a monster buck, that was all shot up by our camp, straggled into/near someone elses hunting camp and they gave it the finishing shot. If memory serves me, it dressed out over 300 pounds. We used to call him "Big WallY' and chased him around for a few seasons. That sucked too.

[Heartman]

Hunting just past Knife River on north shore this weekend. Sunday morning quite nice - warm/hot - in the stand so decided to take a walk. Out into a clearcut, and came across a freshly killed fawn lying in the sun that was already bloated. Looked around, and see a guy sitting next to his 4 wheeler a couple hundred yards away, looking right at me.

I gathered that he was the shooter, and it was his deer - no prob with that. What I did have trouble with was that this guy hadn't yet come over to gut it out, and laying there in the sun the deer had already started to spoil.

Afraid to cause issue, I wandered off. I am having second thoughts though in that I probably could've at least dragged the carcass into the shade or something. Would have dressed out at about 50lbs, maybe, by the way - a real giant.

What would you have done?

[shedzbo]

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[FrontenacPike]

The law states who ever kills the deer is the owner. It does not matter if the dear is wounded or not. Case in point, yesterday my mother in law shot a wounded buck. No blood trail and no one came looking for it. So if we didn't have a law like that she would of had to leave it there after realizing it already had a hole in it....or not shoot at all. Now if someone would of came along, she would of been more than happy giving the deer up. Not to mention she was not ready to end her season on a basket 8, but what do ya do.

It all boils down to the unwritten laws of etiquette and courtesy...and I for one truly believe what goes around comes around.

HARVEY you hit the nail on the head up there "People will do anything for a deer". One of our county commissioners was caught poaching a few years back. This guy is an outstanding citizen when not wearing blaze orange. Some people its like they are possessed, they are willing to break laws, put other in danger and will stop at nothing to tag a trophy. AND these are the same people you sit across from at church on Sunday. Heck I've even heard stories of guys getting guns drawn on them over a dead deer dispute. I gotta say it again, common courtesy isn't that common anymore. The only thing we can do is do our part and try and teach others about the unwritten rules.

[FearNoFish]

I do know the rule who kills it gets it that why I just wanted to see it to make sure it was the same deer and not another huge deer (whats the odds) the family that did tag the deer were not willling to let me get a picture with it they really did not want me in the barn but like I sateted I just wanted to make sure it was the same deer.

As for slugs good Old Federal truball have never let me down before. (rething that)

Yes I just had to walk away with my head down, can't argue who killed it he just has to remeber who really ended the bucks life.

[eyeguy 54]

I would send him a letter explaining hunting ethics. And ask him what happened to Minnesota nice? That's a mighty lame hunter in my opinion. If it was a nice big doe he probably would have said, here she is, I finished her off for ya. Sheesh, some peoples kids.

[ozzie]

If I was in that guys shoes it would be hard to give up the deer but at the same time if you did the work to track it to the kill spot and it obviously had been wounded bad enough that it would have died I would still give it to you after I got some pics with it. I am sure he is having a tough time in his mind thinking that what he did was sportsmanly.

[mws4dux]

A buddy of mine shot a large buck at ripley. The buck ran by two other hunters who also stuck arrows in him. By the time my buddy got to the deer,one of the other hunters was getting ready to fielddress the deer. Buddy called an CO officer who came out and awarded the deer to my buddy seeing his shot was determined a kill shot.

[eyeguy 54]

hind site but maybe shoulda called a CO after reading that.

[flipper]

First kill shot should get the animal. However I do not like arguing with people with guns. I guess in hindsight you should have pumped a couple more into him. (the deer).

[FrontenacPike]

I would send him a letter explaining hunting ethics. And ask him what happened to Minnesota nice?

I love that idea EYEGUY.

It really takes a different kind of person. I wouldn't be able to even mount something like that, every time I'd look at the mount It would disgust me.

BTW Troy Reinke the guy from White Rock that poached that state record 8 last fall told me he is having a Replica done. He is set to be released from jail a couple more weeks from now. I guess if your gonna do a year in Jail for being an [PoorWordUsage] might as well get a souvenir att it.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

I do know the rule who kills it gets it that why I just wanted to see it to make sure it was the same deer and not another huge deer (whats the odds) the family that did tag the deer were not willling to let me get a picture with it they really did not want me in the barn but like I sateted I just wanted to make sure it was the same deer.

As for slugs good Old Federal truball have never let me down before. (rething that)

Yes I just had to walk away with my head down, can't argue who killed it he just has to remeber who really ended the bucks life.

Please correct me if I am wrong here but you must be taking the neighbors word for it that he finished the buck off. You did wait an hour after the second encounter and only got to see the buck in the shed, right? If you really did hit the deer as hard as you said he could very well have been stone dead when your neighbor found him. Sad really and in a case such as this an immediate follow after the shot / shots may or may not have helped.

[walleye365]

im not really a fan of the first blood rule unless its a kill shot sounds like its your deer no ? FNF next time you see him ask him hows my buck goin to look on your wall.

[MinDak Hunter]

Frontenac said, "The law states who ever kills the deer is the owner. It does not matter if the dear is wounded or not."

Where does it say that? I tried looking it up but couldn't find the statute or rule on that...

[FrontenacPike]

Exact wording, I'll try finding it and post a link...I wasn't quoting. I know it isn't in the Reg book.

Origins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierson_v._Post

Unwritten Law: http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/mn/course/ch3_respect_companions.htm

Found it: http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/study/outlines/html/prop/prop03.htm

[schmoe147]

From what you say I believe it is not yours. A well placed shot on a whitetail and its dead within minutes, espically with a gun. I dont believe or have ever seen a vital shot deer that has got up after walking up to it. Heart double lung shot and its dead in no time. If your neighbor had to shoot it a third time to finish it off something tells me your shot wasnt as good as you thought. It happens to everyone and sucks, but you learn from your bad shots. just my opinion.

[JeffB]

I would have told him. If you mount him and put him on the wall I hope you remember how you stole him every time you look at him.

[BigJakeL]

Nope i thought it was an unwritten rule that whomever has first "good" blood was the person to claim the deer. Unless, no one comes to claim the deer. Then whomever finishes it off! That sure wasn't very neighborly either! You still have more days to hunt I hope you kill a bigger buck than the one your neighbor took!