Scenario: You are hunting 75yds into an oak flat on public land. It's the last day of the season and you have not had any luck. A small doe - not a 6 month old, maybe 1.5years old or so - comes in at about 4PM in the afternoon and presents you with a great slightly quartering away 18 yard shot. You decide to take her, make a good shot. But, she runs straight for the private land 75 yards away, and thanks to the open hardwoods, you see her fall and die at about 100yds out - 25 into the land you KNOW is not public and which you do NOT have permission to be on.
Do you go and try to figure out permission, call DEEP etc, or, do you get down, walk over, drag her a little bit back onto public land, gut and drag her out?
This is, to me, where ethics dont always match laws. I could ask and do the "right" thing legally... and it's entirely possible that by the time it all worked out, it would be the next day and I'd find a head and a well eaten torso thanks to yotes, or that the land owner would say no and I just wasted a deer for no reason.
In that scenario, I'm dropping my gear on public land, walking the 25yds in, and getting her on public land to gut and drag.
Had I not seen her fall, and I questioned the shot, I may have used a different strategy. But in this case, the moral courage I apply is in favor of knowing I could get the deer out of the woods in one piece ASAP.
How about you guys? Anyone looking at their dead deer 25 yds away, walking out and going through the "correct channels"?
good question. I would go to my truck, clean up a bit and then drive to the house with the dead deer in the yard to ask permission to retrieve the deer. I would offer some of the venison to the owner if he allowed to get the deer. If they refused I would try to explain that the deer would attract coyotes and bobcats to their yard, just so they understood what would happen. If they still said no, I would thank them and leave.
Let's look at it from the landowner's perspective. Your sitting in your family room and you look out and see someone run across your property in the dark, in camo with a gun or bow in their hands and drag a dead animal from your yard. Did he just shoot a deer standing next to my son's swingset? What in the heck is he doing!!
I would honor the landowner and I'd hope someone would do the same on my property
I've done both.
Once on Greenwich the deer ran to someones property and died on their lawn. I went to ask permission and now I hunt that property too. While hunting that property, deer went over another property line. I now hunt that one too.
Another time in easton I shot a nice doe. She ran and jumped over the wall and she was dead 15-20 yards over the property line. The house was about 150 yards away. I jumped over and dragged her back to my side. It took 15 seconds. Had the doe gone 50-60 yards farther, I would've gone and ask permission first.
Is that against the law? Yes but so is driving 56 on a 55 mph zone.
I have 3 or 4 properties that I hunt because I went to ask permission to drag.
you're a hunting family and I can appreciate your response to this question, very different than that of a non-hunter.
What if it was a dirt biker running across your property without permission, is that ok too? I only ask because I always assume the homeowner is NOT a hunter, and therefore I want to respect their land, the same as I would if I owned the property.
When I shot the buck this year I had to ask a stranger for a wheelbarrow. I tried to present myself as courteous and polite as possible and if they said no, I would have thanked them for at least listening to me. When the gentlemen said yes, I came back the next weekend with tools which they were delighted with. I hope I showed them that hunters are "GOOD PEOPLE" and respect the rights of others and are grateful for any considerations given to us.
In the end, it's illegal to trespass to retrieve the deer and our opinions don't matter. Work towards changing the law, not figuring out how to break them and not get caught.
you're a hunting family and I can appreciate your response to this question, very different than that of a non-hunter.
What if it was a dirt biker running across your property without permission, is that ok too? I only ask because I always assume the homeowner is NOT a hunter, and therefore I want to respect their land, the same as I would if I owned the property.
When I shot the buck this year I had to ask a stranger for a wheelbarrow. I tried to present myself as courteous and polite as possible and if they said no, I would have thanked them for at least listening to me. When the gentlemen said yes, I came back the next weekend with tools which they were delighted with. I hope I showed them that hunters are "GOOD PEOPLE" and respect the rights of others and are grateful for any considerations given to us.
In the end, it's illegal to trespass to retrieve the deer and our opinions don't matter. Work towards changing the law, not figuring out how to break them and not get caught.
Partly because it shows where we all hunt or think of hunting. I'd envisioned a big oak flat - in my head, that was what I'm used to hunting - so there no homes in sight for a long ways.
If the same scenario was in place in I could not see a home, I'm going to get the deer.
If I could see the home, I'd ask permission.
I believe at times ethics exceed the law. If I see a series of posted signs, but 50yds on the other side is a landscaper who just fell down when his chain saw slipped and he has a massive wound in his leg, I'm not going to go look for permission to cross the posted signs on the property line. I'm calling 911 while walking across the line to try and help the guy. Is that illegal? Yes. But in that case it's absolutely ethically right to "break" the "law".
Is grabbing a deer you killed a MUCH lower level situation, sure. But it show's its a challenge, and that just because there is a law, it may not be ethical or moral to follow that law in that moment.
Perhaps another way to look at it would be if the situation was the same, but it was 200yds from a home, you may or may not be seen, and you KNOW the landowner would not let you retrieve the deer under any circumstance?
If I am the property owner and some one shoots a deer at my neighbours property and dies in my property out of my/my wife's view, I don't mind if they just go get it and dragg to their side. It would only be an issue if they shoot the deer on my side.
Another exception: If they shoot a deer on their side and the deer jumps to my side and beds down 10-15 yards on my side. I don't mind them taking a follow up shot to put a wounded deer out.
If the deer falls on my lawn or close to the house, I let them use my deer cart to bring it to their truck.
I would do the same as the property owner, but we're both hunters and you're a nice guy:)
I sure hope everyone else would do the same thing concerning where to dress out the deer!! That would be a terrible thing to leave a property owner.
We knocked on the door and apparently she had already seen the dead deer. She SCREAMED bloody murder as soon as the door opened! "you murderer!, you should be shot like that deer!' etc etc
My wife is a nurse and used to hysterical people and did her best to calm the woman down just as the womans husband came to the door and told us he called the police.
I went to my car and waited for them as I thought this was my best chance at redemption.
hold onto your hats.
The police arrived, told us to stay in the car and blocked my car from leaving, I guess?
He went up to the home owners and we can hear the screaming from the door.
Just then DEEP officers pulled up and came to us. I got out of the car and explained the situation from start to finish. They DEEP officer said fine and he waited to hear from the cops after they spoke to the homeowners.
There was a meeting between cops and DEEP after which DEEP officers dragged the deer to THEIR truck. The cops came up to me and asked me if I shot the deer on the property. I told them there was a clear blood trail from where I shot it, they could see my tree stand, etc. I was in the clear about where I shot it.
He then said, 'if you have nothing to hide, why did you go home to change'? WHAT?! I told him my thinking but he wasn't buying it. Sorry for the long story, but bottom line, I was ticketed and had to appear in Bridgeport court where the judge dismissed the case after I spoke with the DA about the circumstances.
The DEEP officers took the deer because it was 'inconclusive' whether it was taken legally.
Needless to say it left a terrible taste in my mouth.
what sad state of affairs that both the DEEP and the police couldn't piece together the story just by using common sense. If you were poaching, why would you ask permission to get the deer? Makes no sense.
I would have written a letter to the DEEP and police dept and copied the local press (editorial page at the very least) explaining the situation. I know some would say you're asking for more trouble, but I would have been that upset!
Can I let go of my hat now?
HB,
that really sucks. It shows you how inept the people in charge are. I guess that debunks the "change your cloth" mith.
I had an anti yelling at me and telling he how scarry i looked in my hunting cloth. "YOU LOOK LIKE THE NRA" she said.
Had an incident with a hysterical woman while dragging a deer out of Trout Brook Valley. She's covering the kids eyes and saying how wrong it is.....I looked at her husband like I wanted to kick his ass for not having some balls to tell her to calm down with the hysterics.
Glad it worked out for you in the end, and sometimes that's what sucks about doing the right thing, especially when dealing with cops who treat you with suspicion when you're doing the honorable thing.
Well, this guy was married (since divorced, go figure) to a real sweatheart. We could hear her screaming at him while taking his balls away anytime he didn't do what she wanted. So he comes over and asks me if I'm going to keep the dead animal hanging from the tree much longer and I said yes, about 3 more days to age the meat, then I'll butcher it downstairs, why is there a problem.
I thought he was going to cry. He said, my kids are getting upset when they look over here, so I said, tell them not to look over here. I took an old sheet and covered the deer, but within a few hours it had blood red blotches, so it looked worse than the nice furry animal that was there before.
Soon after he put up a 6ft high stockade fence across our property line. :) Now we're friends, his kids are grown and moved out, and he has a nice new wife.
25 yards? I'd scoop that deer without delay and drag it back. Close to their house or further than that onto that property? Go ask. You are probably more likely to get a new permission than to get yelled at.
I have knocked on doors while tracking and found no one home. What am I supposed to do, call the police on myself for trespassing? In good faith, I have just gotten back on the track. I owe the deer that much. No weapons, of course.
