What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Last year my brother lost his buck because it left the 100 acres we were hunting on and went across the road onto someone elses property. We waited an hour then decided to try to track it. We had no idea who owned the land because there were no houses on it and it was situated between two houses which only had an acre each. We follow the trail into the woods to find another hunter sitting there. He says " Go back out the way you came!" So my brother tells him he' s tracking the buck and the guy says " Too bad" . This guy lives on a neighborning piece of property and wouldn' t answer any questions about who owned the property. My brother was pretty bummed out over that. So, how do all go about getting permission to hunt or track on posted property when you down' t know the owners?

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

go get your local game warden he will get it with out any ploblems.

go deep hunt hard.;)

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

In PA as I understand it, you need to contact the local WCO, he will get your deer for you.
I don' t think the ol' " Possession is 9/10ths of the Law" stuff works with respect to game animals.
Just call the PGC and tell them the situation and that someone will not allow you to pursue the animal.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

In PA it is legal to track any wounded animal onto posted or private property. However if/when possible you should notify the landowner. If the landowner does not want to cooperation you' ll have to contact the game commission immediately.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

If you cannot contact the landowner, call the game warden and they will come get your deer for you.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

ya usually if we want to track a deer after legal hunting time we have to call the conservation officers at home to get permission. Usually peopl are pretty good here about that sort of thing but you get the odd person who has to be difficult. in this situation i would agree that calling the co' s to sort out the dispute would be a good idea. just wondering if u guys were tracking that deer after dark what was the hunter doing still hunting i would have blackmailed him a bit either u let me find my deer or i' m callin the co' s for hunting after legal time. not sure if this tactic is very mature but it would probably do the job.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Well, that seems fair to me....
It was during legal hours (middle of the day).
To complicate the question - will the game warden finish tracking the deer if you' re not sure where it fell and the landowner doesn' t want you on their land?

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Id bust him in his eye and made him tell mewhos land it was if i was in your bros. shoes[>:]

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Oh no its not, you dont have the right to tresspass to pursue your previously wounded animal, would be nice but its not legal.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

PA must be more relaxed than WV. In WV it is illegal to go onto posted (or fenced) land without permission...period. You can go to the game warder, but he would need permission as well. Besides if you treepass in WV, you are liable to get shot or thrown in jail. If they went to the trouble to post it, they obviously don' t want anyone on there.

It is always good to try to have a gentleman' s agreement with the adjacent land owners. Obtain this permission prior to hunting season. If you don' t know who the owner is, this information can easily be found at your county court house.

Never enter posted land without permission. Not everyone will take treepassing lightly.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Try to know your neighbors in advance of hunting season - come to an understanding on what to do if you can.

Otherwise - you have to do the Game Warden thing - and that usually SUCKS!

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

I always have the name and numbers of all the adjoining landowners surrounding my hunting area. I ran into the same problem a few years ago when helping a buddy of mine track a 6 pt. he shot on 140 acres. The deer crossed the property line and so we left our bows on his property and continued to track the buck. Another hunter walked up on us and we told him what had happened. He was a real jerk about it and told us to get off the property. I asked him if he owned the land and he said no. I told him I was getting the deer and if he had a problem to go get the landowner. He left and that gave us just enough time to find the deer and drag it back to our property. Since then I visited every surrounding landowner, (including the one in the previous story), and introduced myself. Since that time I have had to call two of the landowners when a deer crossed the line.
They were both very nice about it.
If that guy you ran into wouldnt give you the name of the landowner I would have continued to track the deer and tell him if he didnt want to tell me the mans name
then he must not mind if I track my buck. Im a very reasonable person but very stubborn. Worse case scenerio, misdemeanor trespassing charge.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

had same issue here last fall. Fortunately I knew the surrounding land owners. In Minnesota it is legal I believe to cross a property line to " retrieve" an animal. Most will let you cross, but the wise thing is not to have your weapon with, then they know your not hunting. Tazimna

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Interesting posts. Thankfully I have never found myself in this situation before, but I have learned some things from all your posts.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

I stand corrected. Thanks for the info Buckshot.:)

I confirmed this by calling the local game commission office. I could have swore it was legal but obviously I was wrong or must have been confused with something else.

I did gather some other information. I was told that the game commission will NOT retreive the deer. I was told that if the landowner does not allow the hunter to retreive the animal there is nothing they can do. The animal must be left to rot. The landowner is NOT allowed to take the animal or move it since he/she was not the person who shot it. If they do then the game commission should be notified and the landowner should be fined.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Its a shame, but I agree with that 100%

Private property is private property - period.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Not familar with your area at all but in Iowa we have what is called a plat book which lists each land owners name. I would see if there is something like that around. I would also inquire to the person whose land you are hunting on. Most land owners can tell you who owns the land around them.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

I would call the game warden.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Luckily here in Minnesota you have the right to follow a wounded deer.I personally have never had to do it but i would try to get the owners permission before I went on his land.Also I have seen in the last few years it' s been getting harder and harder to get people to let you hunt on there land.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

In South Dakota you can follow wounded game across property lines but you can not take your weapon if you do not have permission. I personally, would contact the landowner prior to entering his propterty, irregardless that the law says I can.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

There is a property adjacent to the farm where I hunt that is leased to some guys who are less than understanding about going on their lease. They are adament about us not crossing the property line in search of a hit deer. I' ll quote..." Don' t step one foot on this piece of land, not one foot" . These are also the same guys who have no problem putting on deer drives that push the deer off the farm and onto their posted land but we can' t even retrieve a deer. Private property...Screw them. If my deer crosses the line I' m going to get him private property or not. I' m not going to let it lay. They can call the cops if they want. I don' t really care. Jim

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

A guy I work with shot a doe on private property and tracked it across a property line. Before entering the private property, he tried to contact the landowner (who happened to be a game officer). He wasn' t home, so, he went over and field dressed the deer and dragged it home. Later, knowing that he should' ve waited for permission, he stopped by the officer' s home and explained the situation, and the landowner pressed charges!!!! He even launched an investigation involving a DNA test of the gut pile to link it to the deer that was now hanging in the guy' s garage just for evidence. This story woke me up on the issue of tracking deer across property lines. PA hunters, keep this in mind when hunting close to property lines -- Never go on that property !!! You never know when the owner him/herself may be sitting in a tree hunting and see you. If they carry a cell phone as I do, the game commission may be there before you even get back to the truck! It' s just not worth it.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

NOT TRUE.

I don' t know why you were told this, but, that isn' t true.

If this situation occurs, you have to call the Game Commission, and they will send out a commissioner. You will have to show him where you shot the deer and prove that you didn' t shoot the deer on the private property. Once that is done, then he will escourt you onto the private property so you can tag and retrieve your animal, no matter what the landowner thinks of this.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

I' m kind of in line with 6pt125lbs, might have tried to avoid bustin his eye until I had to though!

If he' s not willing to answer any questions, etc... how do you know he even had promission. Additionally, the DNR would have helped you. Heck get on the cell right there with the guy standing beside you when you call. They' ll usually cave in before you' re call is completed because they don' t want to deal with the hastle.

Cold day in hell before I walk off and leave any animal I down, buck or not.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

I think it' s against the law in most states to go on private ground without consent. In Maryland it doesn' t even have to be posted. In Maryland the chances of gaining consent are near zero as a lot of the land is tree hugger owned. That said, I usually go ahead and sneak and peak. I usually leave my weapon behind. If I know who owns it I' ll try to gain permission. In many states, the guy doesn' t have to let you go on his land even if the Game Warden is standing there pleading with the guy. So, if you go you have to be willing to pay the consequences if you trespass. I retrieved one deer 30 yards from a tree huggers tennis court and they never knew I was there. I just don' t like the idea of leaving one dead in the woods. I can' t agree with those who want to bust the guy in the eye. There is NO deer worth a physical confrontation with anyone, besides the fact you' ll be arrested and probably loose all your hunting privileges. If you' re caught trespassing and the guy suggest you leave.... say " thank you, I' m sorry" and exit with assurances it won' t happen again.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Years ago, and I haven' t checked lately, it was legal to cross onto private property to retrieve downed game, taking the shortest route to and from and without any weapon. This is in Iowa. May have changed in the last few years...I can' t really say. And it seems to pertain to downed game, not wounded game that your tracking.

Either way, I' d try to get the owner' s information before hand and if I didn' t have it, I' d leave my bow and start tracking. Chances are, if your brother had come upon me, I' d have helped him recover the animal.

PS....In Iowa, the Game Warden will not track, retrieve, gut, cape, nor load your animal for you. Some of you guys kill me....Hey Warden, my buffalo ran across that fence where I don' t have permission. You go get him and drag him back across the fence while I go get my truck! [:o]

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

PAhunterJen:

Considering that it is always possible that your wounded deer can run onto adjacent property that you do not have permission to be on, it is worth the effort to find out who owns/leases all the property(s) that border your area before you hunt and ask for advanced permission to enter the property only for the purpose of tracking and retrieving the wounded deer.

As for the " hunter" that refused to allow you to track and retrieve your deer, busting him in the eye is stupid and will land your butt in jail. Regardless that he apparently is a selfish sportsman, if he has permission to be on the property, he probably has the right to tell you to get off.

However, because he refused to tell you who the owner of the property is, could be because he does not have permission to hunt the property either. If you were to determine that he is trespassing and he is kicked off the property, that is sweet revenge with no legal consequences.

Last weekend the river in my area was higher than norm (just above my short boots) so I was unable to cross where I usually do on the properties I hunt. I had to move to a large sandbar further upriver. Crossing at the sandbar required me to cut a corner on some property that borders two large areas I hunt. I have had to do it a few times during the several seasons I have hunted the area.

When I have, and as I did this last weekend, I always unload my bow and carry the bow by the string. Sort of a visual " peace sign" to any hunters that may have permission to hunt the area and were to observe me, that I am not hunting their tract.

About 10 feet from my property I was accosted by 4 young (15-17) and very novice bowhunters that got all caught up in the newness of the sport and became over-territorial. After I patiently listen to their lectures for awhile and tired of have a little fun by dancing on their brains, I abruptly stopped them in mid-sentence.

I told them that I had been hunting the area for several seasons, knew this was their first season in the area, and could tell that they were very new to the sport. After I instructed them in some bowhunting protocol, I asked them if they had yet seen the very large 11-pnt P&Y buck that often watered at the pond on their side (a tip of a cornfield separates my property from where they hunt). They had. I asked them if they had also seen the 8-pntr that is dubbed " The Giraffe" because of how his rack is almost vertical and makes him appear to be very tall, that also waters at the pond. They had. I asked them if they knew the distance from the pond to the tree-line of my property. They did not. I told them that the distance was 75-yards. I then asked them if they knew where the two bucks generally bedded. They did not.

I told them that both bucks bedded down on my side, deep into my property. I told them that I knew that one of them (bowhunter) had a tree-stand by the water hole and that if the person using the stand played his cards right, the odds were that he would get a shot at either buck. However, unless the hit was instantly mortal, either buck will clear the 75-yards in seconds and be on my property, an head for their primary bed that is in deep cover, and that I knew the routes they would run and where the deep cover was. They became silent and I could tell they were analyzing what I had just said.

I instantly followed up with an advisory. I told them that they were not to enter my area to track any deer they shot, that the deer now belongs to me. That should they enter my property I would have them cited for trespassing. They became completely silent. I could tell that I did not have to say " See how it works?"

After I let them mull the information for a bit, and could tell they were struggling to find a way to undo the rules they had set, I then told them that if they hit a deer and it made it to my area, they were to alert me or one of the other hunters I hunt with. That we had a policy that whenever one of us or another hunter hunting close by hits a deer, we all dismount and assist in finding the deer. They were pacified, shook my hand, and left for their stands.

If you bump into the hunter that refused to let you track and recover your deer, you should advise him of how his rule works two ways.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

c903,
Great story!! The way you turned the tables on the novice bowhunters was perfect. Hope all goes well.

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

Two years ago I shot a 6 Pointer & it went onto private property. I called the owner of the land (who I was told was a real a$$) and he got very cocky with me & told me if he seen me on the land he would get me on trespassing. So I then called the PA Game Commission and explained to them I shot the buck and it crossed over onto his property & told them what he said. And this is the exact answer I got from the game commission. They said that without the owners permission there was nothing they could do because of legal matters.
I to thought that if you got a game warden you could then retrieve your deer if the land owner told you no. Unless they changed something, that is what I was told from the Dallas, Pa. headquarters.
If I would have known this I would have waited till night to retreive the buck. The land it went on is a golf course & the owner is a real a$#@#$$. He hates archery hunters. I thought I' d go about it the right way, I guess I should have done it the other way.
By the way a couple days later the guy comes to the landowner I hunted & said he was p&%$#@ he had to bury a 6 Pointer with an arrow stuck in it! My friend told him " Well instead of being an A$$ you should have let him get it" The guy told him the deer could rot before he' ll do that.
I knew the deer did' nt go far, but knowing the owner of the golf course was the way he is I did' nt want to be seen on the golf course in daylight with a dead deer. So I thought if I called an explain he might be nice about it!!!
But anyways that is what the Game Commission told me!!!!

RE: What to do if shot deer goes on posted land?
 

I don' t know about Iowa but here in Texas it happens all the time. Nobody said anything about having the warden drag him out, gut him or anything other than helping you to locate him and allowing you to retrieve it.