I didn't read through all 13 pages of this thread, but I will say that unless the law says you can pursue game onto private property, then you're probably S.O.L.. Since you had a deputy and a game warden out there and you still didn't recover the deer, then I'd guess that your state law was not on your side. In Iowa, thankfully, wehave a law that says that a hunter may pursue game onto any property provided that he does so unarmed, and that the animal wasshotat a place where the hunter was legally allowed to be and the animal then crossed over onto the other property (if you shot across a fence where you weren't allowed to hunt, you're not only out of luck, but you're also probably goingto get a citation).

Mike