RE: You people aren't THAT honest.
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Pistoltrainer-you overlooked the third and best option.Contact your local conservation officer.He will try to contact a landowner then whether or not he can reach them, he will accompany you to the private land to recover your animal.In this way you break no laws and won't get any hassle from the landowner.
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The problem here in PA is that the Conservation Officers, at least in our area, do not want to be bothered with wounded critters. We called them when my son (then 13) hit his first deer which traveled only about 150 - 200 yards into HEAVLY posted land, and we called the guy who postes it (Not the absentee landowner) and that guy, a public school teacher, refused us permission to go after the deer.
We learned later that "That Great Sportsman" went after it himself, finished off the disabled animal, and claimed it as his. The CO said, its not an issue for us.......deal with it yourself.
My son really wanted his 1st buck desperatly, but we did not go after it. Since that time we have 'wised up'. If we have to trail a wounded animal, "we do not look up to see where the property lines are".
Here the CO won't even go on privet property to invistagate poaching with the land owners permission, which we learned when my son observed a "hunter (?)" shoot 2 doe the first day of buck season, take one leave the other one lay. When we called the CO's they came, but would not go investigate till we found the farmer (landowner), and got his permission!!!