Originally Posted by KonKata

Its common knowledge and proper etiquette to gain permission to a property you otherwise do not have permission to cross before retrieving a deer.

Game Wardens are not a personal hit squad BUT you should have respect for the property owner. I was talking to a Game Warden the other day who said she only had one problem where a property owner was approached so that a hunter could remove a deer from their property (he had shot it and it ran onto the other property) and the property owner did not allow the hunter onto the land to retrieve the deer. The Game Warden was called and they got the deer off the property. MOST people will say yes, you can get your deer. If you have an issue where the property owner denies you access, get the Game Warden.

WHY would you tresspass onto someones land without permission and take that chance of burning a bridge you could have otherwise built, just for the sake of retreiving a deer?

It all comes down to respect. You respect the land owner and the laws, regardless of where the blood trail leads.

Keep in mind that YOU may be shot on sight because there are whackos out there. There was an issue on the news last week where a man shot an alzheimer's patient who had wandered onto his property in the middle of the night. The patient didn't respond to his warnings, it was the middle of the night, so the property owner shot the poor guy thinking he was up to no good.

If you have no idea who owns the property and/or do not have permission to cross the property, stay off the property. You have no idea if and how the property will be defended. Honest mistakes are made and aside from that, there are crazies out there.