First off, what a great opening daySeen a lot of deer. I passed on two spikes and 6 doe. Alarger spike(3rd of the day)I couldn't pass. I bagged him at 2:10. Field dressed the buck, put him on the quad and went straight to the barn.This is when the fun ends.The barn is close to the road. A DEC official was driving by and seen usMy deer was still on the quad, he noticed there was no tag on it and wrote me up[:@]The law is you must fill out the tagimmediately,and tag it as soon as you drag it to camp or get to transportation(technically guilty as charged). I misinterpreted the law. I never considered my quad as transportation,I just thought they meant tag it before you put it in a truck or car. Every deer we ever harvested was tagged in our barn, on our property,never crossing a road or property line. So now I am at the mercy of the local court to pay a fine between $50 - $200 [:-]Believe me the next deer WILL be tagged ASAP rain,sleet or snow[:'(]
Question, when do you guys fill out your tags?
Thanks for letting me vent

As soon as the guts are gone the tag is on.

Here in MD the deer must be tagged before you move it. I am notorious for being excited about the kill and forgeting to put the tag on until I'm at the truck or halfway back. One of these days I'm going to find myself in the same senario your in. I need to remember to put that tag on before I do anything else.

with my most recent deer, i cut the date out of the tag before moving him, then after we dragged him to the truck i filled out the tag at the truck. Earlier in the season i was hunting behind my house and dragged him all the way home and then fille dout the tag, but i would definitly tag one before putting it in a truck or on a wheeler.

I fill out my tag as soon as I am sure the deer is dead. In MA you can't move that deer at all (drag included)until its tagged.

I forgot a pen a few years ago and just cut the day and month out,when I got to the truck there wasa DEC guy waiting. He saw that I had cut the tag and didn't give me a problem.

I fill it out before I gut it.

We can't move em unless tagged. I usually fill out the tag before gutting to let myself calm down a bit, rather have shakey hands with a pen than a knife.

I think in most states the law says tag it first. It also makes sense in terms of not getting the license or tag all messed up by bloody hands.

Pa law says immediately. Had a problem years back with a local cop when Pa law said "tag immediately after removing entrails but before moving the animal" The local Barney Fife gave mea hard time for gutting (but not moving it) first. Now I always tag it before I do anything else.

I tag before I move it.

i fill the tag out and keep it in my hand now i killed a deer 3 yrs ago put the tag on the ear drug the thing over a mile and tag was gone. there was a game warden near my truck when i came up the hill seen him talked to him he asked for the tag said it was on her ear looked at the ear no tag... i had another doe tag for a doe i asked if i fill out the other on will that be ok he said yeah this time i did that and 2 weeks later during rifle season went back and seen the old tag on the rd...