To tag or not to tag?
 

I have learned from the past that I will never tag my deer until the gutting is done. A friend of mineopened his deer and found it not normal and he never got his replacement tagfrom the PGC up to5 days later.
I done did opened a deer last year to find it to be smelly and discolored with white bumps on the ribs and a huge solid glob of blood up by it's throat.It was the size of a baseball and felt like broken splintered bones.
I didn't bother to tag the deer and just let it lay there. If it took my friend 5 days to get a replacement tag I was not goanna waiste my time sitting around doing nothing till I got mine. Does anyone else waite to tag their deer after the smell and visual test works out? Or what does one suggest to do in a case like that? We only got two weeks to hunt and time is valuble to us who can't hunt every day as some can. There was 2 other hunters who came by and said they would do the same. They said after seeing this deer, They will waite to tag theirs until they inspect it. They said they would just walk away from it also. The one said that he might call the PGC and just tell them the location of this deer and hang up. That's all that is needed for them to know. Just curious if anyone would waiste their precious hunting time waiting for a new tag?

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

legally, you have to tag every deer you shoot (atleast over here).

i would of tagged it and checked it in, thats the only way to get any sort of estimate. if i had to throw it away after that, so be it. but i woulda tagged it and brought it out.

just my $.2

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I tag every deer before I gut them.I never shot a deer that was unfit for consumption and if I did,it wouldn't bother me to wait for another tag because I always have more than one tag.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

What if your from out of state? You don't got time to waite 3 to 5 days. Are they goanna bring an extra tag for you when they inspect the carcus? I don't think so. Everyone who hunts Pa. is not actually a resident.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

[/i]
[/i]
The law requires that hunters tag a deer after killing it. If it is unfit for human consumption, at the time it is killed, then you can report that to the Game Commission and every effort will be made to examine it and issue a permit for a second deer. Pretty much every WCO deals with several like situations every year and yes we do have the new tags with us and can issue it at the time we examine the deer. We try to handle unfit deer cases as quickly as possible and most are handled the same day they call us.

The problem some people have is that after they call they aren’t available to meet us with the deer because they are headed to work, back out hunting or who knows what. Many times they didn’t provide sufficient information for us to find the camp they are staying at and assumed that as long as they gave the dispatcher, that answered the phone, the name on one of the thousands of camps in our district we would just automatically know where to find them, but we don’t know where to find their camp just from a name. They generally provided a phone number for us to call them but then when we try we can’t get anyone to answer their phone. Then a few days later they call back angry and wanting to know why no one called them back, even though we tried repeatedly. Sometimes, especially for people in camps, they give us a cell phone number but they don’t have any coverage at camp so we just leave a message and try again the next day and the next day and so on, but with the same results. Usually when we don’t get an unfit deer taken care of the same day, or at least the next day, it was because we couldn’t locate the person or get in touch with them, after they called, even though we tried repeatedly.

If you shot a deer, don’t tag it and just leave it in the woods you are in violation of the law. In which case you had better hope a WCO doesn’t catch up with you or you are going to lose more then a day or two of hunting time. If we catch up with a person killing deer, not tagging them and leaving them in the woods we are most likely going to be revoking their hunting and trapping privileges, so they can sit out entire hunting season or two instead of just the few days are you worrying about. We are also going to issue some citations and most likely separate them from some of their money to cover their fines too.

R.S.Bodenhorn

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

this is what i do after i lost a tag 1 year and got stoped on the way home with it
gut it if it is good and we can cart it out then i tag it on the spot
if we got to drag it i fill it out rip it off and put it in my pocket when we get it out then the tag is put on
thats just the way i do it

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Well,the law clearly states that the deer must be tagged immediately and before it's moved.I'll continue to tag mine immediately but if you want to take the chance and wait,that's your business.Sometimes when you shoot a deer,you take a chance thatit may mot be fit to eat,even though that's never happened to me.

The PGC is overstaffed and under-funded.I doubt you'll ever see the day where they'll have delivery drivers waiting to hand-out tags for deer that were unfit to eat.What about a drive to a regional office?I imagine there would be someone there to take care of you.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I thought that the law only stipulated that you must tag it before moving it from the kill site, or is that the old law?
When did they add the word "immediately" to the mix?
I always tagged it first anyway because I don't like getting the tag all bloody and my license bloody also. I am messy sometimes.
I also have never shot a deer that was unfit.
Lucky me I guess.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

well i think shooting a deer that is unfit falls under "know your target and beyond"

most people think that just means make sure its safe behind the deer to shoot, but it also means knowing that the deer is fit to shoot.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I always tag my deer before gutting it. I have never in 30 years of huntingshot a deer that was unfit to eat. Noone in my group has.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

first thing I do is tag it.If by chance I would get bad meat and wouldn't get another tag oh well,the store sells meat.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

lol. That is all.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

i know i always look inside a deer before i shoot it:eek:

as red_robber said in his original post:
tell me that that is knowing your target

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Wow, I see some mildlydisturbing posts here from many sides:

Kobear,
I gotta believe that you didnt think things through before making that post. How in the world would any hunter see an internal infection by looking at a living animal in the wild?

RSB,
I understand that as an officer of the law, you must take the position you took but I would certainly hope that if a WCO that was made aware of a situation like red robber described that some common sense and discretion would be applied by the officer. I am a law abiding hunter, but I certainly wouldn't relish the idea of ruining the rest of my hunt by gutting and dragging out a rotten stinking deer and carting it around till I find one of the PGC's very busy, andalready stretched too thin, staff to tell me the obvious and issue me a new tag. I'm sure you will agree that you guys are not always readily accessible, particularly in the first few days of the gun season. That being said, I will also say that I did havethe bad fortune once to kill a deer that was unusable. It was a doe and I did tag it and get it out of the woods but that was more because it was in a suburban setting and I did it so as not to leave a carcass where a non hunter might happen on it. It was a doe in 2B so I didnt bother with the process of replacing the tag and I did send inthe report card. But to be honest, If I'd been back in deep in someplace like the ANF the thing might have just stayed there although I would have contacted the PGC and reported it and been glad to return to the site with an officer. If doing that gets me a ticket, well then I'd simply say that the officer writing the ticket needs an attitude adjustment.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

well i know that if a deer is usually sick, its usually pretty thin, and if it had a lump on the side of its throat the size of a baseball, im pretty sure i would notice. i assume something that big would be on the outside of the skin. i usually go out looking for the deer that i am going to get the most amount of meat from, not a sick-looking thin one.

i dunno. just me i guess.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

OK Kobear, I'll give you the fact that there could be situations where a hunter might be able to tell an unfit deer while on the hoof......

How about this scenario though... late muzzy season two years ago. A bunch of us were doing drives. I see several deer coming and one is obviously lagging behind and limping badly. they are on a course right for my buddy's wife so I pass a marginal shot so as not to spoil her chances. they come right past her and she does the merciful thing and waits to put the crippled one down. she takes it with one shot. It turns out to be infected at the site ofa wound which is not from a bullet or arrow.

Should she have taken a healthy deer and let that one suffer through the infection or possibly die from it?I think she did the humane, sportsmanlike thing and blew her opportunity to take some prime healthy meat by doing so.

BTW, we tagged , gutted, and drug that deer out. It was only after skinning that my buddy determined that the infection had spread heavily and the meat was unfit. I know they called it in and several days later they had seen no officer. I do not know for sure if one eventually showed up and I will say that it wasn't a problem for her as she still had another validtag for thatWMU. I could certainly understand, however, why my buddy or his wife might be inclined to simply leave a deer in the field if they were certain that it was unusable the next time.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Geez - there's not much to discuss here.

If you killed it - you tag it.

If you feel that you should somehow be "recompensated" because of an issue with the meat - then deal with the Game Commission the best you can - but to not tag it is illegal and against what what most of us stand for.

Certaintly none of us here would advocate skirting the law to get deer meat. Would we?

FH

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

i agree with farm hunter, you kill it - you tag it.

if the deer can still move around, it can still eat. and there is a chance that it will survive. and if you feel bad for it, then you're just as bad as the mother that wont let her kids play a fighting video game b/c its too violent. deer getting injured and dying is a part of nature. if you dont like it, find a place where everything is perfect, and let me know where that place is. the coyotes and wolves gotta eat too. and its alot easier for a coyote pair to take down an injured deer than it is for them to take down a healthy one.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

The thing to do is prob call the PGC after you open the deer up if there is a infection. Open the deer before you tag it. Then when the PGC sees the infection you still have your unused tag and won't have to waite for a replacement. But I am not dragging the deer out of the woods. And when people say they don't want to get the tag bloody is why they tag it before they gut it,These people must not worry about an infection they can get from a deer if it is infected. I allways have a few pairs of latex gloves on me for extra protection from now on when I hunt.I can fill the tag out after the gutting and not get the tag bloody. To know what your deer looks like on the inside before you shoot it? Now that gave me a really good laugh superman.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

First of all I have never shot an infected deer or even seen one before up here. I also hope I never do. But, if I was to happen to shoot one I would tag it and have a warden come and get it. I know that a tag would be replaced and that the deer would be inspected and disposed of in such a way that it can not be eaten by other animals as well. I would hope that it would in some way help research on preventing whatever caused it. Also help prevent house pets/ hunting dogs ect... from eating it and spreading it as well.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I agree you should know your target and beyond,but you would need to be a mind reader or psychic to know if a deer is fit for consumption before you shoot it.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

if the freakin deer had a lump on the side of its neck the size of a baseball, i think i would notice.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

dynamite drop in there.

if ya shoot it, tag it. or else you might as well be a poacher and you're absolute scum.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I've never killed a deer that wasn't fit for human consumptionbut if by some chance it happened, I wouldn't put my tag on it. Just common sense as far as I'm concerned.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Kind of the point I was trying to make!

KoBear, I notice you didnt answer my question. Your claim that you would always be able to tell whether a deer is fit to use shows nothing but naivete, but I guess you explain it all with your signature line!

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Kobear, How long have you been hunting?


:eek:

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Tagging a deerthat is unconsumable after you gut it open is like buying a rotten steak at the market. Your not goanna buy it and then return it for a refund.

I guess Kobear doesn't know that a deer has two side. Maybe he is one of the hunters who waites for it to do a 360 and visually inspects all sides of the animal while his scope is turned up on 10 power. Yep it looks healthy to me. I will now shoot it. DOh, It ran off before I had the chance. Can you believe my luck?

Now on the other hand. It has a lump the size of a bowling ball on its side. But the antlers are huge. I will then tag it for bragging rights and be content with the large rack. Now how many would do the same as me for this? But I will not tag a small racked or a doe if it is diseased when I open it. The point is, We want something we can use from our tags.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I still think the point is that if you don't tag it your breaking the law. Very simple really. Tag it, gut it, if it isn't good then you get another tag.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I don't think the law specifies you have to tag it before you gut it. I believe the law is you must tag it before you move it though. Now gutting a deer is not moving it from it's location. I have shot 1 deer that ran into a thicket and died. I drug it out of the thickets about20 yrds. And then gutted it and tagged it. There was no way of doing it in the thicket of thorns. NowI did breakthe lawbut if I was caught,should I of been fined for what I have done? These are 2 simularities thatare in the grey area and not fined or punished for. Does not make sense to be fined for either in my book of rules. And some times we have to bend them on what is what we believe is to be right. If the PGC doesn't want to ackknowledge that some things are ok to do, Then why should we help them with poachers and law violators when they can't understand us for common sense some people might do? Like tag a diseased dear unsuitable for consumption that we have shot.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

If there is a question about whether or not the meat is good then o.k., but at some point it seems common sense must prevail over blindly following the letter of the law. Say for instance you arrow a deer on a warm october afternoon but don't find it until late the next day. So there it is laying bloated and putrid in the hot sun. Gut it? I don't think so. Tag it? Not me. Imo, that wouldsimply be dumb!

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Very well visual illustrated scenerio.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I personally think anyone that shoots a deer and fails to recover it before it spoils should burn the tag on the deer.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

So you think people should be punished by burning their tags on a deer that turned during a shot? Lets say you gut shot a deer and you can't find it, Should you burn your tag? Lets say your deer swam out in a lake that was over your head in the winter and died, Should you burn your tag? Lets say your uncertain if you hit your deer at all, But a chance you did, Should you burn your tag? Personaly, I think you just made that up and wouldn't do it yourself. Personaly I don't know a single person who would do that.Only an idiot would even think of doing something like that.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

I can not speek for your state or anyothers but, here you tag it upon killing it. That is the minute you get to it and it is dead you must tag it. So yes here the law states you must tag it. Then if it is no good by no fault of your own you would be issued a new tag to use.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

BTB - from the way i read it, it appeared to me that the baseball sized lump would have to be noticeable. and if it had lumps all on the side of its ribs, it prolly wasnt in it's beginning stages of being sick. so it would probably show signs that something was up. if you dont want to waste a tag, dont shoot it. thats how i see it.

Charlie P - i've been hunting for 11 years now.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

Hung Bear (love people who create alternate names just to argue a point)

he is not saying he would LITERALLY light the tag on fire. he is saying that if u shoot it and find it after it goes bad, tag it anyway.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

You think that is what he was saying? And do you allow the deer to do a 360 before you shoot it? That way you can inspect all sides and angles.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

welp doug,we're idiots.:DBtw,iffin the deer goes to the middle of the lake we might not get to it to burn the tag.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: germain

I guess the shoe fits more than one person on this forum.

RE: To tag or not to tag?
 

you dont have to let the deer do a complete 360 (thats a full circle if u didnt know) to tell that a deer is limping or hair is missing or that the ribs are sticking out.

and i was just making sure that u knew that he doesnt really light fire to his tags....