I guess it depends on where you come from. We usually just throw the deer in the back of the truck and head home. Not quite so easy for an elk, you CAN'T conceal a dead elk in the back of a pickup whole, unless you have a topper on, and will probably have to be in pieces then. If you get a big bull, forget it, its just going to have to be shown! It was kind of funny this year, my dad's short bed Chevy, and a 300 lbs elk carcass in the back with the legs sticking straight up in the air! After we got back to camp, we put her in the cargo trailer we have, not necessarily to conceal her, but to help keep her cool for the 3 hour drive home. I really see nothing wrong with it (showing an animal off). But then again, antis don't make it too far around here. The towns are just too pro-gun and too pro hunting to allow it

I understand what you are saying, but I don't think we need to get a law passed anywhere by any of the political knuckleheads that are supposed to represent us. I drive one of those so called fancy SUV's and I don't put ski's on my roof rack. A dead deer sure isn't going inside (I helped a friend clean his van out after he did it, what a mess). I have brought many deer home from northern Mich. to the suburbs of Detroit and have gotten the high sign from many hunters and the nay sign from many others. In fact I started using game bags to hide the open carcass of the deer. This year we had a lowboy trailer that kept the deer low and we had people pull alongside of us to see the deer and then drop back behind the trailer to see them. Am I proud when I take an animal your'e damn right I am, do I try and stick it in your face, not if I can help it. You don't know how much it pains me to see Xmas trees tied to the roof of a Volvo wagon, good God all that thermal cover being wasted as a decoration.

Ya got that right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in wisconsin its illegal not to display some part of the deer while transporting. im not sure why but thats the law and being a law abiding citizen, thats what i do.

Many states used to have it. Back then it related to people poaching/shooting deer illegally. The game commisions, warden etc. could monitor this better by making that law.

When I lived in the south, the old timers would tell me stories about people who would fab containers underneath the vehicle for deer, etc to not get caught. That's just an example why they made that law then...

On the thread subject, I think the law portion is a waste of time, and a good way to damage what you love doing. I think there is an element of respect/pride when you harvest a deer, and the transporting of it is a part of that. Now, there are ways to be distasteful, but I think hauling it in the back of your truck with the tailgate down is not harmful, if you aren't driving through town just for kicks to get reactions. If you are transporting the deer from the field to your home, then I see nothing wrong with that.

And 200 deer in 20 years of hunting? Must be nice to average 10 a year.

I think it depends on where you live or hunt. Deer season in Pike Co, IL and you see tons of deer in truckbeds and it is accepted. However, a deer in the truck bed in the Chicago Suburbs would prompt call to PETA. Use common sense....

Public places are different than a public forum like this! You CHOOSE to come to this site
As I said there should not be a law against it, but but it doesn't hurt to be mindfull of other peoples feelings! It 's not just the anti's that may not want to see a public display of dead deer! Little kids, among others, probably don't need to see our kills!
I don't think that a deer in the back of a pickup, with the tailgate up is really a public display! They almost have to come over, and look into the bed to see the deer!

I find no shame at all in having horns visible in a back of a pick-up. I see no reason to cover deer up.

deer season in ND the deer are shot in town or anywhere there are to many of them.... the people up here all love sausage and know it takes a deer or two to make it. we so many dead deer along our hi-ways I don't think anybody notices up here. If we see a nice rack we sure do offer up congratulations and like to hear the story behind it, it's plenty rural up here and its nice to break the peace and silence with a nice chat a few times a day. To the hunt!!!!

Night before youth deer gun season we went to gander mountain and some dud had a big ol buck strapped to his quad on his trailer. Had to be there just to show it off. Looked like it was 2 bullet holes in it and until the next day the only season that was in was archery.