pisses me off
 

i hunt public property that borders private property. today i go out and shoot a nice 8 pointer that very well may be my biggest buck yet. start blood trailing it and sure enough it crosses onto this guys private land. so i back out and go to his door to get permission to recover my deer. this is what this ******* says to me. you hunt public land you stay on public land people ask me this all the time and the answer is no then shuts the door in my face. so i have a nice buck just laying dead out their and cant do a thing about it.

Call WMA and see what they say about it. They tell you to get permission. After that, I would go get my deer.

Yep
Call the authorities, not guaranteed but maybe a CO can talk some sense into him.

As a landowner with land that borders stateland, have mixed feelings on this.
Understand your frustration on not recovering a deer, hate to see go to waste.
At the same time there are things you could have done to avoid this.
Don't hunt edges of stateland where have good chance of chasing deer onto privateland.
Can also ask permission of bordering land owners to recover possible game before hand.
Heck if your nice about it may even give you permission to hunt their land.
Don't knock on landowners door dressed in camo after the fact.
If you knocked on my door month before the season chances are good that I will give permission.
Knock on my door after the fact. My response will depend on my mood of the day.
Landowner may have probs with others and will not listen to your plea.

What is calling the authorities going to do? The guy has a right to say yes or say no, and he chose to say no.

Don't some states have laws saying that you can pursue wounded game onto adjacent properties?

As a Wisconsin Hunter Education Instructor, I listen to the local Warden cover this subject a couple times a year during our classes. Generally, in Wisconsin if this issue occurs, the warden can go on the property and obtain the deer, however, in almost all cases, he then confiscates the animal and then it is donated to the local food pantry...neither party gets what they want....the hunter wants the deer, the land owner doesn't want anyone coming on his land. The wardens all state they hate to be caught in this situation, but, have found, in our area anyway, this is the best way to approach it and deal with it...at least the deer doesn't become wolf/coyote food then. We try to preach to the kids to get permission from land owners far in advance, and, be willing to offer a tresspass fee, even if it is only to get your deer and get out.

I don't know about other states, but in Missouri, the regulations state clearly that you can't trespass just to retrieve a deer, or any other animal you've shot.

I do some of my hunting on conservation land and it would suck to watch a buck run onto private land and not be able to retrieve it, but landowners have rights and have paid several thousand dollars for their land, not to mention the on going taxes.

Just my 2 cents.

Yes there are some states, but if that was the case he wouldn't have had to go ask permission in the first place. I believe more states than not you have to get permission.

For all the land owners I'm not meaning any disrespect, I know ya'll work hard to get and maintain what ya got. But in this case I think it would've been better ''to ask for forgivness, than ask for permission''. Meaning I woulda just went in fast to get my deer.
I don't know I have permission where I hunt and all adjoining lands and the public land I hunt is huge! Anyway I hope ya get it worked out. Good luck.

This is a good example of the maxim "no good deed goes unpunished."

You went above and beyond to do the right thing, and you get screwed. I would have stowed my weapon in the truck and retrieved my deer without asking. Better to ask forgiveness than permission.

completely disagree,
burden is on the hunter to do the right thing,
not the landowner to grant permission after the fact,
right thing to do would have been to take precautions to avoid this to begin with.
if animal gets wasted or becomes coyote dinner, thats the hunters fault, not the landowners.

i too own land near stateland. I don't let people hunt my land and I toss ones out that just come on the property. HOWEVER, I always grant permission to those who ask to retrieve a deer. I even go and help.

In your case you tried to do the right thing and that didn't pan out. If you didn't have respect for the land owner or the animal you wouldn't be on here asking. that said, you're obviously a stand up guy. I'd go in at night and get your deer.

I am so sorry this happened to you. My father and I hunt on private land and the land owner ONLY lets us hunt there but he told us to let people come on that are tracking a deer they shot. All the adjacent lands that we hunt next to we either have permission to hunt on or atleast cross to get our deer if it was to cross their boundries. This is very sad, hopefully things might work out for you.

You did the right thing, landowner has final say. Talk to him after the season and try to get permission to track a wounded deer for next season, if you have to, ask to track without your weapon that sometimes works for me.

I had the same thing happen to me earlier this year,arrowed a nice one on my property and tracked it to neighbors land and was told the same thing! It sucks but it is there right to not allow you to recover.In my sittuation the landowner recovered the deer and kept it,although pissed I was glad that it didn't go to waste.

It goes beyond that IMO.
It's our responsibility as ethical hunters to make every effort within reason to recover an animal.
This includes asking a CO for advice/ help.
I wouldn't be satisfied unless I had tried everything legally to try and recover the animal.

We own a little land but not much and have run several people off of it and as long as they have not been caught tresspassing before hand then we tell them no weapons, trucks or ATV's and we usually will help the person if they need it. Never had a problem and the hunters have been very happy about it and adhear to are conditions.

If a landowner wouldn't allow me to track a deer on his ground that is his call I may not like it but to me if someone takes the time to ask permission to track a wounded animal then you know there most likely on the up and up.

Also if I found out the land owner retrived my deer I would be sure to contact the Game Warden to make sure it was checked in. If they didn't guess who gets the ticket? Not me cause I didn't tresspass. Have seen this very thing happen before and the land owner got a big fine.

I blame the hunter
 

There is no great reason a hunter on public property is forced to hunt right on the property line with private property.
If you're near private property, you better be a good shot. In archery, you better be a real good shot and be over a hundred yards away from the property line.
And I bet, you weren't the first hunter looking for a deer on that private property, adjoining public lands.

I remember one state on recovering deer. If you shot a deer and it ran, the hunter who shot it last, got the deer. I had a buddy who shot a deer, it ran off, and a hunter with a 30-30 dropped it on the spot and claimed the buck. We joked about the 30-30 hunter for some years.

I would also like to add,
The right thing to do is to take the tag, fill it out and mark it as unrecoverable.
And to report it as any other,
Game commission may even issue you a replacement tag,
The right thing to do isn't always the most pleasant.
But that tag is to cull the herd, and that you did.

We don't know the circumstances as to why the OP was hunting near a property line. I think it's pretty crappy for a landowner to deny access to a hunter retrieving game on his property, even though it's well within his rights to do so. I agree that arrangements should have been made prior to hunting season with all adjacent landowners, but things don't always go as planned. Seems the OP in this case did follow all the rules but just happened to run across a jerk.

I have 60 acres bordering a large tract of heavily hunted state land - have heard and seen every excuse. If someone does contact us, they only go in with us and there better be a blood trail showing it was shot off our property or they get charged and not allowed to recover. Anyone caught trying to recover without contact gets no break regardless of bloodtrail, whether they are carrying a weapon or anything else - charged and denied - no warnings any more.

I agree you souldn't hunt on or close to property lines,but the OP never said he was hunting on or near the property line but stated that he tracked the deer to the property line,and anyone that has hunted knows how far a deer can go even after a good hit!
So I don't see where he did anything wrong,in fact it sounds to me that HE the OP is a very ethical hunter! he did exactly what he was required by law to do!
And unfortunately had a bad outcome!There for being pissed, is a reasonable response!

here were the circumstances. i am hunting public land that is surrounded by water on one side and this guys property is on the other side. were i am hunting is a perfect funnel where a cove comes in and pinches them in. it is a stretch of timber probably 100 yrds deep by 300 yrds long with his property bordering the other side which is mostly open fields. i found this spot scouting after the season started and just didnt think to try an get permission before hand in this case dont think it would have mattered. with him having a huge gun blind in his back yard i really didnt think he would mind if this was ever to happen. funny thing is his gun blind backs up a huge crp field that is on the public land side that doesnt allow any gun hunting. bet that doesnt stop him from shooting deer out of it since theirs a window on that side. i understand its his property and he has the right but him being a hunter himself is just rediculous to deny me the chance to get my deer.

That really sucks. Any chance you tried offering him a small fee for the trouble? Knowing now that he is a hunter, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. He probably went back there and recovered it himself. You should've told him it was a doe or small buck! : )

Well you know what I would do and most of you would raise hell at me but at dark I would get my deer and not look back.

Sounds like you done messed up asking in the first place if hes a hunter it is in his freezer.

I was quoting "Valentine" on hunting near the property line and agree with you....I'd be pissed too! However, as it turns out the original poster was near the line.....which as long as he stayed on the state property was perfectly legal.

Messed up b doing the legal, ethical thing????????????

Amazing those that think a property owners rights are just suggestions to be ignored when it does not suit them.

Get prior permission, hunt farther from the line and be a better shot. It's not your deer just because you get a hit on it. Hunters trespassing for any reason give all a bad name - something that more then a few obviously could care less about.

I agree with you concerning property rights and permission to recover should have been obtained prior to the season. But sometimes things happen that you don't or can't plan for. Sometimes that "perfect" shot can turn out to be not so perfect.

I agree with you - even a great shot can go wrong. But when it happens, it does not justify an illegal action and ignoring the rights of others. We must prepare for everything we can control and be willing to accept the consequences when it does go wrong.

get some heavily constructed bullets and put a high shoulder shot on them.should drop em on the spot.is the no hunting public land next to his blind open for walking or mushroom hunting?if it is,let the cpo know you are going there to walk or photograph.just get there early to make sure he is in his blind.i beleive in live and let live,but i also beleive in payback.

+1 Great Points

If fewer hunters followed your advice, more hunters would be granted permission to recover their deer. The reason most land owners have issues like this is because it's often a perennial problem with trespassers. You get fed up with it after a while (speaking from experience).

That is the exact reason you are refused, Hunters (and I hate to say this) are there own worst enemy, we have an 80 we use very little (preferring to hunt closer to home) for many years we have said nothing about hunters retrieving animals, but the destruction and complete disregard for the property has encouraged us to stop this practice, now we will allow the person to retrieve the animal only if a blood trail is seen entering the property and they retrieve the animal without a firearm, we tried to be decent about it because we are a hunting family, but this sneaking in and cutting fences, leaving gates open, etc we will not stand for, as others have said, ask nice, before hand if possible, JMOP Doc

A little late
 

After reading all the responces to the original post I'm thinking I need to comment alittle more than just a +1 to Teresec.

A few of the responces to seabee77 were spot on. Get permission of the surrounding areas "prior to hunting the land". My hats off to those that responded that way.

For those that said, you tried, he's a jerk, go get it anyway, wait until dark. WOW, I really can't believe that these are responces coming from land owners and hunters! Next time your sitting there looking out your window at night and see a flashlight walking thru your woods, think about what you wrote and then think about your actions that will follow.

Ethical hunting does not only encompass treating others, the land and the animals with respect, but it also encompasses the way you plan for a hunt and the way you handle yourself during it. Prior planning makes for great bedfellows and touching bases with all the landowners "months" prior to the hunting season will either pay great dividends... or you will know where you should not hunt because you don't have permission to enter the land. Would you really want to take a chance on entering private land to retreive a dead or perhaps wounded deer when you dont know the land? I personally would not want to be on the receiving end of a silenced .22, a piano wire booby trap or a angry group of the landowners dogs in the middle of the night or in broad daylight for that matter.

Lets all do the right thing and tell the OP the correct answer.

You are right. Property lines are there for a reason.

I am a landowner and I would NOT give prior permission for recovery! I would and have granted permission to recover,but I like to know when and where people are on my property! And most landowners I know feel the same way! It opens the door for trespassing under the giuse of recovery.
I will grant permission and help in the recovery,but only after the fact.
And this I learnd from experience!

wvimrod, I knock on your door in July and introduce myself. A little small talk perhaps and let you know that I'm going to be hunting the 150 acres of public land to the northwest of your land. I ask you if its alright to come to your door to ask permission to recover a deer if one crosses onto your land when it happens. Not just for blatant permission to come onto your land. If you say sure, just make sure that you come and ask, then everything is great, I hand you my card with all my contact info and say perhaps I'll stop by a few times before the season to say hi if its okay. And this is done with all the land owners that you might expect a wounded animal to run onto their land. I (me personally) am not just telling everyone to ask for open permission, but thats up to the individual landowner if they want to do that. But how if I were the landowner know who was walking around shinning the flashlight if I just gave open permission to peoiple to recover their kills? I for one, as I stated before, would not want to be the one that didnt ring the doorbell prior to crossing that line.