dont know hunters state code
but ny is:
§180.10 Game Species Reporting

(a) Applicability. This section applies to reporting the harvest of deer, bear, and wild turkey.
(b) Deer, bear, and wild turkey. A hunter who has taken a deer, bear, or wild turkey shall, within 7 days of taking the animal, report the harvest via one of the following methods:
(1) By telephone, calling the number advertised on the department's web-site and published in the current Hunting and Trapping Law and Regulations Guide;
(2) By internet via a web-site designated by the department;
(3) By any other means as described in the current Hunting and Trapping Law and Regulations Guide.

why 7 days?
DEC gives people time,
some may need days to find the animal,
some may need the time to get back from a camp,
what happens after 7 days?
doesnt mean dont need to report it, would be in violation,
would then need to explain to state agency why you went past 7 days,

as deifinition for taking, coulding quite find it,
but NY law is tag must be filled immediately when you locate the animal
either attached on the spot or when dragged back to camp and/or vehicle.

think most agree not the hunters faulty, new didnt know,
our gripes are with those posting advise against most states game laws such as telling him not to tag,

hopefully the hunter takes the right advise and checks his states game laws to know what to do next time

If he takes the head for the rack or utilizes the deer in any way, he should tag it. If not leave it lay with no obligation to tag it. Someone else could have even shot it. He has no proof that he even killed the deer.

This thread reminds me of a little exert out of the Bible..when the hypocrites brought Jesus a women caught breaking the law..ADULTERY


7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

I think it would be interesting to compare the opinions of those who think it's fine and dandy for the OP not to tag his buck, thereby "probably" violating game laws, and seeing how they feel about Ted Nugent's unintentional violation in California, or about David Morris's completely legal so called "game farming" or about legal "high fence" hunting.

I'd be willing to bet that some of the folks condoning a possible game law violation here would be willing to string Ted up for violating a game law, and would be openly hostile to certain other legal hunting...

Right On!!!! If I happen upon a dead deer while hunting , am I suppose to tag it ??

I think you should go back and read the OP's opening sentence, He is not a Ted Nugent or a David Morris, those people know better Doc

If it was a deer that I knew I shot, I would tag it. That's what the game laws require. The OP acknowledged it was his deer and that he just didn't look enough.


First, Ted should have known better and admitted as much. That's not the point. And, Morris hasn't done anything wrong that I am aware of... I was just wondering whether folks were consistent, or hypocritical, in their assessment of various situations...

Several years ago a doe came by me all shot to Sh##, front leg gone, one hind leg sticking out, What to do?? I didn't have a doe permit, I didn't want it, so I let it go, I did the wrong thing, I let it go, a few minutes late I heard a "POP" pistol, shot, curiosity got me and I walked toward the shot, I found the deer, someone did the right thing, put it out of its misery, it had one in the gut also, whoever shot it didn't tag it,(don't blame them) the coyotes ate well that night, it didn't go to waste, nothing goes to waste in nature, That isn't to say we shouldn't follow the law,we should, but there are gray areas, and I think this is one of them. he made a mistake, I am not sure he broke the law, when you shot a deer and it runs out of sight?? is it the deer you shot? there have been many an argument in the woods about who shot the deer!, Doc

Yeah, do the right thing. On my way to moose camp 3 of us where driving the main highway and a doe was high fenced on barbwire. We turned around went back to check on her.Hoping we couldfree her we realized her stomach cavity was ripped wide open intestines were strong everywhere and she looked like was suffering something miserably. Luckily we where with a Fisheries Officer who let me slit her throat. Couldn't shoot the thing cause we where in the middle of a
Construction Zone.He called the CO told him what we found and did and the CO just said."Is it dead?".Fishery buddy said "yep" and that was that. CO who was part of our crew generally speaking, choppered up a few days later and we chatted about what we saw. But yeah he told us that things like that aren't a big deal to them.. Making an serious honsesr mistakes aren't a big deal to them so long as you are upfront honest and remorseful. You may get yelled at and lectured a warning but no charges.. Lyeing and covering mistakes up are huge, huge..

in ohio buckshot is not allowed to be used. Slugs only i have a friend that uses a youth model 20 gauge with buckhammer slugs made by remington (i dont think they make the ammo anymore) and they make a huge exit wound and make easy tracking if its even needed. if anyone knows where i can get more of those buckhammer slugs let me know cause they are awesome. but as far as not recovering the deer soon enough idk what to say besides it happens to everyone and i know next time you shoot a deer you will search longer. good luck on your search for a buck

Lot of states don't have a tagging system.