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Griping

OK, every state has it's own procedure for retrieving game that is wounded and travels across property lines. In Iowa where I live you are authorized to retrieve your wounded game so long as you leave your weapon(s) on your side of the fence and cross the fence on foot. It's written into the hunting regulations booklet. I used to hunt Missouri every year and at that time the law there was the same. I believe most states have the similar law, the appropriate DNR does not want their resources shot and left to rot. I'm not sure about now as laws change. But I'd call the Missouri DNR and get an answer in case you want to hunt there next year. You might also check the regulations booklet you can pick up at any license outlet store or on line. Good idea to check ahead of time on this subject anyway. If the laws in whatever state allow you to do so, and the landowner throws you off, by all means call a game warden asap. Game does not belong to the property owner, despite his attitude/belief that his land is his exclusive domain and the game is his exclusive ownership, he must abide by the same game laws you do. Also keep in mind this is probably not the owners first rodeo and he knows he has to let you in if you follow the game retrieval laws properly and legally. Just be courteous and leave and call the law, don't get into an argument about rights. BTW, I only do neck shots, you either have a clean miss or a clean kill with the animal dropping in his tracks - taught to me by an old woodsman in Missouri. Good hunting.
 
26Reload said:
Game cops don't have any authority over landowners telling you to stay off their property...nor does the game cop have right to trespass any more than anyone else...its the landowners 'right' to let someone recover the animal or let it rot....thats why it's called private property....and if that wounded animal was trying to escape to his property you should have taken a marginal shot to stop it.....the way the cookie crumbles......
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Not true at all 26Reload. Almost all states have a provision in the law that gives authorization to the warden to enter any private property at any time he feels necessary. Also the provision usually allows a non armed hunter to enter to retrieve his wounded game. It is private property but the game belongs to the state, not the landowner. I'm not going to get involved with a letter war and won't respond to your next comments.
 
When I took my hunters safety class (a few decades ago) one thing that was instilled in us was we have the right to go on to private property to retrieve game but you cannot bring your weapon. This is in CA and that class was almost 30 years ago so maybe it has changed I don't know for certain.

I have also been checked by a warden for fishing license on a private pond. I had a license and questioned the warden (politely of course) about fishing a private pond and needing a license. Nice guy....he actually pulled out the book and showed me the law. It was a very cordial conversation.
From what I understand game wardens have a lot more power then most LEO's when it comes to accessing private property but maybe that is a CA thing I don't know.
 
You are correct KSB209 on the wide power of game wardens. I lived and hunted and fished in your state for almost 20 years, and have been a hunting resident of California, Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, Texas, Iowa, Alabama, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska over the years (I'm 79 and still hunting), and during that time most of those states had similar access laws. I doubt that they have changed much over the years.
 
Bear62041 said:
Not true at all 26Reload. Almost all states have a provision in the law that gives authorization to the warden to enter any private property at any time he feels necessary. Also the provision usually allows a non armed hunter to enter to retrieve his wounded game. It is private property but the game belongs to the state, not the landowner. I'm not going to get involved with a letter war and won't respond to your next comments.
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Wow, this thread is kinda explaining some of the things we see here from out of state hunters every year. I've never hunted a western state where you could just go on to anyone land for ANY reason without their permission. A game warden will laugh in your face if you think he's going to go retrieve an animal without the land owners permission in MT!!
 
You can't go on anyone's land for any reason, but as you've seen in this thread (reference the wording in the 2020 Minnesota law) you can go on private land unarmed to retrieve wounded or down game. Key word, unarmed. If you're armed you're hunting, if your unarmed you're retrieving.
 
Tough situation. As a landowner I get those that dont want anyone asking to trespass, especially after dealing with those that dont ask. As a hunter I'd like to recover my game no matter what. As for dealing with our game wardens, I'll take a hard pass. They are the worst bunch of jerks I've ever seen. I've watched them yell at kids (I did intervene) hang around the buck pole celebrations and have the worst attitudes overall. If one came to the door he better have a warrant.
 
Bear62041 said:
You can't go on anyone's land for any reason, but as you've seen in this thread (reference the wording in the 2020 Minnesota law) you can go on private land unarmed to retrieve wounded or down game. Key word, unarmed. If you're armed you're hunting, if your unarmed you're retrieving.
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You miss under stood what I meant, there are zero reasons that allow you to trespass in the states I've hunted and most certainly in MT. You better get it killed where you legally can or don't take the chance. Cause you'll need a helicopter in many places now, didnt used to be that way but people going on private property here without permission tends to get things shut down for everyone.
 
morgaj1 said:
A buddy and I just got back from a whitetail hunt in Missouri. First, let me say, that I have never seen as many quality deer as I have on this trip. One day, I saw 89 does and 6 bucks, 3 of which were 7 or better. One of the days, I shot about a 160-165" ten point at 180 yards free handed. I hit him behind the shoulder, but a tad high. We waited 90 minutes to track him. About 70 yards from where I shot him, we jumped him up near a pond. He got up slowly and ran off, so we backed out. We came back the next morning and tracked him. About 20 yards from where we last saw him, we tracked him to the property line fence, which was only about 2 feet high. On that fence was hair and flesh, so we know he crossed there. To make a long story short, the neighboring farmer would not let us track the deer on his property, so we never recovered him. To know that he is dead there, but we couldn't recover him made me sick. I am glad I had the opportunity but wish I could have crossed the fence to find him. Just venting...
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Sorry to hear you couldn't recover the buck. I know that's disappointing. Anyone who tells you that they've never had any disappointments or never wished they would have done something different in certain hunting situation either hasn't hunted much or isn't being truthful.
 
John Klingenberg said:
Tough situation. As a landowner I get those that dont want anyone asking to trespass, especially after dealing with those that dont ask. As a hunter I'd like to recover my game no matter what. As for dealing with our game wardens, I'll take a hard pass. They are the worst bunch of jerks I've ever seen. I've watched them yell at kids (I did intervene) hang around the buck pole celebrations and have the worst attitudes overall. If one came to the door he better have a warrant.
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John, I agree. I'm a hunter safety instructor and i have to interact with game wardens every time I have a class. Unfortunately most of they have become a bigger bunch of ego-maniacs then I've almost ever seen. Not all, but most. Especially the younger ones. Must be something they teach them in school. I've read where being a game warden is the most dangerous job in law enforcement. I believe it may be. But that doesn't entitle them to run all over decent people. Now I'm sure I'm going to get it from the game warden readers
 
Losing an animal is not a fun thing to deal. Not being able to get permission for an animal that you are pretty sure is dead is also crappy.

I understand though from both sides of the perspective as I've had an animal I know was dead on private land after a less than perfect shot with a bow that I could not retrieve because the landowner said no.

Also have given permission for someone to look for a wounded animal. They ended up chasing everything out of our little sanctuary and ended up shooting another deer that was not the original one that was wounded. Which I was not real happy about. We tend not to let people in no matter what.

That's just the way it is now days. Hunting has changed a lot on being able to get access to private. Whether it be to retrieve an animal or just plain go hunting. 15-20 years ago it wasn't like that. I can't imagine what it will be like in another 20.
 
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