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Griping

It sounds like hunting regulations and land access provisions vary in different states. Always good to be current on the regulations wherever you hunt, and to avoid confrontations even when you think you are in the right.
Apparently the perception of Game/ Wildlife officers varies from individual to individual as well, perhaps by region or state. I have had nothing but positive professional interactions with the officers I have encountered out west.
Losing wounded game to land access issues or for any other reason, sucks. Just one of the many factors that any hunter pulling a trigger has to consider.
 
Sdbeanfield said:
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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I hunt in a very rural area. A person would think there's not many people hunting there but there's a potential for 30-40 hunters who has lease or land ownership in less than a square mile that I'm in. I see both sides of the issue. I have let people track onto my property after asking permission but I am reluctant because there is already so much hunting pressure that anymore traffic on my property will likely further degrade my opportunities for seeing game. That along with neighboring hunters shooting everything and anything for the past 7 years has changed my outlook.
 
morgaj1 said:
I'm glad you know so much about my shooting skill and you've figured it out.
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90 minutes later and it ran off. I would say its going to die of infection, above the vitals below the spine. Certainly wasn't hit in vitals if it was alive after 90 minutes. You can take me as rude or mean, whatever, but Im wearing thin on this stuff.
 
Alex Wheeler said:
90 minutes later and it ran off. I would say its going to die of infection, above the vitals below the spine. Certainly wasn't hit in vitals if it was alive after 90 minutes. You can take me as rude or mean, whatever, but Im wearing thin on this stuff.
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I agree with you on likely where I hit it and I didn't take you as rude or mean. It just comes across elitist and judgmental for you to criticize my shot completely on the fact that I freehanded it. What you don't know is that I practice from a rest, freehanded, prone and awkward positions year-round. I have also made shots like that many times in over 35 years of hunting. I've also made poor shots from a rest when I made a mistake or a deer took a step. Point is, I practice for that moment and am confident in my ability. I obviously made a mistake and the deer and I paid for it.

Not sure what you mean by "wearing thin on this stuff."
 
I think we really should judge each other and ourselves. We are human and make mistakes, but we should also own them. Im not really getting on you, but the whole community. We need to hold our selves to the highest level. We are not starving, we can pass up shots. Im certainly not elitist which is why I know that a 180yd off hand shot is very tough. I think you are aware and Im not trying to rub it in, but in general I think too many shots are taken that should have been passed.
 
bigngreen said:
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!!
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I live in Washington state and I'm an LEO. Same here, no one gets to enter private property they don't have permission for, to recover game. Wardens and all law enforcement are restricted by the same laws, permission or search warrant only. No the property owner doesn't own the game animals but if he also wasn't the one that killed the animal he has no duty to turn over an animal that died on his property nor does he have to turn it over to a warden. Now as for morals and ethics, I would never let a game animal be wasted because of property lines personally. But where I live if your on my side of the fence you'll be looking at the wrong end of a firearm. As for those other states that allow people to trespass unarmed, why even call it private property and put up fences.
 
MZmoose said:
The warden has no right to enter private property to check on anything unless he has permission, or evidence of a crime/violation and then he needs a search warrant. If the landowner wants to be a jerk and let an animal rot, he can do that. Or he can put a tag on it and keep it. I used to hunt a small piece of timber company land but the neighbor didnt like hunters and wouldn't let you recover an animal if it made it to his side of the fence. He was a real piece of work. We stopped hunting there because it wasn't worth losing an animal.
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This must be a "LEFT COAST" state of mind. Not that way here in the heartland!
 
Alex Wheeler said:
I think we really should judge each other and ourselves. We are human and make mistakes, but we should also own them. Im not really getting on you, but the whole community. We need to hold our selves to the highest level. We are not starving, we can pass up shots. Im certainly not elitist which is why I know that a 180yd off hand shot is very tough. I think you are aware and Im not trying to rub it in, but in general I think too many shots are taken that should have been passed.
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I don't think we should judge each other. I wasn't there so I don't know all the circumstances just like you weren't there at my kills. Hunting is different in every location and people are different and use hunting for different reasons. I love to shoot animals with big antlers but I also use hunting feed my family. So I feel pressure later in the season to get some meat and might take a shot that's at the edge of my capabilities sometimes. But if you hunt long enough you will lose an animal, make a bad hit, or something, were all human. I feel bad the OP lost his animal so my advice is to learn from it and try your best to avoid that scenario in the future.
 
Got a lot of opinions but I'll cut most of them short, sorry if they come off brash

op, you did the right thing by asking, and then by walking away.
Missouri law says you can not trespass, even to retrieve game.
revisor.mo.gov

578.520

Unlawful fishing, hunting, or trapping on private land — affirmative defense — penalty.
revisor.mo.gov revisor.mo.gov
The law in California doesn't mean a thing to this scenario.

Perhaps you practice constantly, that is a very difficult shot. The simple matter is you didn't make the shot, evidenced by the poor placement more practice off hand is in order.

Some lessons in life are learned the hard way, you learned you need to practice more and work on approaching wounded animals to maximize shot opportunities. You didn't learn why you don't trespass on private property with firearms, that lesson hits harder.

Not to OP, there awful lot of people on here recently thinking they deserve something be it access to someone else's property or ammunition for a certain price. You don't.

Venting is fine and dandy but in every situation that sucks we can look back and say what could I do better. Then bust our *** making it so that doesn't happen again. Or, we can keep venting, at that point complaining and nothing will ever change.
 
As I stated earlier it sucks! I'm not certain that in which ever state this happened in that the game warden would have been able to retrieve it. But I will say maybe try for a high shoulder shot . It will disrupt the the spinal cord and give broken shoulders which makes for an immobile animal that dies quickly .
Here in Wv if said animal crosses onto anothers land and you don't have written permission or are granted permission you can not legally retrieve it. Ever since all the timber companies have leased their lands up to " hunting clubs" it has got crazy if you're caught on someone else's property knowing or not knowing that you're in the wrong . I personally use the high shoulder shot to immobilize game . Sure I may loose just a little bit of meat but that's better than the entire animal.
 
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