Whose Deer Is sit ?

[Hatrick]

I had a situation in PA about 20 years ago. 9:30 monday morning I here a shot about 500 yards from me. Ten to fifteen minutes later a 15" 6 pointer is sneaking past. I shot him and he death ran 30 yards to the property line and got tangled up in the barbwire fence and thrashed there for a minute. I got down from the tree stand and wrestled him out of the fence. Started to gut him and a father son walked up. He said his son shot the deer and he heard me shoot and the deer get tangled in the fence. When we checked the deer was also hit right in front of the back legs. The father explained to the boy that while he hit the deer he did not kill the deer. I thought we were done. That night back at camp the farmer who owns the property we hunted on and the hunters visited us. The farmer ask if this was the deer I stole from the boy? I showed him the boys shot and my shot and he said the boys shot did not kill that deer. I thought we were done. We were never allowed to hunt that farm again. My hunting partners forgave me, but that was a nice farm.

 

[Pdvdh]

As to my use of the words theft and/or thieves, I believe the buck was stolen from the hunter, under the rules of law. Ownership of the buck was legally transferred from the State to the hunter when his hunting tag was placed on the buck.
The buck was the property of the State prior to his legally killing the buck. The buck became his personal property after he tagged it.
Removing the tag, and the buck, from his possession would constitute theft, if the case was formally reviewed under the law, in my opinion.

 

[longrangehunterII]

As to my use of the words theft and/or thieves, I believe the buck was stolen from the hunter, under the rules of law. Ownership of the buck was legally transferred from the State to the hunter when his hunting tag was placed on the buck.
The buck was the property of the State prior to his legally killing the buck. The buck became his personal property after he tagged it.
Removing the tag, and the buck, from his possession would constitute theft, if the case was formally reviewed under the law, in my opinion.

There you go, and that's why laws are written in the first place. They were party hunting, and the killing two shots came from the rightful hunter who tagged the animal.
Removal of the tag, replacing it, and the taking the animal is theft, plain and simple in any State.

 

[iowaelkbum]

In Iowa if you put your tag on the antlers its your legal property. It would take a court decisions to reverse ownership. I have seen this situation before, unfortunately.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

On the positive side the boy immediately recognized you both shot it.

Maybe his father hasn't ruined him yet. Sounds like he's on his way though.

 

[Buttermilk]

Seems to me that the kid's shot did hit some vitals....

I would think the testicals are pretty vital.... JK..

I have my opinion on who rightfully should get the deer. Should be the person who actually put down the deer, especially if the evidence shows that the initial shot wasn't properly place and not lethal (perhaps the deer would have died from blood loss some time later, but at the risk on not being found... perhaps even the leg wound and the "vital" part of the deer would have closed up enough to survive another day... we will never know).

I don't group hunt and don't participate in deer drives and I'll likely never have to deal with this scenario.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Seems to me that the kid's shot did hit some vitals....

I would think the testicals are pretty vital.... JK..

I don't group hunt and don't participate in deer drives and I'll likely never have to deal with this scenario.

That poor buck couldn't even die as a man...I mean buck.

I never understood deer drives. Seems kind of stressful and has the potential for an accident or in the OPs case a stolen deer. I've done hog hunts with dogs so I guess I've experienced something similar, but I agree it's not my type of hunting. I really feel for the OP though. Sucks that this happened.

 

[dirthead1]

It sucks that this happened, but I think you have been presented an opportunity that is far greater than the deer. I personally think, based on the story, that it should be your deer. But at the end of the day, it's just a deer. If you fought to get it back, put it on your wall, what is your memory going to be every time you look at it? Probably all the drama surrounding it and the loss of a friend. Not something I want to be reminded of every day. Let the kid keep the deer. He might not really understand the full ramifications of what happened and has transpired from all of this yet. His father does, and has to live with that for the rest of his life. The day will most likely come when he regrets this whole thing and realizes what an issue he has caused for both you and his son. It could have been a valuable learning experience for his son on several subjects, but his father chose not to take the opportunity.

Be the bigger man and let it go. I know it was a trophy buck, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Just take the high road and you can respect yourself for the way you handled a ****** situation that you did not create. Maybe someday, the boy will understand what happened and will learn something from it. Maybe the father will too. I wouldn't want to look at a buck every day knowing this story, regardless of who was the rightful owner.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

The "rule" as I have always known it, and based on my 30+ years of teaching the Hunter Education program is; First Fatal and Track-able Hit. I would not consider the first hit to be fatal nor track-able.

This would have been an excellent opportunity for a father to teach his son about honesty, ethics and sportsmanship even though it may have been a hard lesson to learn at the time. Instead, he taught him to pervert the facts, be unsportsmanlike and to cross the line when the reward is unjustly tempting.

A few photos of that young lad with the rightful taker and the record buck would have provided years of good memories and have provided a learning experience that would be hard to duplicate.

The father is the bad actor in this whole scenario and I disagree that "it's only a deer, let it go". Sometimes its the principal that can't be "let go".

Lastly, if that were my kill, the buck would have never left my sight or control. Especially when it was clear that some were suggesting that the ownership was questionable. Maybe i'm just a hard a__s.

 

[Pdvdh]

Lastly, if that were my kill, the buck would have never left my sight or control. Especially when it was clear that some were suggesting that the ownership was questionable. Maybe i'm just a hard a__s.

Sounds good to me. Patsies are vulnerable to bullies. Always have been. Alway will be.

You're never going to be friends again anyhow. Not a friend worth having. Not even worth the acquaintance. Might as well get your deer and then let it all go to H_ll.

 

[Don A Parsons]

I would go after a larger Deer in the following years, and keep on going forward.

Find time to find a new Harvesting partner in equal share idea, and one that can work with you as you work with them.

My friend ran into to this many many years ago with another character, today he has some of Western Canada's units hanging in his massive complex.

He has exceed his own expectations over the years at becoming a very savy harvester indeed.

Don

 

[Gregg C]

In Arizona, it is illegal to a) remove some else's tag, and b)place your tag on an animal you did not kill. Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is around. Doesn't seem to me like your friend has any. Integrity, that is. And what is he teaching his son ? Think I would cut my ties, as I need MY friends to have the same amount of integrity as myself. I expect my friends to hold ME as accountable as I hold THEM. Not much of a friendship, otherwise. JMO
Gregg

 

[7mmag]

I've seen this happen to a friend who's buddy completely missed and went on and on to say it was his kill shot. It's a tough call to see a kids mega buck dream shattered but the dad should of handled it on the spot. The deer itself hanging on the wall will never be worth the friendship that you will lose or have lost. Even if they come around the memory of the harvest will not be the same.

 

[Timinator]

Cool story. Call a warden, cops and lawyer, then go get your deer. Have your "buddy" pay all your costs and then you'll drop the charges.