Bitter sweet

8

8MM Mauser

New member
well I shot my first buck this weekend. About two hours into opening day I put a 170 grain 8mm bullet right into the boiler plate on a nice (looked like) 6-point buck. It was thrilling to take that shot. I haven't been so excited in a long while!

So we find and follow the blood trail about 100 yards south... And right into the fence that seperated the property. On the other side of that fence is an expensive hunting lease. We called, they refused to give us permission to pursue into their property. My first buck , who admittedly was not immediately in sight in the thick brush, was lost to me.

I really don't blame them I guess. I would have messed up the hunts of their clients; but man does it burn me up to lose that buck! Between work, school and family commitments I really don't know if I will make it out again this year.

So; who else has lost a deer?
 
Had one hop a fence and by the time we got there two guys on the other side had started field dressing my deer.
Needless to say things went south from there.:mad:
 
Sorry to hear your neighbor is that unhospitable. I have a very large lease in New York and every year or so someone will call be to see if they can come on the property to look for a wounded deer. I never turn them down but I do insist that they let me accompany them in their search. If there's a blood trail I will go out of my way to help them recover the animal. If there is no blood trail and just tracks and they think they might have hit an animal I tell them I'll follow it for a while and call them if I find blood or a dead deer. I don't like a group of strangers wandering around on my lease during the season but don't want anyone to not get a deer they hit either. I have one neighbor who has done this a couple of times and we've always found his deer so at this point I tell him to just come on and get it. He knows the drill and respects my property. Good luck and getting another buck to keep.
 
I have lost a couple. Stuff like that, people wont let you on their property. Sorry to hear they wouldn't let you go get the deer. They could have at least had you come back after hunting hours so you didn't mess up one of their people if they had any in that area. Maybe they need to put up a higher fence

NoSecondBest that is awesome. I don't blame you for not letting people walk around on your property by themselves looking for a deer. Great that you take the time to go help them look. People like you are becoming harder and harder to find these days.
 
Next time...do a broadside double-shoulder shot. He should do a vertical jump an fall down on the same spot; though you might destroy some shoulder meat. A shoulder shot on a bear is not recommended.

Google: shoulder shots on deer
 
I appreciate the sentiments. That stupid fence is really just some barbed wire strung on a few posts. To be honest, the buck I shot probably wandered over from the lease. Still, I hope someone put it quickly out of its misery.

I suspect that my shot could have been about a inch higher too. It must have been a decent hit though, he left enough blood on the ground.

My grandpa told me it's not losing a deer; I was just feeding the yotes'

By about 11 on Sunday I would have settled for a doe, or heck, I would have settled for one of the coyotes! Day 2 we didn't see anything though and I head to head back into the city to take care of some business before Monday.

It was a bummer too because I was the only one in the family to see anything.

Maybe I'll get back out there the weekend of thanksgiving.
 
I'll have to try that shoulder shot. I would have needed one a Little closer though.

This particular buck was a good 150 yards out and in thick brush. It was enough for me to get a good broadside on his chest. I was watching this deer for almost an hour and this was the first time he presented a decent shot.

I am a Michigan hunter. Usually the land I hunt on doesn't present more than about a 75-100 yard shot. I happened to get an excellent spot this year though on my uncle's land on a raised platform with a good 200 yard veiw to the north east and south and probably 40 yards to the west. However, the south side has some thick brush. Of course that is where the deer like to slink around.
 
8MM Mauser - Sorry to hear about that and sorry to hear your have such richard-heads or neighbors. I guess times are a changing, years ago you would have asked and there would've been no problem.

I've lost one, it was shoulder shot that was too low and all I did was break it's leg. I searched for that deer for two days but couldn't find it, kinda lost interest in hunting that year.
It was totally avoidable; I rushed the shot (when I looked back at it) I didn't have too. I vowed I would NEVER make that mistake again!
 
Don't give up too soon !!!

Unless I'm missing something, you gave up too soon. You did the right thing by contacting the club and they have an option to deny your request. In Iowa, our next option is to contact the DNR and you'd be surprised at the positive results. This happened in our area and one of the locations was a county park. The hunters were not allowed to go in but the DNR, was. Also, the hunters may be allowed to go in but only if unarmed. On one occasion, I was contacted by my plant's security, to retrieve a deer. I found the deer, field dressed it and drug it to our property line. .... :)

We also have a state law that as hunters, we are responsible for retrieving this resourse. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
Missouri law requires the hunter to make an effort to retrieve a wounded aNima however that doesn't authorize trespass. Our conservation agents have pretty good record of receiving permission to go onto the property in question and retrieve a deer but not 100 percent especially on an animal that is only a bloodtrail at that point.
 
If the story is as told the property owner is at best just plain sorry **** ** **** ( and without getting another warning about name calling on the forum ) . I own property and understand property rights but some folks need to look in a mirror and ask what kind of person am I ? There are laws about in pursuit of wonded game that allow crossing property lines I havn't looked into them in years .
 
To play devil's advocate Psalm 7: I couldn't see the deer or anything. I had a pretty good blood trail but couldn't see the animal. If I did see it I would have just jumped over and dragged it out quick without bothering anyone.

I couldn't say with honest certainty how far he ran on their property, thoug it's hard to imagine it was too far with all his blood loss. Problem was the brush was really thick and we just couldn't be sure when they asked us how far he went. Despite Myself; I couldn't bring myself to lie.

I obviously don't agree with their decision but there wasn't much I could do, legally.

What really burns me is the thought that the deer suffered unneccisary.
 
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Originally posted by 8MM Mauser

To play devil's advocate Psalm 7: I couldn't see the deer or anything. I had a pretty good blood trail but couldn't see the animal. If I did see it I would have just jumped over and dragged it out quick without bothering anyone.
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That only would have put you at a lower level than the landowners. They didn't do anything against the law. Trespassing is. Had you been caught and they pressed charges, odds are, besides the fine and your name in the local paper, you would have forfeited the deer also.

I always advise anybody that hunts on private land to know who the adjacent landowner is and to ask permission BEFORE the season begins about retrieving wounded animals. This always works better than bothering them 2 hours into opening day when they also are trying to hunt. Getting to know you first many times gives you the little bit of edge you need. It also may help you decide where to place your stands in order to avoid a mortally wounded deer from crossing the fence to land you do not have permission to enter. Calling the DNR or calling later in the day and suggesting you go in after dark to retrieve a dead deer sometimes works better, again, instead of interrupting someones hunt 2 hours into opening morning.
 
You should have made a phone call to the game warden. Many times they are able to "persuade" a reluctant land owner to let them retrieve game.
 
Originally posted by 8MM Mauser

It's kind of a moot point now isn't it?
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No, it isn't. Not if you consider it a lesson learned. Not if you ask next year before hunting season and know your options ahead of time. While asking ahead of time MAY get your permission to follow a wounded animal on someone else's property, trespassing without permission probably won't.

You did all you could, legally to retrieve your deer. With the recent trend of larger parcels of property being cut up into 80s and 40s so more folks can have their own piece of hunting ground, this is becoming more and more common. Sometimes in hunting there are things beyond our control that influence our ability for success. While getting permission may be beyond that control, not hunting in close proximity to land we do not have permission to enter or being choosier about our shot selection if we cannot change our location are. Odds are, if the landowner knew there was a good buck wounded or dead on their property, they made use of it. This may have been the reason for not allowing you on. Thus your success now becomes their success. Fairly common. My land, my deer kind of thought process.

Hope you have better luck on Thanksgiving.
 
You're right. I have learned my lesson.

I had such a great shot on that deer I didn't really stop and think. The herd he was with wandered over from that way. Of course they retreated in that direction when faced with a threat.

I wouldn't take that shot again. I should have waited.

Thank you. Hopefully things work out better next time.
 
Did you have any air bubbles in the blood trail? Where did you think you hit him with the bullet? Any deer hair color at the shot site?

Sometimes a heart shot deer will do his "death run," and will run about 100 yards.

A single lung shot deer will live for at least 30 minutes.
 
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