Fighting Over A Deer I Shot?
- Thread starter woodguru
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I've always told myself that if someone was to steal a deer that I had shot and killed I would let them have it but wait until they had tagged it and then shoot it a couple of times in the hindquarters ruining that bit of fine eating. There would be no arguing or fighting over it but next time they might think a little bit about trying to steal someone elses deer again.
Rangefinder
New member
And invading a spot that someone else has put the time, effort, and planning into working and scouting is a bad move too. It's happened to me several times that I work and area learning patterns and crossings for weeks ahead of time--mark my trails, hides, etc, wake up at Oh-dark-thirty to get out well ahead of light. Then have someone come traipsing right through the area spooking off anything that would have been there. One joker one time in particular not only invaded my area, but shot the deer I'd been working for over a week to get, AND after stomping out of the woods disgusted I had my truck blocked in by his truck. Lucky and unlucky for him, he left it unlocked. After shoving it back a few feet so I could get out, there was a little payback. He probably had fun finding all his plug wires scattered in the woods.
There are honest "oops, didn't realize you were here" moments, and then there are those who should never be allowed outside city limits--ever. I'm very tired of the latter.
Alex Johnson
New member
Perhaps it's just that there are too many deer in North Dakota and more importantly plenty of places to hunt where I live, but I find this story rather disturbing in many ways. Unless a person is starving a dead deer is certainly not worth fighting over.
Something I'll never forget!
I was about 9-10, on a hunting trip with my dad. It was during Ohio's deer black powder season and we were hunting a remote, old strip mine area.
An overnight snow storm dumped about 5"'s of snow and the long hike to our stand the next morning in the dark was interesting. We got to our stand which was located on the top of a huge hill. When it was daylight we could see forever with the fresh snow.
After a few hrs. of daylight, dad had been glassing some grazing deer on the opposite hill. The deer had started skirting around the hill towards another hunter that was on a stand right in their path.
Dad handed me the field glasses and pointed out what was going on. I watched this hunter shoot a nice deer. The deer ran down hill a bit before falling. The hunter made his way to the deer, field dressed it and started the long drag to the gravel rd.
I watched this guy drag the deer which seemed like forever falling several time in the snow.
He got about 40-50yds from the road when a van drove by very slowly and disappeared over the hill. As the hunter got to the road, here comes the van and stops. As I remember there were at least three guys that got out of the van and took the hunters deer from him at gunpoint.
I gave the field glasses back to dad, telling him what was going on. He watched as the thieves loaded the deer and drove off.
When we finally made it to the hunter, he was sitting on a log alongside the road. He was visibly shaken and P.O'd to say the least. I remember dad apologizing to him for not being able to get to him fast enough to help. Dad offered to let him hunt with us but since he had attached his temporary tag to stolen deer, he had no deer pemit.
Dad and I saw an ONDR officer the next day and dad told him of the incident, giving him the discription of the van. According to the officer, these punks had been running the roads taking deer from hunters. Hope they got caught.
Back then, it was illegal in Ohio to posses any other firearm during blackpowder season. Apparently,these cowards knew the odds were in their favor and the hunter would be, for the most part, dissarmed.
I don't think a deer is worth a life but it sure would have been nice to kill the old van this scum was in, leaving them afoot.
I was about 9-10, on a hunting trip with my dad. It was during Ohio's deer black powder season and we were hunting a remote, old strip mine area.
An overnight snow storm dumped about 5"'s of snow and the long hike to our stand the next morning in the dark was interesting. We got to our stand which was located on the top of a huge hill. When it was daylight we could see forever with the fresh snow.
After a few hrs. of daylight, dad had been glassing some grazing deer on the opposite hill. The deer had started skirting around the hill towards another hunter that was on a stand right in their path.
Dad handed me the field glasses and pointed out what was going on. I watched this hunter shoot a nice deer. The deer ran down hill a bit before falling. The hunter made his way to the deer, field dressed it and started the long drag to the gravel rd.
I watched this guy drag the deer which seemed like forever falling several time in the snow.
He got about 40-50yds from the road when a van drove by very slowly and disappeared over the hill. As the hunter got to the road, here comes the van and stops. As I remember there were at least three guys that got out of the van and took the hunters deer from him at gunpoint.
I gave the field glasses back to dad, telling him what was going on. He watched as the thieves loaded the deer and drove off.
When we finally made it to the hunter, he was sitting on a log alongside the road. He was visibly shaken and P.O'd to say the least. I remember dad apologizing to him for not being able to get to him fast enough to help. Dad offered to let him hunt with us but since he had attached his temporary tag to stolen deer, he had no deer pemit.
Dad and I saw an ONDR officer the next day and dad told him of the incident, giving him the discription of the van. According to the officer, these punks had been running the roads taking deer from hunters. Hope they got caught.
Back then, it was illegal in Ohio to posses any other firearm during blackpowder season. Apparently,these cowards knew the odds were in their favor and the hunter would be, for the most part, dissarmed.
I don't think a deer is worth a life but it sure would have been nice to kill the old van this scum was in, leaving them afoot.
Lance posted,
a wounded animal witch wasn't the case here.
Your un-holstering before approaching removed any self defense claim IMO
What you and others have shared about loosing, supposed and righteous possession of a big game animal will continue as long as there is hunting.
As far as I am concerned anyone that would claim a downed animal can have it and I would pray that they are then done hunting and go home.
And even then someone else will always take their place.
We talk about just this kind of thing in Firearms safety classes because its all about education.
AND;
Its not! A scope is not a monocular/binocular. You are doing an unsafe act.
Even on private property one should follow ALL the safety rules and practices.
I also feel you were "WAY" wrong to shoot unless you were only going to anchor
a wounded animal witch wasn't the case here.
Your un-holstering before approaching removed any self defense claim IMO
What you and others have shared about loosing, supposed and righteous possession of a big game animal will continue as long as there is hunting.
As far as I am concerned anyone that would claim a downed animal can have it and I would pray that they are then done hunting and go home.
And even then someone else will always take their place.
We talk about just this kind of thing in Firearms safety classes because its all about education.
AND;
You posted that in the context of you were doing something that is commonplace and OK!
Its not! A scope is not a monocular/binocular. You are doing an unsafe act.
Even on private property one should follow ALL the safety rules and practices.
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Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
Yeah, checking out the world through a scope instead of binoculars is a serious no-no, as to safety. Most folks get just really, really negative if they hear of it or see it happening. (Unfortunately, a proper description would be a bannable offense here at TFL.)
However, there can be a comical side to arguments between hunters as to who shot a deer.
Way back before most of y'all were born, a lady was hunting on a ranch near New Braunfels, Texas. She shot a nice buck and went over to it and put her tag on it. However, all of a sudden, the buck jumped up and ran into an adjacent pasture, only having been hit on an antler. She lit in after as best she could, screaming, "Stop! Stop!"
A hunter in that next pasture saw the buck, shot it and killed it. He and his friend went over to the buck to field dress it. And here comes the lady, very much excited: "Leave that deer alone! That's MY deer!"
The two guys shook their heads and laughed and the shooter pointed out that, "Hey, Lady, 'scuse me, but I just now shot and killed that buck. What makes you think he's your buck?"
"That's my tag on him!"
Yup, there's the tag.
"Okay, Lady, okay. He's your deer. Anybody who can run that fast deserves a deer."
However, there can be a comical side to arguments between hunters as to who shot a deer.
Way back before most of y'all were born, a lady was hunting on a ranch near New Braunfels, Texas. She shot a nice buck and went over to it and put her tag on it. However, all of a sudden, the buck jumped up and ran into an adjacent pasture, only having been hit on an antler. She lit in after as best she could, screaming, "Stop! Stop!"
A hunter in that next pasture saw the buck, shot it and killed it. He and his friend went over to the buck to field dress it. And here comes the lady, very much excited: "Leave that deer alone! That's MY deer!"
The two guys shook their heads and laughed and the shooter pointed out that, "Hey, Lady, 'scuse me, but I just now shot and killed that buck. What makes you think he's your buck?"
"That's my tag on him!"
Yup, there's the tag.
"Okay, Lady, okay. He's your deer. Anybody who can run that fast deserves a deer."
lefteyedom
New member
Time for Saturday School
Sayeth the Prophet Bro. Eastwood,
"When you kill someone you take away everything they have and everything they were ever going to have."
Shall we kill someone to protect our family or ourselve? Yea.
Shall we kill someone over a deer? Nay.
This conclude the today's lesson from the second book of Unforgiven.
Sayeth the Prophet Bro. Eastwood,
"When you kill someone you take away everything they have and everything they were ever going to have."
Shall we kill someone to protect our family or ourselve? Yea.
Shall we kill someone over a deer? Nay.
This conclude the today's lesson from the second book of Unforgiven.
Oneholewonder
New member
Rangefinder,
I'm always fascinated by why some guys think a particular spot is "theirs" or a particular deer is "theirs" just because they did a few months of scouting or happened to catch a glimpse of a particular buck, especially when hunting on public land. Even if you've been hunting a public land spot for 5 or 10 years how do you know another hunter hasn't been hunting the same general area for 15 years?
I've been hunting a particular parcel of public land that has great big buck genes for about 15 years now and I've seen scores of 140 B&C plus bucks in this area year after year and have taken my fair share. The forest I'm hunting is about 13,000 acres but the particular area with the big buck genes is much smaller and is easier to access than I'd like.
Some years there are few hunters and other years there are many hunters. Depends on the day and the weather. I recognize some of the hunters and have become friendly with several of them over the years. We all know there are big bucks in this area because we've all done our homework. Invariably new guys show up any given year and traipse through the area and find the big buck sign and figure out the same thing the rest of us know so they decide they want to hunt there as well.
I don't consider the area "my spot" even though I've been hunting that area as long as anybody. Many years I see the bruiser buck I'm after before the gun season starts but I don't consider him "my buck' until I bag him and tag him and since the area is public land I certainly don't expect other hunters that also know about this area to not hunt a particular spot or big buck. I take it as a personal challenge to prove I'm a better hunter by bagging a big buck before the other guys that are hunting the same general area. Just because other guys are hunting the same general area doesn't mean I can't still shoot a big buck before they do.
About ten years after I started hunting this area a couple of sharpies figured out what the rest of us knew and these two cats set up about six ladder stands and put most of them in the right places! In our state if you put a ladder stand on public land the first guy that gets to the ladder stand has a right to hunt from it even if you don't own the ladder stand! I usually hunt from the ground but since these cats went to the trouble of setting up more ladder stands than they could hunt from and since many of them were over looking some of my favorite deer trails guess where I spent quite a bit of my time during hunting season?
I understand getting ****** if a hunter sets up right in your back pocket when you're already there first. That's not safe nor is it polite. I've had that happen quite a bit especially with guys that are afraid of the dark yet still insist on entering the woods before first light and then they decide to sit 40 yards from a stranger because they are afraid to sit in the dark by themselves. That's one of my pet peeves of deer hunting. If you're afraid of the dark wait until daylight to enter the woods, don't come sit by me! I'm not afraid of the dark and the only company I want is brown with big antlers!
Anybody else run into the afraid of the dark guys that come into the woods after you and know you're 40 yards away but insist on sitting in the same general area?
I'm always fascinated by why some guys think a particular spot is "theirs" or a particular deer is "theirs" just because they did a few months of scouting or happened to catch a glimpse of a particular buck, especially when hunting on public land. Even if you've been hunting a public land spot for 5 or 10 years how do you know another hunter hasn't been hunting the same general area for 15 years?
I've been hunting a particular parcel of public land that has great big buck genes for about 15 years now and I've seen scores of 140 B&C plus bucks in this area year after year and have taken my fair share. The forest I'm hunting is about 13,000 acres but the particular area with the big buck genes is much smaller and is easier to access than I'd like.
Some years there are few hunters and other years there are many hunters. Depends on the day and the weather. I recognize some of the hunters and have become friendly with several of them over the years. We all know there are big bucks in this area because we've all done our homework. Invariably new guys show up any given year and traipse through the area and find the big buck sign and figure out the same thing the rest of us know so they decide they want to hunt there as well.
I don't consider the area "my spot" even though I've been hunting that area as long as anybody. Many years I see the bruiser buck I'm after before the gun season starts but I don't consider him "my buck' until I bag him and tag him and since the area is public land I certainly don't expect other hunters that also know about this area to not hunt a particular spot or big buck. I take it as a personal challenge to prove I'm a better hunter by bagging a big buck before the other guys that are hunting the same general area. Just because other guys are hunting the same general area doesn't mean I can't still shoot a big buck before they do.
About ten years after I started hunting this area a couple of sharpies figured out what the rest of us knew and these two cats set up about six ladder stands and put most of them in the right places! In our state if you put a ladder stand on public land the first guy that gets to the ladder stand has a right to hunt from it even if you don't own the ladder stand!
I usually hunt from the ground but since these cats went to the trouble of setting up more ladder stands than they could hunt from and since many of them were over looking some of my favorite deer trails guess where I spent quite a bit of my time during hunting season? I understand getting ****** if a hunter sets up right in your back pocket when you're already there first. That's not safe nor is it polite. I've had that happen quite a bit especially with guys that are afraid of the dark yet still insist on entering the woods before first light and then they decide to sit 40 yards from a stranger because they are afraid to sit in the dark by themselves. That's one of my pet peeves of deer hunting. If you're afraid of the dark wait until daylight to enter the woods, don't come sit by me! I'm not afraid of the dark and the only company I want is brown with big antlers!
Anybody else run into the afraid of the dark guys that come into the woods after you and know you're 40 yards away but insist on sitting in the same general area?
Woodguru dude, Why did you even pull the trigger? I think you got yourself into one of those "sticky-wicket's", I know it's difficult to let some barbaric ass, take the hunt away from you , but on public land it can happen more frequent than people admit. If it would have been me I would have let the other hunters scenario play out. Had they ran the deer off, you'd a been back in the hunt for maybe another day. Most importantly YOUR STILL ALIVE!! I think all in all the after shot sequence was a +1 Woodguru, well played. You were probably right about them killing you as you work up the deer, never know, in this world. I myself would have never shot at a deer being engaged by another hunter, that's just my rule. However if the deer ran off with no holes in it, I'll take the next chance at it,. And if someone draws first blood, in my camp it's their deer.....period.
I think all in all the after shot sequence was a +1 Woodguru, well played. You were probably right about them killing you as you work up the deer, never know, in this world. I myself would have never shot at a deer being engaged by another hunter, that's just my rule. However if the deer ran off with no holes in it, I'll take the next chance at it,. And if someone draws first blood, in my camp it's their deer.....period.Double Naught Spy
New member
If you don't post signs, how would anyone know you were working and scouting an area?
I take it that you are hunting public land which means you don't own it. You don't get to tell people where they can and cannot go or when they can go through the area that you have somehow decided is yours.
Okay, so you admit to committing a criminal act because you didn't like the hunter's non-criminal behavior.
Given your propensity for criminal acts, you are the latter.
Oneholewonder,
Very interesting story about hunting public land.
I have never hunted private land for big game.
Here are a couple story's I wrote about some of my hunting trips.
As for afraid of the dark hunters.
Never ran across any but can remember a few times many years ago when I would let my imagination get away from me.
Very interesting story about hunting public land.
I have never hunted private land for big game.
Here are a couple story's I wrote about some of my hunting trips.
As for afraid of the dark hunters.
Never ran across any but can remember a few times many years ago when I would let my imagination get away from me.
Rangefinder
New member
Should he have taken the shot? NO. But how about a few of you get off the soap box. Are we talking about public land? Sure--it belongs to everyone. But I'm not swallowing behavior from some people who are completely and utterly ignorant to ethics, and not going to just excuse someone stealing the deer he shot (bad form or otherwise).
Generally speaking in terms of a spot on public land being worked or "claimed" by someone... Look at it a little differently. Lets say I'm standing in the river with my fly rod enjoying a sunny afternoon and working a nice little bend for a trout. THEN, you come waltzing out of the brush, walk onto the bend I'm trying to fish, and start casting over my line. You think that might be OK too? Do you have a right to be there? sure. But ethically, you ought to be beaten with your own pole for it.
Guess you missed the part about my truck being pinned in by this idiot. Pin my vehicle in where I can't get it out of a parking spot, and I'll have you towed and then laugh out loud while you chase the tow truck. Pin me in somewhere in the middle of nowhere so I can't get out and then leave me waiting for you to return at your leisure to let me out, I don't care if it's out of pure ignorance, blatant rudeness and stupidity or any combination there-of--you'll be lucky to find your vehicle intact when you venture back to it.
Generally speaking in terms of a spot on public land being worked or "claimed" by someone... Look at it a little differently. Lets say I'm standing in the river with my fly rod enjoying a sunny afternoon and working a nice little bend for a trout. THEN, you come waltzing out of the brush, walk onto the bend I'm trying to fish, and start casting over my line. You think that might be OK too? Do you have a right to be there? sure. But ethically, you ought to be beaten with your own pole for it.
Guess you missed the part about my truck being pinned in by this idiot.
Pin my vehicle in where I can't get it out of a parking spot, and I'll have you towed and then laugh out loud while you chase the tow truck. Pin me in somewhere in the middle of nowhere so I can't get out and then leave me waiting for you to return at your leisure to let me out, I don't care if it's out of pure ignorance, blatant rudeness and stupidity or any combination there-of--you'll be lucky to find your vehicle intact when you venture back to it.
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Rifleman1776
New member
After hearing, and seeing, the first shot I never would have taken a shot.
An argument was sure to happen and with people who have guns, that never bodes well.
An argument was sure to happen and with people who have guns, that never bodes well.
Where my family hunts is public ground. Therefore I beleive in getting there early and waiting for the hunters of the other hunting groups to arive and I go talk to them , letting them know it's me and my family out in that pasture.. And I think the other hunters respect my position. I have never had an episode like the OP's, thank god, and everybody that hunts the same part that I do get's the same respect, you draw first blood and we down it, it's yours.... period..... No questions asked, it's how this bunch of hooligans roll. However if we don't find that your bullet hit the deer, tough banannas!
Don't try to claim it, but we will definatley help another hunter collect his game.
No questions asked, it's how this bunch of hooligans roll. However if we don't find that your bullet hit the deer, tough banannas! Don't try to claim it, but we will definatley help another hunter collect his game.Deerhunter
New member
We go by the rules.....If it is archery season....fisrt blood gets the deer as long as the shot would have eventually killed the deer. When gun season starts it is who ever knocks the deer down and keeps it down. Just how we do things in PA. Now I have finsihed off a deer or two for my buddy and he has done the same for me. We can track deer and are darn good at it, but we don't like to. Just easier to put them down. The two of us and his dad go by who ever hit it first gets it no matter what. Again that is just us, but everyone else I know goes by the first arrow or whoever takes the shot that puts it down.
Hard to say as I have seen deer running that I had shots at that other people where shooting at. At what point do you wait before you take a shot. Again OP was talking about public land. Does he have to wait till the deer runs 25, 50 or 100 yards before he shoots at it. Clearly the other guys couldn't hit it.
I am not saying it is worth shooting someone over but what happened to ethics and doing the right thing. He shot the deer he should get it, The world has become a crazy place.
Hard to say as I have seen deer running that I had shots at that other people where shooting at. At what point do you wait before you take a shot. Again OP was talking about public land. Does he have to wait till the deer runs 25, 50 or 100 yards before he shoots at it. Clearly the other guys couldn't hit it.
I am not saying it is worth shooting someone over but what happened to ethics and doing the right thing. He shot the deer he should get it, The world has become a crazy place.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
Deerhunter said:
See... that's the problem with rules like that.... everyone has their own. I've never heard the "rules" put the way you state them here. In fact, I've never heard that it mattered what sort of implement was in use.
Around here, and most everywhere else I've ever heard, the rule is simple:
He who makes an imminently fatal shot "owns" the animal.
How do you define "eventually kill the deer" anyway? Most deer hit with an arrow will "eventually" die. It's just a matter of whether it's 10 seconds, 5 minutes, 30 minutes or 3 days.... or somewhere in between.
Vital zone hits own the deer. Nothing else.
Under your rules, I could shoot a deer through the heart, have it run 100 yards only to be shot through the legs by another guy and since he "put it down", he owns it.
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