hypothetical question

[MUP]

My brother in law shoots a 120 8pt , it runs near property line, not across. A guy comes running across line graps deer and starts dragging. My brother in law yells and stops him. This guy was gonna take the deer. I figure his plan was get deer across line then not let my brother in law get the buck.

"This guy" would have most likely took a butt whoopin' trying to take a 120" 8 pt from me! :grin:

 

[DEER REPELLANT]

It might also be that the owners might think the deer was shot on their property. Maybe trying to explain where it was shot and offering to show them the spot might relieve some tension. Sometimes going to the owner to get deer might not click into their heads that you are trying to be a responsible and ethical hunter.

 

[woodsman87]

I bet most land-owners let you, although I don't know that. Been lucky enough to never have to ask. I would let people do it on mine with no problem, and even help if I could.
I can see the other side of it. People may mis-understand and think your hunting on their land. And then there are the fence hunters that were stated earlier. I guess a fence hunter would be irritating to deal with.

 

[barkscaler]

Well I'll be the first to come out and say I would go get it.In my mind you're nothurting a thing and the deer CANNOT go to waste.Just by asking, you run a risk of never getting your deer.I make it a point to ask any surrounding land owners about retrieving a deer on their property before deer season.If they deny me access...well sorry bout their luck.But I have never had a problem anyways.jmo

 

[beechnut]

Well I'll be the first to come out and say I would go get it.In my mind you're nothurting a thing and the deer CANNOT go to waste.Just by asking, you run a risk of never getting your deer.I make it a point to ask any surrounding land owners about retrieving a deer on their property before deer season.If they deny me access...well sorry bout their luck.But I have never had a problem anyways.jmo

There are a lot of folks on here that would do the same thing.....don't let'em fool ya..... ;)
And I would do the same as you.

 

[Mossy Oak]

Night time is the right time.

 

[bowriter]

Check with TWRA on this, if I am remembering correctly there used to be a regulation of some sort that would allow a hunter to cross a property line to retrieve down game. It was put into place because we as hunters have a moral and ethical responsibility to make our best efforts to retrieve any game animal we shoot. Also it is waste just to let any game lay to waste because of a property line. Now get me wrong I am in no favor of trespassing nor do I condone trespassing. So check to see what rules and regulations cover this.

There is no such law. scn has answered this question before, and I can tell you that there is no statute that allows this.

I think it's a fairly rare situation for a landowner to deny access for someone to retrieve game, but it happens, and possibly for good reason.

Hypo: If you had a beautiful track of land with food plots, etc in place, and it was bordered by a 1/2 acre of buck brush, the owner of which allowed everyone at church to hunt. The deer occasionally cross through the buckbrush but largely "live" on your property. Opening day of bow season, there are 3 guys with cross bows sitting on the property line. If you allow them retrieve deer on your property, they will continue doing this. If they know a shot deer will just run onto your property where they can't retrieve it, then the hunting will decrease. I would, without compunction, deny the right to retrieve deer on this property.

It would have to be guys with crossbows and from a different church, right? I mean, a guy with a recurve from the same church would be okay, wouldn't he?

 

[BSK]

I understand the frustration of hunters who would be kept from a downed deer. In only a few circumstances would a stop someone from accessing a deer that crossed onto my property and died. But I can promise you, if someone crosses my property without asking for permission first, they are going to be charged with trespassing, and if I catch them, probably held at gunpoint until the sheriff arrives.

No hunter has a RIGHT to cross another person's property without asking first. And if the owner refuses, there's nothing you can or should be able to do about it. Do you really want "the law" telling YOU others have the right to cross your property or come into your house to retrieve something they SAY is theirs? Think about the ramifications of that...

To reduce an animal to possession, you must bring that animal down within the confines of the area you have permission to hunt. If you fail to do that, it's your fault as a hunter.

 

[W.Seay]

I'd go get it

 

[BSK]

I'd go get it and nobody would stop me!

;)

I would love to see how fast a hunter's attitude would change when they were looking down the twin tubes of Thor's Hammers! :D

 

[W.Seay]

I would also be armed along with several others :) luckily I won't ever have that problem as we are friends with everyone around us.

 

[BSK]

I would also be armed along with several others :) luckily I won't ever have that problem as we are friends with everyone around us.

My "clan" is bigger than your "clan!" :D

 

[Southern Sportsman]

Check with TWRA on this, if I am remembering correctly there used to be a regulation of some sort that would allow a hunter to cross a property line to retrieve down game. It was put into place because we as hunters have a moral and ethical responsibility to make our best efforts to retrieve any game animal we shoot. Also it is waste just to let any game lay to waste because of a property line. Now get me wrong I am in no favor of trespassing nor do I condone trespassing. So check to see what rules and regulations cover this.

There is no such law. scn has answered this question before, and I can tell you that there is no statute that allows this.

I think it's a fairly rare situation for a landowner to deny access for someone to retrieve game, but it happens, and possibly for good reason.

Hypo: If you had a beautiful track of land with food plots, etc in place, and it was bordered by a 1/2 acre of buck brush, the owner of which allowed everyone at church to hunt. The deer occasionally cross through the buckbrush but largely "live" on your property. Opening day of bow season, there are 3 guys with cross bows sitting on the property line. If you allow them retrieve deer on your property, they will continue doing this. If they know a shot deer will just run onto your property where they can't retrieve it, then the hunting will decrease. I would, without compunction, deny the right to retrieve deer on this property.

It would have to be guys with crossbows and from a different church, right? I mean, a guy with a recurve from the same church would be okay, wouldn't he?

Three guys with crossbows from a different church from you, no permission.
One guy with recurve from same church as you = permission, purely out of respect.
One guy with compound bow from different church, consider permission unless it's Church of Christ. (joke -- I have family that's COC)
One guy with muzzelloader, probably allow retrieval (theory being that he was likely hunting expecting no retrieval necessary)
The only reason I would not allow in my original hypo is to disincentive the activity because they reasonably should know that they will need to retrieve on your property after shot.

 

[BSK]

Three guys with crossbows from a different church from you, no permission.
One guy with recurve from same church as you = permission, purely out of respect.
One guy with compound bow from different church, consider permission unless it's Church of Christ. (joke -- I have family that's COC)
One guy with muzzelloader, probably allow retrieval (theory being that he was likely hunting expecting no retrieval necessary)

Southern Sportman,

That's got to be one of the funniest responses I've read in a long time. :) Can't beat "church logic!"

 

[W.Seay]

All kidding aside, I'd call the neighbor and tell him what happened so he could join in on the search. Even if it meant cutting my rut hunting short, I would gladly leave my stand to help somebody find a big buck!!

 

[W.Seay]

If the buck was just over the property line I would just go get it but if I had to tromp their property up looking for it then I would give him a call first.

 

[BSK]

If someone asks permission to track a wounded deer onto my property, most of the time I'm not only going to give permission, I'm going to help (and I have done so). That's just the neighborly thing to do. But I also admit that for SOME neighbors I'm going to insist I help so I can find proof the animal really did come off their property. I have jealous neighbors that put up their treestands right on the property line facing into my property. It would take a convoluted shooting angle to even shoot onto their property from those stands. I would want to make sure they really shot the deer on their property.

 

[W.Seay]

If someone asks permission to track a wounded deer onto my property, most of the time I'm not only going to give permission, I'm going to help (and I have done so). That's just the neighborly thing to do. But I also admit that for SOME neighbors I'm going to insist I help so I can find proof the animal really did come off their property. I have jealous neighbors that put up their treestands right on the property line facing into my property. It would take a convoluted shooting angle to even shoot onto their property from those stands. I would want to make sure they really shot the deer on their property.

X2, you need to put up a very thick buffer of trees to keep the jerks from shooting into your place . I would ask them why they had their stands facing into your property.

 

[Bottom Hunter]

What's the old saying.."It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."......lol.

First, if a landowner or hunter pulls a gun on you for trespassing and threatens your life, then he needs mental help, for one.

I have run people off before. Both men were armed and I called the farmer and let him talk to him. They left. They did come back but he was there to greet them when they came out to their truck.

I don't think that threatening people gets you anywhere. It just makes them madder at you. After I ran those guys off, I had three deer stands stolen off that property. I had none stolen the previous years.

These guys were poaching, that is far different than simply crossing a property line to retrieve a deer...these guys claimed to have hunted that property for years, by permission from a man down the road. Well, come to find out, that man down the road was a family friend of the owner and had often hunted there himself. The farmer who gave me permission had sole hunting rights and did not visit the property after the crops were out so he really didn't know that anyone was hunting on it. Mass confusion, imo.

Again...allowing someone to cross your property is just being a good neighbor....imo.

 

[woodsman87]

I would allow people to come get a deer on my land, And I would hope the favor would be returned.
If I knew the guy and I caught him on my property dragging or looking for a deer without asking me, I still wouldn't care. If it was a total stranger, I would think differently.

 

[BSK]

If someone asks permission to track a wounded deer onto my property, most of the time I'm not only going to give permission, I'm going to help (and I have done so). That's just the neighborly thing to do. But I also admit that for SOME neighbors I'm going to insist I help so I can find proof the animal really did come off their property. I have jealous neighbors that put up their treestands right on the property line facing into my property. It would take a convoluted shooting angle to even shoot onto their property from those stands. I would want to make sure they really shot the deer on their property.

X2, you need to put up a very thick buffer of trees to keep the jerks from shooting into your place . I would ask them why they had their stands facing into your property.

My property is almost 100% timber. The neighbors can't shoot too far into my property (visible ranges are generally under 60 yards), but they obviously are, because their stand set-ups don't allow much of a shooting angle onto their own property.

If they would speak to me (which they won't) that particular neighboring family would lie and say they wanted to catch bucks before they left their property and entered mine. Again, that would be a foolish lie, but how else could they justify setting up their stands to poach my property?

And by the way, that neighboring family won't speak to me because I turned them in to the Game Warden for pouring out piles of corn ON the property line (literally on the line). Did they think I wouldn't find their corn piles? How foolish of them... Perhaps they didn't think I would have the balls to turn them in. Again, foolish...

 

[Adam Jackson]

I agree with Mike

 

[bigbyrd]

I had this issue once a deer went 60 yards onto someone else's property Iine there back yard and this farm was 280acres no back yard deer I asked if I could go get it they said no called the game warden he came out and talked to the land owner guy was a jerk and said no to him as well the game warden looked at me and said word for word you know mr its only $50.00 fine for tresspassing if you dont carry your bow its not considered hunting I went and got my 135inch 7 pointer got a tickt paid the fine

 

[Deck78]

Simple, I would put some sleeping sleeping pills in some steak and toss it over the fence for the landowner to eat. When he fell asleep I would sneak over and get my deer while he was happily dreaming in lala land.

"What do tigers dream of, when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras or halie berry in her cat woman suit? Don't you worry you little tiger head, we're going to get you back to Tyson and your cozy tiger bed"

It works every time!

 

[TX300mag]

Since we're considering every possible situation:

I would call in a favor and snag my buck from a helicopter without ever setting foot on the property. :D

 

[scn]

I would contact the game warden.

The game wardens have no place in that discussion. It is between you and the landowner.

 

[scn]

I was told one time that if the landowner didn't let you retrieve the deer then call the game warden and he can go get it. IDK for sure though, luckily I've never had it happen.

100% incorrect.

 

[scn]

Check with TWRA on this, if I am remembering correctly there used to be a regulation of some sort that would allow a hunter to cross a property line to retrieve down game. It was put into place because we as hunters have a moral and ethical responsibility to make our best efforts to retrieve any game animal we shoot. Also it is waste just to let any game lay to waste because of a property line. Now get me wrong I am in no favor of trespassing nor do I condone trespassing. So check to see what rules and regulations cover this.

Incorrect.

There is no law that allows you to retrieve game where you don't have permission.

 

[TheLBLman]

To reduce an animal to possession, you must bring that animal down within the confines of the area you have permission to hunt. If you fail to do that, it's your fault as a hunter.

And this fact makes a strong case for not setting yourself up for this conflict by hunting right on property lines.

 

[scn]

One of the problems I see in this discussion is that the issue of game retrieval really should be addressed before the hunt takes place. A courtesy call to the adjoining landowner(s) early on might give a more positive outcome than the impression that you are almost demanding access after a deer runs across the line.

The problem can happen even if you are hunting a 1000 acre piece of property, as even mortally hit deer can run a long way before finally going down. But, I continue to see posts on here from folks that are hunting very small pieces of property. Some are less that 5 acres. The reality on those little pieces is that unless you purposely spine shoot the deer, there is a very high likelehood of the deer running onto adjoining properties. If you have secured right of retrieval, no problem. But, to shoot a deer where you have to know in reality that it isn't going to stay on your property and is going to run where you have to let it rot is very questionable in the ethics department IMO. And, calling the local wildlife officer in not an option to solve that ethical issue as they have zero power to legally change the landowner's decision.