Retrieving on private land

[gigglemonk]

#2302

Wexbow brought up a question about a recent experience I had and Id like to hear others ideas thoughts.

You make a good shot on a deer while you’re hunting public land or on private land that you’re granted access to. The deer runs 30 yards onto an adjoining parcel of private land that you do not have access to. Other landowner is known to deny access to hunters.

Whats your plan?

[rwbowman]

#8153

Contact the local game warden.

[Stephen Graf]

#8171

I say don’t put yourself in that position in the first place. I don’t ever put myself close to a border that I can’t cross.

If you know a land owner doesn’t like hunting and won’t allow retrieval, hunt somewhere else… Why antagonize people? Why put yourself under extra stress? Why dishonor the deer by potentially leaving it lay longer than it should?

[Troy Breeding]

#8269

As it is in most states you must first attempt to get premmision from the land owner. If turned down then contact the Game Wardens.

Had this problem a couple times while living in AL.

In both cases the land owner said I couldn’t retrieve the downed deer and to stay off their property. After contacting the Game Warden, he came out and instructed the land owner to either retrieve the deer himself and process it or allow me to do so. If not he was going to issue a ticket for Wanting Waste (hopefully I spelled that right).

In one case the land owner took the deer. The other allowed me to get it.

Both land owners stated they had no idea they were breaking the law by not allowing for retrieval or taking care of the game themselves.

Troy

[lyagooshka]

#8302

Ditto on the game warden. Steve, you make a good point, but I have to poke the skunk here and say I have access to a small farm to hunt. With a bow (or even a rifle), the slightest bit off and that deer could run far, so it’s either hunt public land (not an option for me here, but that’s a different story) or make the best shot I can here and try to plan for all possibilities. I am not sure about AL laws, but here in PA, the game warden has the authority to take the deer off the property. They usually hate for it to come to that and try to reason with land owners, but some just hate hunters.

Alex

😕

[RedTape]

#8326

Around here most places you hunt are small tracts of land. Even with a perfect shot, a deer can still make it to another property. As others have said, your best bet is to contact the game warden.

[Mark Turton]

#8364

I have permission on a small piece of land that is quite productive, small fields, lots of dips and hollows wooded on one side and although its only small due to the shape of it over a mile of small river bordering two sides, if I could I’d buy it but it will never come up for sale and if it did I could probably not afford it.

To finally get to the point Ive made a point of introducing myself to the neighbors so they wont be concerned if they see me creeping along a hedge row. This has paid off as they now have no problem with me retrieving game, mostly pheasant and duck but also allow me to hunt both sides of the boundary for rabbits.

Mark.

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