What do you do if...?

senior said:
You keep coming back to this.:confused:
Virtually all wounded animals leave a blood trail. If you stumble on a hunter & question what he's doing it would be very simple to assertain what he's doing! No trail, very simply he's hunting & you have every right to be mad but the original question was to recover a wounded animal.

A very old timer once told me " I don't own this land! I'm only paying the taxes at this time! When I'm gone someone else will be paying them, were just temporary caretakers!"
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Virtually all but not absolutely all. If the hunter can show me a blood trail then we will track it together. If he can't then we've got a small problem.

While I'm on this earth and the deed has my name on it I own the land. What happens after, happens after. And when it happens I won't hopefully be paying taxes on it.;)
 
This turned out to be an interesting thread. I lot of good points made. Thanx for the replies.

Claybuster, I have a better appreciation for where you stand. I guess the only point we differ on is if I'm going to go on someone's property to track a wounded animal, I'd have 1 in the chamber in case it jumps and runs -- if you're gonna go, might as well go all the way. Not much use going with just a 'stick' in your hand, as someone mentioned earlier.
 
Yah pretty good thread for sure.:)

But you are way off base with your last comment Tiger... you should not be carrying a loaded gun on property that is posted. What if there are other hunters or any other people there... you have no way of knowing where they are... and you are taking their lives in your hands.:mad:
The fact that you would shoot at a jumped deer on posted land without knowing what is going on there is stupid, illegal and quite unethical no matter how you try to justify it.:rolleyes:
If I found someone trespassing without a firearm and a legitimate reason (tracking a wounded animal) I would assist them.
But you would not want to get caught on my land "with a firearm" without my permission for any reason, you would be arrested by "me" immediately and prosecuted.... Claybuster is right... and you my friend are simply dangerous or foolish or both.:eek:
 
Ouch. How do you respond to that?

This way I guess. In the old logging areas where we do some hunting (not all), there are the odd posted areas for no hunting. Which in NB means not even the owner can hunt these areas. There is no magical terrain change, no houses nearby, no super influx of people in the area, etc. In this particular hunting are, the fact that a deer has crossed a road and my be only a few yards in (or 100 yards, who knows) does not make the area any more dangerous. It is as remote as the non posted area.

Seeing as I'm the not the only one to make this comment (doesn't make it any more right or wrong), I don't feel all that bad. If I've tried to contact the owner (which is likely impossible) and I'm completely confident that the tracking and possible finish shot are no more dangerous than the shot taken to wound, I'm going in for a quick look if there is a good blood trail. If it is near a residence, in a different terrain, etc., my answer is different.

Now if it were my property, I can honestly say it wouldn't matter if a guy following a sure blood trail had a loaded gun (if I owned land in this particular remote area logged years ago). I'd probably help and I'd rather he be ready to put the animal out of its misery quickly then have it take off and have to continue a search that might not end with the animal being found at all -- which would be very frustrating seeing as you've already tracked it, found it, but had no weapon.

Your last comment is completely unjustified and uncalled for -- you don't know me, we hunt different types of areas, and I assure you that whether it be in the woods, or at work, safety is always priority #1.
 
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To all the guys who would unload their gun or expect the gun to be unloaded, what, pray tell, are you going to do if you find the wounded deer? Throw your knife at it? Ask the deer politely to kneel down so you can cut it's throat?

Go find the owner and ask permission. The fact that the deer may not be prime eating material by time you accomplish this is your penalty for not ensuring a clean kill in the first place. While you are speaking to the owner, ask if there is anything you need to be aware of as far as safety.

Hell, if you think it may be advantageous, ask if he would like some deer sausage after you get it made! No reason you can't attempt to make new aquaintances while you are showing off your responsibilities and all!;) Maybe he has some other nice hunting land that you may enquire about next year.;)
 
joe-nwt said:
To all the guys who would unload their gun or expect the gun to be unloaded, what, pray tell, are you going to do if you find the wounded deer? Throw your knife at it? Ask the deer politely to kneel down so you can cut it's throat?
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If he's hurt, he's gonna be laying down to take a break at some point. Wounded deer don't run non-stop, they get out of danger and lay down when they're tired. There's no way you'll know where/when you'll come across the wounded animal, but nobody I know crashes and smashes thru the bush when following a blood trail, it's a very silent and tense affair.

When you do find the wounded animal, if you've been quiet you should be far enough away to chamber a round and/or put the bolt back in your rifle. Then you can finish stalking the animal. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, you may surprise the animal because you didn't see it and then you've got more blood trail to follow, but if you're not blundering around in the bush like an ape you'll probably spot the animal before it spots you.
 
poweredbybeer said:
If he's hurt, he's gonna be laying down to take a break at some point. Wounded deer don't run non-stop, they get out of danger and lay down when they're tired. There's no way you'll know where/when you'll come across the wounded animal, but nobody I know crashes and smashes thru the bush when following a blood trail, it's a very silent and tense affair.

When you do find the wounded animal, if you've been quiet you should be far enough away to chamber a round and/or put the bolt back in your rifle. Then you can finish stalking the animal. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, you may surprise the animal because you didn't see it and then you've got more blood trail to follow, but if you're not blundering around in the bush like an ape you'll probably spot the animal before it spots you.
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OK, let's pretend I've never had to track a wounded deer. Let's pretend all wounded deer lay down after a while. Let's pretend you can see really far in all bush that wounded deer escape to. Let's pretend there is not a lot of underbrush.

So now, what is to be gained from leaving your rifle unloaded until you see the animal again? That's the part I am having trouble comprehending. Is it to give the wounded animal one more chance to get away? To maybe give the animal time to reflect on where it took the wrong turn in life? Do you do ACTS and PROVE before you load the rifle?:rolleyes:

Just curious....:D
 
joe-nwt said:
OK, let's pretend I've never had to track a wounded deer. Let's pretend all wounded deer lay down after a while. Let's pretend you can see really far in all bush that wounded deer escape to. Let's pretend there is not a lot of underbrush.

So now, what is to be gained from leaving your rifle unloaded until you see the animal again? That's the part I am having trouble comprehending. Is it to give the wounded animal one more chance to get away? To maybe give the animal time to reflect on where it took the wrong turn in life? Do you do ACTS and PROVE before you load the rifle?:rolleyes:

Just curious....:D
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My response to your post wasn't meant to sound patronizing, I was simply trying to demonstrate that it's not a big deal to leave your rifle unloaded while tracking. I'm not saying ALL deer lay down when they're wounded, and I can't foresee every possible situation that one might encounter when tracking a wounded animal (eg; low visibility, thick underbrush, etc).

In the context of the thread, the sole reason for having your rifle unloaded is in the event that you encounter the landowner. The fact that you may be found with a loaded rifle on someone else's property may prove to be a sticky point, as some contributors to this thread (who also happen to be landowners) have pointed out. It's a matter of courtesy, more than anything else. From a hunting perspective, there's no advantage whatsoever to unloading your rifle. However, it's not a huge disadvantage either.

If I were tracking a wounded deer on crown/public land, I'd have my rifle loaded. If I were forced to set foot one someone's property to track a wounded deer, I'd have it unloaded. Simple as that.
 
If your gonna chamber your rifle at all, I don't think it really matters when you do it -- the end result is the same -- you've loaded the gun and are going to fire on someone's property (which appears to be the biggest point of contention)
 
Ok, I see your point. But if someone were on my property with an unloaded gun, they would be just trespassing. If the gun was loaded, I would be more inclined to believe the tracking a wounded animal story. I guess we all would interpret things differently.
 
joe-nwt said:
Ok, I see your point. But if someone were on my property with an unloaded gun, they would be just trespassing. If the gun was loaded, I would be more inclined to believe the tracking a wounded animal story. I guess we all would interpret things differently.
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Interpretation is what it does come down to. If I encounter somone on my land with a rifle in his hands then I'm going to, at the very least, assume he's hunting and any explanation about a wounded animal would be greeted with skepticism. If the gun is on his shoulder, preferably unloaded, then I'm far more likely to believe the story. Showing a blood trail would be a good next step.
 
Claybuster said:
Interpretation is what it does come down to. If I encounter somone on my land with a rifle in his hands then I'm going to, at the very least, assume he's hunting and any explanation about a wounded animal would be greeted with skepticism. If the gun is on his shoulder, preferably unloaded, then I'm far more likely to believe the story. Showing a blood trail would be a good next step.
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;) Whether my gun is loaded or unloaded, it'd be pretty hard to mis-interpret me on my hands and knees with neon-orange marker tape scattered all over the place marking blood spots (which I would pick up BTW). All in all, this was a good discussion.
 
Gibbs505 said:
If I could see it, I would go and get it. If not, I would look for the owner of the property.
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I would do the same, ideally you should contact the land owner and obtain permission, but if it was ten feet onto the land or something, I would sneak across and bring it back.
 
Now we are talking semantics.... the circumstances are not always going to be the same. The bottom line is you have to use your own best judgement and suffer the consequences.
In southern Ontario you have to assume that every area has people on it and during hunting season you had better pay attention to signs and the law. Following a Blood trail does not in any way justify tresspassing regardless if you are in NB or ON! Shooting at a jumped deer on property that you are not familiar with and are on illegally... is stupid and criminal.
Never mind the fact that you may not even be shooting at the right deer, you have absolutely no way of knowing if there are people in the immediate area.
Use your best judgement, practice due dilligence, make sure of your backstop, pray that the Landowner and the Game Warden see it your way.
 
Common sense

We hunt our own farmland, therefore do not allow anyone else on to hunt.
It is more for safety's sake, since we are so close to the city, there is a BIG problem with road poachers and trespass poachers.

Four of us in the family hunt so at any given time, one of us is in the field or bush.

I would say, contact the land owner (being best), but of course this can be pretty tough if someone is not around. Heck, I'd even come help you look for it !

Otherwise, (being a landowner), go put your firearm away, DO NOT carry it onto the "no-permission land". Then go track your animal, tag it, drag it and get it loaded up in the truck. If you have the landowners phone number, call after your finished, if no ones there, leave a message. This is a great goodwill gesture and commom courtesy. Who knows the landowner may give you permission next year because you are a true responsible hunter.

I suggest gutting it back on the land you have permission on. I will not ever beleive that a guy / gal packing a firearm is "just tracking" wounded game they shot somewhere else. That person will be deemed a poacher and a trespasser right then and there. They will be chatting with the authorities promptly. If the old bullsh*t excuse of "it could be suffering" is used, I'll know for sure your a poacher. Hunters take the time for proper shot placement.

If you are unarmed (except for your hunting knife) I'll most likely beleive you. I'm the nice one out of the four of us. If Dad or the two uncles come across you packing iron. Good luck.... your on your own.

Arch:)
 
arch1965 said:
If the old bullsh*t excuse of "it could be suffering" is used, I'll know for sure your a poacher. Hunters take the time for proper shot placement.

Arch:)
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Well I see that you, like me, always drop animals where they stand.;) But you know as well as I that not all "perfect shot placement" always goes as intended. So usless you know for sure the animal is dead, what would be the point of going into the bush unarmed? If I come see you first, can I carry my gun into the bush? If your not home do I just say "oh well" and leave a wounded deer and go look for another?

I am NOT trying to change your mind, I 'm just trying to get a grasp on this "retrieving wounded game without a gun" thing.
 
joe-nwt said:
Well I see that you, like me, always drop animals where they stand.;) But you know as well as I that not all "perfect shot placement" always goes as intended. So usless you know for sure the animal is dead, what would be the point of going into the bush unarmed? If I come see you first, can I carry my gun into the bush? If your not home do I just say "oh well" and leave a wounded deer and go look for another?

I am NOT trying to change your mind, I 'm just trying to get a grasp on this "retrieving wounded game without a gun" thing.
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Hi, I'm not trying to change your mind either. I would simply be requesting common courtesy and safety. I, or a member of my family may perhaps be in the line of fire of a finishing shot of a wounded animal.

If you did come see me, I'd go with you and help track or drag it out of the bush. Sure you can carry your gun then, because I would know where my family is, plus I'd be beside you (less chances of getting shot ;) )

If I'm not home, do as I stated as in my original post. A person should not "just oh well" on a wounded animal, but should respect the landowners requests first.

As for dropping them where they stand? You bet, I hunt with 12 gauge and 20 gauge HP slugs.... nothing goes more than 20 yards when they are shot with a 450 or 325 grain bullet :D :D :D

Good luck, God bless.

Arch:)
 
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