CLAIMING DEER

[Katoman]

A 12 point buck was hit by a truck just north of Mankato on hwy 169 last Wednesday evening. A friend, who is a big deer hunter, came on the scene right after it happened. The truck that had hit the deer had left the scene. My friend called the DNR and wanted to claim the deer. The officer wouldn't let him and instead said he was donating it to the local conservation club. The buck was a trophy. My friend was very upset and thought he had first right to it. What is the law on that? I was listening to the scanner on the following Friday evening and another huge buck was hit 1/2 mile from the first. This buck was a ten pointer and the guy that hit it was waiting for the DNR, I assume to claim it. I didn't hear how that turned out.

[The Grebe]

If you are really interested in what happened to the deer, call the conservation club and ask if a very large buck had been donated? You can never tell, maybe the dude wanted the horns for himself....it could happen you know!

I seen a big old doe scoot across the road, head low to the pavement, and a car ahead of me whacked it with the bumper and killed it.

The deer slid off into the ditch, the car slowed for a minute and then proceeded on?

I made a U'y as soon as I could and went back, sure enough, there she was...I whipped into Corcoran and called the cops, told them where and how and in a bit the constable shows up. He makes sure the deer was really killed by a car, has me fill out a little form and the deer is mine.

He also told me my truck tags were expired and I better get them renewed pronto, he did'nt give me a ticket...good example he set, I hav'nt missed on my tags since.

I smacked a 6 point buck with my Bronco, on #65 up near Mora, a few years back and the guy I was hunting with wanted it. I did'nt want anything to do with it, it had ruined my truck!

The local lawman came looked at the deer and said take it, simple as that? What if we get stopped my friend asked, he said he had our lic. # and that was all he needed to verify he had given us the deer, if we were stopped?

My truck was dead, my son came up and got us, we went back for the Bronco the next day.

I guess you would have to get in touch with law inforcement to find out what the deal is on that...maybe it is a discretionary thing? DNR ought to have the answer?

[stockchopper]

Your buddy should call the conservation officers boss and let them know what happened, he should have been able to take the deer. He did everything thing right, the CO must be a [commercial-or-naughty-word]. Next time just chop the horns off, there is no law against doing that.

[89Bronco]

Maybe it's up to the officer??? I don't know...sounds like your friend was in the right. Back when I was in junior college our science teacher smucked a buck on the way to work one morning with his Bronco. He called the game warden, had to fill out a form, and he got to take it home. He even made it to work...a little late and a little bloody from cleaning the deer, but we didn't care. That's one cool teacher!

[Walleye Guy]

Stockchopper,

A few years ago I hit a doe on the way to Wisconsin deer hunting. A trooper came by and wrote me a tag for the deer. While she was doing this she told me about a situation where a very large deer with a huge rack was hit and someone stopped by and wanted just the head and antlers. The trooper said that taking just the head was illegal and that if you want the deer you need to take the whole deer and salvage what ever is salvageable. If you don't it is wanton waste.

That being said I would be sawing antlers of of road killed deer as you may get a ticket.

I don't agree with the law but that what I was told.

WG

[Dockter]

I would file some sort of complaint, I mean it technically WAS yoru deer, you found it. It stinks when someone gets screwed for doing something the RIGHT WAY! I am sure it would have been jsut as easy to cut the head off and everything....things like that drive me NUTS! Just call and at least make srue he didn't take it for himself!

[Ole #1]

Why would he want to take the deer if he didn't hit it?

Was he going to eat it or did he just want the head and rack?

[stockchopper]

I'm pretty sure not eating roadkill isn't wanton waste. And also there is no law against cutting off antlers. It would be a good idea just to let someone know so you don't get accussed of poaching if it's real huge.

Local law enforcement and CO's have better thing to do than watch some guy cut off antlers on road-kill. Highway patrol on the other hand are real pricks, and you must have met a lying [commercial-or-naughty-word].

[Katoman]

I will pass this information on to my friend. He wasn't just after the horns and head. He wanted the whole animal. He lives right on the highway and has claimed numerous deer in the past. This is the first time he has been rejected. I will check and see if he got a name and badge number.

[Chris Haley]

Let's not forget who we're dealing with here. The government!!! It used to be that if you hit a deer you paid a small fee if you wanted to keep it. The reason being that the state considered the deer their resource. Then one day a smart guy totals his new vehicle on a deer, calls in and gets this explanation. So if the deer is the states resource, and this resource just totaled my vehicle the state must be accountable right? Go's to court and gets a new vehicle compliments of the state. That was the end of charging to keep road killed animals. The state however will keep trophy animals not claimed by the person that hits the animal because of the possible monetary value of the antlers.

[Chris Haley]

If you hit a trophy and an officer tells you that you can't keep the animal. Remind him that by his claiming the animal on behalf of the state that he is accepting responsibility for the damage done by this animal that caused the damage.

[big drift]

hey Chris, are ya a little crunchy this morning?

[The Grebe]

You know, it has happened where a person in a position of authority, has used that position for personal gain...maybe the guy wanted to gain those antlers?

It is not unheard of for one in authority, to use the power for leverage? Years ago, I was trapping a certain area and there was a black Squirrel that used to run around, between the wood lots.

One of the local lawmen stopped me on a field road and started chatting. He asked me if I would catch that squirrel for him and I politely told him no...it was rare and I thought it should be left alone.

Man, his demeaner changed in a hurry! He was going to give me a ticket for this, that and the other thing, blah, blah, blah.

I was legal and I knew my rights, I knew the farmer, I knew myself, and I did'nt ketow! I did'nt trap that squirrel for him, I did'nt get a ticket, and I never seen him again.

If you are adament about that deer and you have your ducks in a row, I'd make some waves if I were you.