She'd hunting "dead heads"

NPO_Aaron

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Hey everyone,
I'm going to take my pups out looking for some sheds later, and was wondering what the law is on finding dead bucks. Can you keep the head?
 


Petras

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they will not give you a permit unless they can prove how it died. I had a 6x7 taken from me that i found last spring. I had hunted him for 2 years but never got a shot. last spring while out shed hunting i found his picked apart carcass..... I grabbed the head, called the local game warden showed him where i found it so he could examine the carcass and he then took it from me stating "the deer is property of the state and since they can't prove how it died they won't give a tag".
 

gst

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Hey everyone,
I'm going to take my pups out looking for some sheds later, and was wondering what the law is on finding dead bucks. Can you keep the head?

Got to get a permit from the G&F. Depends on how big it is if you get to keep it. ;) Had an interesting conversation with a warden a couple years back about this one spring. He was really concerned about a "really big" buck I had supposedly found dead (it was shot legally during season the fall before) that someone had called in. He was pretty adamant I needed a tag for it if indeed I had found it. Kept mentioning this "big buck".

Finally after convincing him what was reported had not happened, Giving him the names of a couple people he could call to confirm it had been shot as I told him, I asked about a couple smaller 2 and 3 pt buck carcasses/heads that were in our sunflowers I had found looking for sheds and was going ot pickup before springs work, didn;t seem to care if I had a permit/tag for them or not. Never issued me one, told me just to pick them up. Nice enough fella, just kinda concerned about the "big buck" someone had called in.

This winter some fellas found a pretty big dead bull moose up by Sherwood. Called the G&F to get a permit to keep it. G&F came up and that is where the story begins. Call the G&F and see what happened there. Last I heard the fellas that called in to do the right thing do not have the head back.
 

NDwalleyes

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You will want to get a carcass tag for it. Don't move the head/carcass or they get pissy and may not give you a tag. Remember the location. Call and have a warden come out, they will put a free carcass tag on it and you are good to go.

- - - Updated - - -

I've done it many times.
 


Kentucky Windage

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So finding a deer head with dink antlers gets you a tag to possess it but finding a deer head containing a decent to large rack turns game wardens into D-bags? Hmmm makes sense. IMO if a deer was poached for the antlers, why would anyone leave it there until spring only to chance vermin or other things to chew, destroy, or sun bleach the antlers?
 

svnmag

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So finding a deer head with dink antlers gets you a tag to possess it but finding a deer head containing a decent to large rack turns game wardens into D-bags? Hmmm makes sense. IMO if a deer was poached for the antlers, why would anyone leave it there until spring only to chance vermin or other things to chew, destroy, or sun bleach the antlers?

More Chinese erection powder?
 

KDM

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For some reason, large antlers of any species really, turns normally courteous, polite, considerate people into greedy, possessive, arrogant, self centered jerks bent on acquiring those large antlers for themselves. Game wardens and other law enforcement folks are by no means immune to this phenomenon. I see it EVERY fall across the entire spectrum of people and it is one of the most distasteful qualities of all to many sportsmen IMO and one of the most powerful weapons the anti hunting community has. It's a shame really and a reality the outdoor programming personalities have really made quite a bit worse if you ask me.
 

Kentucky Windage

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A dead deer is a dead deer. Big rack or small, law enforcement should not be able to write the rules how they see fit. I have never jumped through their hoops to posses a set of bones, and I don't plan on it.
 


NPO_Aaron

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So how do you go about training dogs to shed hunt?
I've used the Dogbone system. Honestly if you get an old antler, put some scent on it and play with your pooch (just like you would a pheasant bumper) it works just the same. Good spring exercise.
 

dean nelson

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Thing with this law is its nearly impossible to enforce unless the finder admits it was dead in nd or there are photos of the deer from that year. If you find a dead deer out of state there are no laws against keeping it so they would have to prove it's from nd and less then three months old or they are shit out of luck. They set the law up so dumb they more or less screwed themselves over.
 
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So finding a deer head with dink antlers gets you a tag to possess it but finding a deer head containing a decent to large rack turns game wardens into D-bags? Hmmm makes sense. IMO if a deer was poached for the antlers, why would anyone leave it there until spring only to chance vermin or other things to chew, destroy, or sun bleach the antlers?

I know they've had this problem before, specifically bighorn sheep in MT. Poacher finds a big bighorn he likes, shoots it, marks the spot and comes back the next year or later to claim his "trophy".
 

dean nelson

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I know they've had this problem before, specifically bighorn sheep in MT. Poacher finds a big bighorn he likes, shoots it, marks the spot and comes back the next year or later to claim his "trophy".
Yep thats 100% what this law it for thus why I dislike it so much. They make a law that only effects law abiding citizens because we damn well know it's not going to stop the poachers.....especially with how piss poorly it's written. There are so many damn loopholes in the law that the game and fish would have to have incontrovertible evidence that the deer was poached to make a case for it. Now if its one of those local legend bucks that all the people in the area know of then they have a decent starting point but for a Joe blow 160 or something they have a burden of proof that is nearly insurmountable! The law was made with a noble purpose but in the end is extremely ineffective and just ends up screwing over the good guys.
 


svnmag

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I know they've had this problem before, specifically bighorn sheep in MT. Poacher finds a big bighorn he likes, shoots it, marks the spot and comes back the next year or later to claim his "trophy".

That's freaking sick and disgusting. Holy eff this kind of shi'ite pisses me off. Slimy narcissistic POS.
 
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That's freaking sick and disgusting. Holy eff this kind of shi'ite pisses me off. Slimy narcissistic POS.
I'll never understand the "trophy" poacher. Can you really look at a mount that poached and tell your buddies some made up story of what a great hunter you are, with any real pride? I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
 

svnmag

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I'm by no means a sheep hunting expert. Wouldn't the location greatly help pick apart the "discoverer's" story on the reason for being there?
 
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No clue my friend. Not sure what the laws for possession of deceased big game animals are either.
 

Enslow

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If you find a dead buck while shed hunting and want the horns just take them. Wasting time and resources calling a game warden is ridiculous.
 


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