Wasted bull and poor choices story

[Bambistew]

How did he know where the bullet hit if he couldn't retrieve it? If it took that long to die it wasn't shot in the lungs.

I also question if he was 200 yards off private land. I like the "usually hunt 100 yard off property lines," too.

The guy is 100% responsible. The LO doesn't have to allow him in, and shouldn't be forced to cleanup someone else's mistake. Open that door and everyone will be hunting the property lines knowing they can retrieve animals, or shoot them on PL and say they were on public.

It's a risk he took and he should accept the consequences and stop whining about it.

I'd have told him he can finish off the bull, retrieve the meat, but the antlers stay... and no pictures.

I'd have shownup with cordless Sawzall and cut the antlers off first thing, at the 3rd tine. Man, I'm getting worse in my old age.

 

[seeth07]

How did he know where the bullet hit if he couldn't retrieve it? If it took that long to die it wasn't shot in the lungs.

I also question if he was 200 yards off private land. I like the "usually hunt 100 yard off property lines," too.

The guy is 100% responsible. The LO doesn't have to allow him in, and shouldn't be forced to cleanup someone else's mistake. Open that door and everyone will be hunting the property lines knowing they can retrieve animals, or shoot them on PL and say they were on public.

It's a risk he took and he should accept the consequences and stop whining about it.

I'd have told him he can finish off the bull, retrieve the meat, but the antlers stay... and no pictures.

I'd have shownup with cordless Sawzall and cut the antlers off first thing, at the 3rd tine. Man, I'm getting worse in my old age.

I don't think its legal for the landowner to do anything with the elk in this situation. The only way I think would be if he either had a tag and tagged the animal himself or if he called the game warden in which the game warden would potentially issue him a tag allowing him to take the meat but pretty sure the warden takes and keeps the antlers?

 

[JLS]

I don't think its legal for the landowner to do anything with the elk in this situation. The only way I think would be if he either had a tag and tagged the animal himself or if he called the game warden in which the game warden would potentially issue him a tag allowing him to take the meat but pretty sure the warden takes and keeps the antlers?

Depends on the state, and it’s highly unlikely he can tag the animal himself.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I don't think its legal for the landowner to do anything with the elk in this situation. The only way I think would be if he either had a tag and tagged the animal himself or if he called the game warden in which the game warden would potentially issue him a tag allowing him to take the meat but pretty sure the warden takes and keeps the antlers?

Unless it's part of a violation or investigation, I expect if he/she saw fit the officer could issue a locking metal interstate game tag for the meat as if salvage (i.e. roadkill), and the antlers as if a deadhead.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

If the guy shot it on public and didn't run it over in a jeep what did he do wrong?

He made a shot on an animal that was likely to run to where he couldn't retrieve it.

Should he not hunt that public and just allow the private to control it?

Never said that. However if your strategy is to locate elk on private and sit borders until they mess up, you are taking a calculated risk. I'm not saying there is something inherently wrong with this tactic, just that you better be sure of yourself. I also acknowledge that if a bunch of people do this it can become a big headache for the landowner and impact their ability to enjoy their own land.

My folks have no hunting signs on ever single tree along their lines, but have never denied access to retrieve something that died on their place. Nor would they even dream of doing it. Even if someone poached something on their land there's not a chance in hell they're going to knowing let it go to waste. I don't think you could be less conservation minded to knowingly allow it to just rot.

Not excusing the decision to let anything rot. As far as being conservation minded, I'd argue that a landowner housing a bunch of elk who discourages people from blasting elk as soon as they cross a property line may be "conserving" a number of elk.

I can identify with aspects of both the hunter and landowner. I'm not big on the hunter's public whining and claim that it took 2 hours to die after being double lunged (so as to rule out a poor shot/decision) and not big on a landowner being ok with letting a bull rot (which we dont even know for a fact is the case).

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I also question the hunter in this story but I'm curious how far should hunters be hunting from private land? Should we be giving up even more public land? Should we not hunt some block management because you can't get far enough away from their neighbor's land? Absolutely the hunter made a choice but maybe I'm just bitter about being told I shouldn't hunt certain public land. That said I'm not gonna go shoot a bull so close that it has the opportunity to jump the fence.
I've also met some wonderful landowners in Montana and I understand how they don't have to let anyone on and it must be a pain to have to deal with poor hunting behavior. It sucks that some hunters don't care to show respect and ruin it for the rest of us who always try to do the right thing.

 

[JLS]

I'd have told him he can finish off the bull, retrieve the meat, but the antlers stay... and no pictures.

I'd have shownup with cordless Sawzall and cut the antlers off first thing, at the 3rd tine. Man, I'm getting worse in my old age.

This is the correct answer.

 

[Nicoli7153]

I 've never understood a landowners reluctance to allow retrieval of wounded game. mtmuley

Think it is discourage people from hunting the property line (or too close to it)

 

[seeth07]

This is the correct answer.

Maybe the landowner did say he could retrieve the bull but the antlers stay. Shitty of the landowner but its a better situation for the hunter to least do what is right and retrieve the meat?

 

[Irrelevant]

I'd have told him he can finish off the bull, retrieve the meat, but the antlers stay... and no pictures.

I'd have shownup with cordless Sawzall and cut the antlers off first thing, at the 3rd tine. Man, I'm getting worse in my old age.

Absolutely reasonable and appropriate actions by the LO there.

Letting it rot is not.

 

[longbow51]

Stories like these make me realize how lucky I've been that bullets (including monos) I shoot through both lungs don't just "pencil through".

Lungs just jellified.

 

[Addicting]

Absolutely reasonable and appropriate actions by the LO there.

Letting it rot is not.

Who knows where the landowner or game warden were or what their circumstances were. Letting it rot is horrible but we don’t know the other side of the story. It may not have been malicious.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

I also question the hunter in this story but I'm curious how far should we be hunting from private land? Should we be giving up even more public land? Should we not hunt some block management because you can't get far enough away from their neighbor's land? Absolutely the hunter made a choice but maybe I'm just bitter about being told I shouldn't hunt certain public land. That said I'm not gonna go shoot a bull so close that it has the opportunity to jump the fence.

I am not saying anyone should shy away from hunting public or accessible land near inaccessible land. As far as I'm concerned I wish every other hunter would sit along private boundaries. Just don't be surprised or complain about landowners or State residents when your choices result in a shitty outcome for you.

 

[seeth07]

I also question the hunter in this story but I'm curious how far should we be hunting from private land? Should we be giving up even more public land? Should we not hunt some block management because you can't get far enough away from their neighbor's land?

Exactly. What if you are hunting in a checkerboard area. Creating any kind of buffer around the private would drastically reduce huntable area.

 

[Nicoli7153]

Who knows where the landowner or game warden were or what their circumstances were. Letting it rot is horrible but we don’t know the other side of the story. It may not have been malicious.

Agree, unless you were there you're really just getting one side of the story

 

[woods89]

Anyone else get a laugh out of his claim he rolled his truck to preserve a rancher’s fence?

I always try to protect fences when I roll my vehicles..... .

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Shoulda neck’d him….

 

[woods89]

Shoulda neck’d him….

I was thinking that this would have been a great application for the high shoulder shot, as long as he knew anatomy ..........

 

[Bambistew]

The guy was worried about being labeled a poacher or being one for not finishing it off? That ethical horse is pretty high. If it was only 20 yards on the property, I'd have just sent one and finished it off, and then went to ask for permission. The guy was so worried about the animals welfare and suffering, that he didn't want to be labeled a poacher or be one? Which is it? I'd have taken my chances and finished it off and then went to ask for permission.

The buffer is self imposed. Thinking otherwise is silly that the gov'nt is providing some additional welfare to LOs. Sure you could stand right next to the fence and shoot an animal as it crosses, but you better make sure it dies on public land. Automatically thinking you will have free domain over private land for your action is presumptuous. Its your responsibility to hunt/kill the animal on land you have permission. Don't whine about not being able to retrieve it when it doesn't go your way. He has no one to blame but himself, and the poor outcome of his double lung penciled through high velocity bullet failure. The guy blamed Nosler, the bullets, and the LO for his incompetence and the animal suffering. Yep things happen... your contingency shouldn't include relying on permission.

Animals die and suffer all the time due to humans and no-human conflicts. The difference here, is, it was a big bull, he got to watch it die(?), and we know something could have been done. What would have been the outcome if he didn't find/see it? Chalk it up to a lost animal because he didn't know the outcome? Lots of animals are shot and lost every year with unknown outcomes.

People are pretty quick to jump on the LO.

This is an excellent lesson in humility and what not to do, or what to expect IMO.

 

[RyGuy]

I’m sure this won’t be a popular opinion, but I think the landowner should be getting a ticket. IMO a landowner that is impeding the retrieval of legally harvested game (assuming the harvest was completely legal) is causing the waisted meat and is taking ownership over game that is not owned by the landowner.
I know this isn’t the law as it’s written currently, just my opinion.