Went to eat at my parents house today. After we ate I let the dogs out and immediately smelled something dead. The dogs did too and quickly found a large (by SC standards) buck laying next to the fence. The deer was in a couple cedars and had been dead a few days for sure. Our hunting season ended on Jan 1st. I looked the deer over and found a entry and exit hole from a bullet. It was shot way way back in the guts, right in front of the rear legs. The property that borders my parents land is "bow hunting only". So obviously it was poached.

I took some photos of the scene and the deer so no one would think my parents or myself did this. I drug the deer to a big ditch and dumped it in the ditch to get it away from my parents house since the smell was getting pretty bad. I did cut the horns off. Figured since I did not shoot the deer I may use them for future knife handles or something else.

I sent the pics to a buddy that hunts property near by and he said he knows the guy that shot the buck and would want the horns. I told him it was shot by gun and not bow and that the season ended almost 3 weeks ago. He does have trail cam pics of the deer so I know it is the correct deer. The deer did not appear to be dead but a few days but the cold weather may have preserved it some.

I really could care less about the horns but would you give them back to someone that you thought poached the deer out of season and with the wrong type of weapon? I just do not believe this deer was shot 3 weeks ago and just died in the last 3-5 days.

Deer weighed about 220 lbs and was a wide tall 8 pt that scores about 130-135 (this is a big 8pt by SC standards). Age was about 5 1/2 or 6 1/2 years old.

No.  Why reward the stupid?

Don't know about your local laws.  I would have called the game warden.  They probably won't do anything to the guy who you think poached it, but they'll be happy to bust the guy who cut the rack off without reporting or tagging it.

In my part of SC we do not have to tag or report deer like that. It is finders keepers here

A wounded deer can run for miles. That the deer was seen before on the n-bors plot and found on your parents is not evidence is was shot ON the n-bors plot.

Deer have antlers.

It would probably be a good idea on your part to just develop a case of " I don't remember ".

And forget the whole thing.


Or you may have someone thinking you turned them in.

Poachers are generally not " nice " people.

Antlers not horns.



gd

220 pound deer in SC, wow! Never saw one even close to that when I lived there. Post a pic of the horns.

How do you know if the buck was nice, since it was dead?

Thing was prolly an asshole for all you know.

Tough shit, he can have some picture of it, that's it. You keep it

He did look pretty pissed. But I would be too if someone shot me and left me to die

Pics of rack?

I have shot 4-5 bucks in SC that were over 200 lbs. So they are around. I actually saw one buck that a 12 year old kid shot (his first deer and had 12 points) that weighed 245 lbs on the scale.

Blue tongue disease down there?

If so, they're supposedly safe to eat.

None reported. He was already picked on by the coyotes and buzzards. So meat was no good

It doesn't matter at this point, because you didn't SSS.

Game & Fish, DNR, whatever your state calls it's agency, is more networked than NSA at monitoring internet traffic, especially pictures.  Counting ducks on the gunwale, fish on the stringer, measuring them digitally.

You've emitted now.  Pepper you Angus.

I reckon I should pepper mine, too, because I commented about it.

For those that think this is a tinfoil comment, I imagine you probably don't hunt/fish.

Deer Horns are really rare.

I would give the deer ANTLERS to my miniature schnauzer who loves nothing more than to nosh on an antler!

Even if it was killed by someone else, and he wants to claim the horn fuck him.. U found it.. He made a bad shot, possibly illegal to top it off, and did not care enough to actually track it down and find it.. Horns are yours

Are they worth thousands and millions since they are so rare?

Not anymore. I had to pay $700 in vet bills because one of my dogs cracked 2 teeth chewing deer antler/horns. They only get safe chew toys now

I wouldn't give him the antlers.



I believe the wt though. Maybe not in this area but SC had a lot of variety in areas. I'll bet the piedmont area has some large bucks.



I would be pissed if I suspected a poacher, especially one that's a bad shot. What a waste.

Fuck that guy.

Tell him to learn to shoot.

I'd cut up the antlers aand give them to my pup.

Why the drama?......Cut the rack off and do what you will with them. Jeez.

Deer horns?

Lol



 

you dont think it could have been a gut shot with an arrow that passed through?

Pretty much.

Not only would I not even consider giving them back, but I'd tell the guy that he's an asshole and that he's lucky someone is not calling F&W on him.  

I can't fucking stand poachers..

Raff...

I wouldn't doubt if it took a few weeks for the deer to die from a gutshot, especially that far back.

I wouldn't give the buck back.