So DNR, NRP and MDSP have no idea what the others are dojng

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  • lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    My wife saw someone in our neighborhood hit a deer and called me to come shoot it. I wisely called NRP to report it and went to meet an officer there. Deer was dead by the time I hopped in the car and drive over. Called them back and told them never mind, didn’t need an officer to put the poor animal down.

    Asked about a road kill tag. “Just report it on compass as a non-harvest kill”.

    No such option.

    Called DNR licensing. Lady I spoke to never heard of reporting road kill through compass, “I think you need a road kill tag from MDSP”.

    Yup, I’d heard that.

    Called Waterloo barracks as I am in HoCo, “what’s a road kill tag? Why would you report a road kill deer? I don’t know, if you want to take it to a butcher I guess you can do that”

    Called Westminster and the desk officer’s response was, “oh yeah. DNR hasn’t given us road kill tags in years. I can give you an incident case number in case your butcher hassles you.” *2 minutes later* “there you go. Enjoy your day and your venison”

    Of course my butcher and another I called are closed for the season. Duh.

    Called my buddy in the neighborhood. No response. Probably driving home from work.

    **** it. Strung it up outside my shed. Skinned it, quarters it and grabbed the back straps off her and the neck and outer rib meat. Dumped the rest back in the woods. Vulture and crows will eat well tomorrow.

    Not exactly how I’d planned trying my hand at butchering my first deer, but it worked fine. Took a little less than 2 hours including at least 15 minutes of figuring where to hang her to butcher her. Wife and kids nixed the swing set. Put a bolt in to the shed and hauled her up outside the she and skin and quarter her. I need to get a gambrel and chain hoist for next time. Too much friction with the hemp rope I was using. I had to lift the deer while my wife tied it off. Doe must have been 120 live weight and I didn’t field dress it first. Figure she’d be a hell of a mess and planned on skipping the cavity meat.

    Anyway, got it fairly clean with my first try. I don’t think I left more than 3-4lbs of meat on it outside of what was in the body cavity. Car hit broke her back right hip clean in half and probably mushed her rumen, kidney(s) and maybe liver at a guess. No rib or spine damage, but was dripping blood from her mouth and nose while she was hanging.

    Ge got some slow cooked back strap on the grill now, rice, broccoli and fries going right now. I’d be better prepared for a nice meal I knew I was going to be eating super fresh venison tonight!

    Oh well. Very happy. Going to work on butchering the quarters tomorrow as I was already taking the day off. And I’ll reload some 32acp as planned if I have the time.

    All and all I really awesome end to my work week (wife called me as I was logging off work for the day). Not sure how much my wife will allow me to butcher deer and damn it’s a lot of work. Plus my butcher (M&G) makes some awesome hotdogs and kielbasa. So I am sure going to be continuing to drop some of my deer off with them, but I sure plan to butcher some of my deer from now on.
     

    scout6

    Active Member
    Sep 28, 2016
    599
    Ceciltucky
    Reminds me of my teenage years when my sister called my Dad in tears saying she hit a deer and wrecked. First words out of my mouth were: "where's the deer?" Backstraps were on the grill that evening.
     

    SummitCnty

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 26, 2013
    2,223
    Frederick County
    One of my best friends brother was a trooper in Hagerstown when i lived there. He used to call us regularly in the winter if a road kill deer was in good shape and fresh. We cut many deer in the back yard of our neighborhood for bologna.
     

    4g64loser

    Bad influence
    Jan 18, 2007
    6,382
    maryland
    I helped some friends butcher (i didn't grow up hunting). I like doing the work and I enjoy the community that it engenders among the like minded. I even volunteered to help butcher hogs with a friend's family this january. If I lived in a place where I could do it at home, I would have an open invite to my friends to do it at my place. Sadly, I must travel to a friend's place or do the dirty work on site. I am planning to keep a small cooler and my kill kit in the trunk of the car this fall as the number of roadkill deer I saw last year was significant. One or two I watched take the hit. Fortunately they expired before a decision of "wait for cop" or "do the right thing" had to be made.

    Once you start butchering your own, it can be hard to stop. My friend bought a big grinder and we are currently considering going in on a large (restaurant size) sausage stuffer. I bought a pressure canner. Hopefully your wife is understanding. I suggest mounting a cheap ATV type winch wherever you plan to work or, failing that, get a gear reduction hand crank work winch (these are typically found on equipment like duct jacks, escalair lifts, and light towers and can be had from dealers or such).
     

    GutPile

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 4, 2016
    3,218
    Half the time ive done it the cop just gives me their card w police report number on it. My neighbors hit deer all the time in the neighborhood.
     

    FrankOceanXray

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 29, 2008
    12,028
    Yes, years ago there was a tag to issue for game purposes: accounting for animals and protecting the citizen from claims of poaching.


    In fifteen years, I never saw one.

    In the past I would give case numbers for reference. They could take the deer, or id call for animal control to add to their list of pick ups.

    You did right. No sweat. Shame there are so many rules.
     

    ArmedInMd

    Active Member
    Jun 9, 2008
    243
    When I asked an officer for the road kill deer he seemed confused but said sure and gave me his card and said to call if any problems.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Thanks guys. Yeah, tricky on the do the right thing or wait for a cop. A shame we have to worry about that kind of thing and potentially let an animal suffer. In this case I didn't waste more than a minute or two before I grabbed a rifle and hopped in the car before driving over. Basically just long enough to call NRP. Maybe 5 minutes from when my wife called. At least she didn't suffer much (I mean the doe. My wife was yelling to me from where she was working on a French drain about every 10 minutes "you are such a redneck!").

    That said, just because there isn't a hole in the deer, doesn't mean you didn't kill it hunting.

    My wife's uncle "shot" a deer hunting years ago. Killed it "with" a .25-06 hunting with some buddies in up state New York. The quotes are because the deer ran. They found it about 150yds away next to a tree. Not a single mark on the deer. Best they can figure he missed over the buck's back and it ran full tilt in to a tree breaking its neck.

    Not sure I'd say I am addicted to it. I still need to cube up the quarters, vacuum seal stuff, cut off the roasts and grind the meat. I did get a basic meat grinder back last spring as the whole pandemic was kicking off in case I needed to be processing my own deer this past fall. Haven't used it yet. Best option is cube it, freeze it, let it partially thaw and then grind it? Or just grind it "fresh" after I cut the meat up off the bone after taking the quarters out of the fridge?

    Trim all the fat off (not that there is much)? Or if grinding, leave it on? I don't plan to add any tallow or lard to the grind. Just keep it lean. No sausage or anything else like that this time around. Just want to do the basics.
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    Thanks guys. Yeah, tricky on the do the right thing or wait for a cop. A shame we have to worry about that kind of thing and potentially let an animal suffer. In this case I didn't waste more than a minute or two before I grabbed a rifle and hopped in the car before driving over. Basically just long enough to call NRP. Maybe 5 minutes from when my wife called. At least she didn't suffer much (I mean the doe. My wife was yelling to me from where she was working on a French drain about every 10 minutes "you are such a redneck!").

    That said, just because there isn't a hole in the deer, doesn't mean you didn't kill it hunting.

    My wife's uncle "shot" a deer hunting years ago. Killed it "with" a .25-06 hunting with some buddies in up state New York. The quotes are because the deer ran. They found it about 150yds away next to a tree. Not a single mark on the deer. Best they can figure he missed over the buck's back and it ran full tilt in to a tree breaking its neck.

    Not sure I'd say I am addicted to it. I still need to cube up the quarters, vacuum seal stuff, cut off the roasts and grind the meat. I did get a basic meat grinder back last spring as the whole pandemic was kicking off in case I needed to be processing my own deer this past fall. Haven't used it yet. Best option is cube it, freeze it, let it partially thaw and then grind it? Or just grind it "fresh" after I cut the meat up off the bone after taking the quarters out of the fridge?

    Trim all the fat off (not that there is much)? Or if grinding, leave it on? I don't plan to add any tallow or lard to the grind. Just keep it lean. No sausage or anything else like that this time around. Just want to do the basics.

    Trim the fat. Deer fat tastes awful. A little bit of connective tissue with the grind is fine, just try to trim as much white stuff as you can.
     

    Archeryrob

    Undecided on a great many things
    Mar 7, 2013
    3,064
    Washington Co. - Fairplay
    Like he said Trim ALL THE FAT off. All of it and be precise about it, anal even. Deer fat in your mouth will make you feel like you are eating cold Crisco. If you want to make burgers cut with pig fat from the butchers. We mix 73% ground beef with deer to get 13.5% ground and That does pretty good. Or you can perform Heresy and grind bacon into the meat to add fat. Pork fat is $.50 a pound and bacon can be $5 a pound, so you do the math.

    Year back I tried the same thing just to try and tan a hide and was instructed ny DNR to go to the MDSP and that officer wanted nothing with being bothered with that trouble. He told me to write down his name and badge and have DNR call him if I had any problems and he would tell them where he'd put thier deer road kill tag. I got the feeling MDSP had very little love for the MD DNR over this stuff.
     

    XCheckR

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 20, 2013
    4,202
    HdG
    When i lived in Jarrettsville, truck clipped a deer in front of our house, it had broken back but was trying to move on....

    Called HarCo Sheriffs, deputy came, put the deer down, then sat there for about 30 mins, assuming filling out paperwork for why he was coming back with one less round :)
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,282
    HoCo
    My only DNR story w/ roadkill is down the street in the old neighborhood a Deer was laying near the storm drain hit by a car. They called DNR and lady came out, looked at it nudged it with a long stick and it did not want to move. Then, walked back to truck Got a bag and walked back. Pulled out a revolver and shot it in the head. Neighbors were in a FIT, that she did not warn the parents and kids before taking it out. (I think I would have said something if I was the DNR person). I"m betting the DNR lady was thinking "snowflakes" when she walked back to the truck. She then left w/o the deer. Parent stopped her on way out and said someone else will come to pick it up.

    Friend hit a dear and I thought I'd help him out and get a tag # so he could bring to butcher (this was last Nov). I could not find how to do it on the Compass app. It fed the turkey vultures for days.
     

    Grampa G

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2010
    2,451
    Washington Co.
    Mom called when one was hit in front of her house. I arrived about same time as sheriff. He puts 4 rounds through the does lungs and I’m like why not one behind the ear.? He’s response was “guess I could have done that too.
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    This very thing happened to my wife a coupel years back. She hit a deer w/ her BRAN NEW CAR.. 200 miles on it. She got the trooper to give her a tag but, not before calling in backup. The called in 6 other MDSP cars, to watch my wife field dress this deer on the side of the road. It only took her 10 minutes, by herself at night and had everything but a cooler in the car already. They were amuzed at this lady's ability to make a body disapear. LOL.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    If I hunted deer I wouldn’t tag squat. The concept of the King’s Deer should have been banished in 1776. I’d butcher it myself and enjoy my dinner.
     

    newmuzzleloader

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 14, 2009
    4,765
    joppa
    If I hunted deer I wouldn’t tag squat. The concept of the King’s Deer should have been banished in 1776. I’d butcher it myself and enjoy my dinner.

    Doc, I was just reading this thread thinking how I've been doing things wrong. 3 times I've butchered a deer that had been hit and not once did the thought ever cross my mind that I needed to call someone and ask for permisssion to do so. :confused::shrug:
     

    Pale Ryder

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 12, 2009
    6,234
    Millersville
    Doc, I was just reading this thread thinking how I've been doing things wrong. 3 times I've butchered a deer that had been hit and not once did the thought ever cross my mind that I needed to call someone and ask for permisssion to do so. :confused::shrug:

    Times have changed. You can pick up all the sheds you can find, but if the skull is still attached, you need a tag. F’en poachers F up everything.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    If I hunted deer I wouldn’t tag squat. The concept of the King’s Deer should have been banished in 1776. I’d butcher it myself and enjoy my dinner.

    Well they didn’t abolish taxes, government, community property or common law. We don’t have a king anymore, but we do have a concept of government for the people and wildlife held in trust for the people. Which is why government manages them for the benefit of everyone and not just for you or for me.

    Yeah a tag for a road kill to me is stupid. Apparently MD at some point decided the same thing.
     

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