So, can someone help me on this one. Long story is, shot a deer. Dropped a bit out of sight. I found it a few minutes later. Took me maybe 45 minutes or an hour, something in that range to go to my vehicle, drop stuff off from my pack, grab my game cart, get down to the deer and tag it. Dressed it and as I finished 3 hunters came up. After chatting with them a minute, the one guy claims he killed the deer. We argued over it for awhile with them claiming I was lying about shooting it. The deer DID have two wounds. A graze across its brisket that barely broke the skin and a shot in the chest basically almost down through its neck and out the bottom of its chest (lung/liver wound, I was going for a sharp down hill shot through the neck and heart and hit a few inches left).
They wouldn't believe me I shot it. Guy claims he found his deer a little while ago (maybe even true he found it after I had already left and went to my car) and went to help his buddy drag out a fork they were hauling with them. He says he shot it 4 times, and there is no way I shot it once since it had more than one hole in it.
Well, news flash, there sure as hell weren't 4 (or more) holes in the thing.
I sure HEARD someone shooting fairly close to me (within 100 or so yards, his rifle was suppressed it was LOUD). That plus the graze across the brisket I am sure he winged the deer.
Anyway, there was NO tag on the deer either when I found it (and it sure LOOK like the deer I'd shot just minutes before) or after I went and dropped everything off and went back with a cart. I did forget to tag it until I got back from my car. Yes, I did tag it before moving it or dressing it. At this point, my tag was the tag on the deer and it was the ONLY tag that was ever on that deer until I let the other hunters have it and walked away (and they did not tag it at that point either, just started dragging it out). For emphasis, I TAGGED THE DEER FIRST.
The guy claimed he was a cop (with no evidence) and not to lie to him. I stuck to my (TRUTHFUL!) story, that yes I shot the deer. It ran up the hill past me, I heard it drop out of sight, found it a few minutes later, blah, blah.
Of course they start asking "you alone" "that your car up at the trail head" "We are here with a few other buddies a radio call away".
Likely no cell service where I was standing. I let them have it. The guy took a picture of my tag and then cut it off. I would have called NRP if I was sure I had cell signal and if I was in the right. I am 99% sure the guy did not mortally wound the deer and I did. I can't be 110% positive what I thought was an exit wound wasn't in fact an entry wound (I didn't exactly have any time to do forensics on the deer as I had literally just finished yanking the organs out when they walked up). But I am darned sure it was on its feet when I shot it. Either I missed and it scared up the hill past me and conveniently then finally bleed out from earlier wounds near me, or I sure as heck hit it and almost certainly caused the mortal wound.
I noticed the other deer they were dragging wasn't tagged...
Anyway, it wasn't till later chatting with another hunter and then that night with my buddy who joined me for hunting the next day they both insisted I should have called the game warden. That Maryland law is whomever tags the deer first. It doesn't matter who killed it (heck, wouldn't even need to kill it. You tag it, it's yours according to both of them who have supposedly heard it from game wardens. I certainly trust my buddy).
But they sure as hell intimidated the heck out of me. Maybe the guy wasn't impersonating an officer. If he was, they sure were acting like they were more than happy to cause me some trouble. The guy sure was insistent he killed the deer and I'll at least give it to him, he probably did wound it an hour or so earlier. I am guess he probably did actually think he shot it. Maybe they even all really did think I was lying and didn't shoot it. But also for sure they were hauling deer without a tag and didn't claim they tagged the deer earlier and I had cut off their tag or anything like that. So they were doing some shady shit. But it felt like worst case, they were going to cause problems for me in the short term (no, I didn't feel physically in danger like they were going to attack me. But I was a little worried if I didn't let them have it I might come back to find their buddies slashed my tires or something). Or the guy was telling the truth and was a cop (I hate to judge, but he did not look like a cop or act like one. Not that says anything) and that all three were willing to try to lie and accuse me of something to a game warden and three guys word with one being a cop against mine.
Anyway, sorry. Long story, still shaken up and a little worried the guy has my name and DNR ID. I did check and they haven' called anything in under my DNR ID. Could they? I've only checked stuff through the website. Do you need anything under than your license number to check in deer?
Should I contact DNR and talk to them even though this is now a couple of days ago?
What is Maryland law? Is it whomever tags the deer first regardless of who killed it? I sure wasn't out to steal anyone's deer when my freezer is pretty full, but I sure wasn't looking to shoot deer for strangers either.
Sorry I made this really long, but I am still extremely upset about the whole thing. A bit mad, but mostly upset.
If somehow any of those guys are actually forum members and read this and realize that was you, message me I guess. I sure has heck wasn't trying to screw you over and steal a deer. But I also felt like I didn't have an option of calling a game warden to work it out the way you/those guys were acting. And I sure don't like being called a liar and I sure didn't claim ya'll never even shot/shot at the deer. But you didn't tag it and you sure didn't make me feel like I had any option other than letting you have the deer and walk away or you were going to cause me some kind of serious trouble.
They wouldn't believe me I shot it. Guy claims he found his deer a little while ago (maybe even true he found it after I had already left and went to my car) and went to help his buddy drag out a fork they were hauling with them. He says he shot it 4 times, and there is no way I shot it once since it had more than one hole in it.
Well, news flash, there sure as hell weren't 4 (or more) holes in the thing.
I sure HEARD someone shooting fairly close to me (within 100 or so yards, his rifle was suppressed it was LOUD). That plus the graze across the brisket I am sure he winged the deer.
Anyway, there was NO tag on the deer either when I found it (and it sure LOOK like the deer I'd shot just minutes before) or after I went and dropped everything off and went back with a cart. I did forget to tag it until I got back from my car. Yes, I did tag it before moving it or dressing it. At this point, my tag was the tag on the deer and it was the ONLY tag that was ever on that deer until I let the other hunters have it and walked away (and they did not tag it at that point either, just started dragging it out). For emphasis, I TAGGED THE DEER FIRST.
The guy claimed he was a cop (with no evidence) and not to lie to him. I stuck to my (TRUTHFUL!) story, that yes I shot the deer. It ran up the hill past me, I heard it drop out of sight, found it a few minutes later, blah, blah.
Of course they start asking "you alone" "that your car up at the trail head" "We are here with a few other buddies a radio call away".
Likely no cell service where I was standing. I let them have it. The guy took a picture of my tag and then cut it off. I would have called NRP if I was sure I had cell signal and if I was in the right. I am 99% sure the guy did not mortally wound the deer and I did. I can't be 110% positive what I thought was an exit wound wasn't in fact an entry wound (I didn't exactly have any time to do forensics on the deer as I had literally just finished yanking the organs out when they walked up). But I am darned sure it was on its feet when I shot it. Either I missed and it scared up the hill past me and conveniently then finally bleed out from earlier wounds near me, or I sure as heck hit it and almost certainly caused the mortal wound.
I noticed the other deer they were dragging wasn't tagged...
Anyway, it wasn't till later chatting with another hunter and then that night with my buddy who joined me for hunting the next day they both insisted I should have called the game warden. That Maryland law is whomever tags the deer first. It doesn't matter who killed it (heck, wouldn't even need to kill it. You tag it, it's yours according to both of them who have supposedly heard it from game wardens. I certainly trust my buddy).
But they sure as hell intimidated the heck out of me. Maybe the guy wasn't impersonating an officer. If he was, they sure were acting like they were more than happy to cause me some trouble. The guy sure was insistent he killed the deer and I'll at least give it to him, he probably did wound it an hour or so earlier. I am guess he probably did actually think he shot it. Maybe they even all really did think I was lying and didn't shoot it. But also for sure they were hauling deer without a tag and didn't claim they tagged the deer earlier and I had cut off their tag or anything like that. So they were doing some shady shit. But it felt like worst case, they were going to cause problems for me in the short term (no, I didn't feel physically in danger like they were going to attack me. But I was a little worried if I didn't let them have it I might come back to find their buddies slashed my tires or something). Or the guy was telling the truth and was a cop (I hate to judge, but he did not look like a cop or act like one. Not that says anything) and that all three were willing to try to lie and accuse me of something to a game warden and three guys word with one being a cop against mine.
Anyway, sorry. Long story, still shaken up and a little worried the guy has my name and DNR ID. I did check and they haven' called anything in under my DNR ID. Could they? I've only checked stuff through the website. Do you need anything under than your license number to check in deer?
Should I contact DNR and talk to them even though this is now a couple of days ago?
What is Maryland law? Is it whomever tags the deer first regardless of who killed it? I sure wasn't out to steal anyone's deer when my freezer is pretty full, but I sure wasn't looking to shoot deer for strangers either.
Sorry I made this really long, but I am still extremely upset about the whole thing. A bit mad, but mostly upset.
If somehow any of those guys are actually forum members and read this and realize that was you, message me I guess. I sure has heck wasn't trying to screw you over and steal a deer. But I also felt like I didn't have an option of calling a game warden to work it out the way you/those guys were acting. And I sure don't like being called a liar and I sure didn't claim ya'll never even shot/shot at the deer. But you didn't tag it and you sure didn't make me feel like I had any option other than letting you have the deer and walk away or you were going to cause me some kind of serious trouble.