What a pig!!!

[Franksauto]

My buddy shot a huge buck this morning. Massive 10 point rack & it dressed out at 202#. It's our shotgun season here in Ma. but we hunt ML through the season. Another guy shot at it seconds before with a shotgun but missed it. It ran right to my friend. He shot it at 30 yards. The other guy tried to say he was the one that shot it. He called the local police, they sided with my friend. It was obvious he killed it by the blood spatter and the dead deer right in front of his stand. The guy tried to claim the deer even after he knew it was not his saying it crossed the stone wall and now it belonged to him. The police said it was shot on the opposite side and crossed after being hit. They told him the deer did not belong to him and to get over it. Come to find out the guy was a cop in the next town over and thought he could get the other cops to side with him.
Who in the world could ever be proud of taking a deer that they knew did not belong to them or was killed by them. The guy later said he was sorry and offered to help drag the deer out. My friend said NO THANKS! I kinda feel for the guy I would have a hard time believing I could have missed an absolute trophy like that one. I have been deer hunting (mostly archery) 20 years now. I have taken a nice 9 point, several 8's, 6's, 5's, forks, spikes but still havent taken an a trophy like that one. Oh well, someday my time will come. I have blown my chances a few times. One P&Y drop-tine 10 point at 5 yards on the ground (Dont even ask) missed a P&Y 10 from 20 yards broad side (plenty of white hair) and a giant 8 at 7 yards (again plenty of white hair????). Biggest 3 deer I had ever seen in the woods and blew it on all 3.
Our first week of shotgun is almost done, another week and then ML season for the rest of the year. Most hunters around here will be out of the woods after next week.
Good luck to all just had to share. I still cant believe what a giant that deer is.
Franko

 

[cayuga]

Congratulations to your friend. It would be cool if you could post a picture of the deer.


As for someone else trying to lay claim to someone elses deer, goose, duck, etc.. I have seen it all. Perhaps this original shooter honestly felt he was the one who shot it.. Some believe that if they draw first blood they also draw rights to the deer. He might have thought he hit the deer. Then again, he might have been looking for a trophy. I have seen both sides of the coin. Slob hunters are all over the place. All you can do is put up with them in many cases.

That's one reason I hunt on my own land now. I used to hunt public land and ran into the same thing you described so many times it took the fun out of hunting. When I was a very young hunter, I lost a very nice buck to someone on public land simply because they beat me to the downed deer and threw a tag on it.

 

[Franksauto]

I will post a picture as soon as I get they developed. I still keep a 35mm camera in my pack but I will upgrade to a digital for next season.
Funny thing is it was private land on 2 different properties. I wouldnt call the guy a slob hunter just a guy who was extreamly disapointed, frustrated and heart broken. I can understand what was on his mind and I probably wouldnt have given up without a fight the only sad part was when he knew his bullet missed the deer he still tried to claim it saying it died on his side of the property line. I could never be proud of a trophy that was taken that way.
On another note I got my first muzzleloader buck yesterday. Its only a 4 point around 120#'s but again my first with ML. I will post the story in a seperate thread.
Good luck this season
Frank