219" typical 16 point found dead....in iowa

[Waddell Wannabe]

That proves my point exactly though. You can't prove it's poaching. I feel the same way about a dead buck. Nice to find if you stumble across them. I guess I just have a different stand-point than you. To each his own. I just feel like once a buck is dead, it has the same value to me as a shed. Not near as good as shooting it, but still cool to find. I guess I have another question then. What happens if you have a history with a buck? What if you chase him around for multiple years, passing up other bucks, and getting trail cam pics of him. Then one day you find him dead, killed by a poacher. Wouldn't you still want to be able to mount that deer, or at least keep the rack to memorialize it? Maybe not. Maybe the memories and pics are enough, but I sure would like to keep him.

 

[JNRBRONC]

That proves my point exactly though. You can't prove it's poaching. I feel the same way about a dead buck. Nice to find if you stumble across them. I guess I just have a different stand-point than you. To each his own. I just feel like once a buck is dead, it has the same value to me as a shed. Not near as good as shooting it, but still cool to find. I guess I have another question then. What happens if you have a history with a buck? What if you chase him around for multiple years, passing up other bucks, and getting trail cam pics of him. Then one day you find him dead, killed by a poacher. Wouldn't you still want to be able to mount that deer, or at least keep the rack to memorialize it? Maybe not. Maybe the memories and pics are enough, but I sure would like to keep him.

You are exactly right when you say to each his own. It is just my personal feelings that place no value on a dead buck. Even less if I didn't shoot him and it was potentially poached.

As to mounting a deer I find dead, I don't even take the ones I shoot to a taxidermist.

Let me get my crystal ball out here: You know how last year the regs said you should place your tag on the deers rack? Some didn't but the DNR said ok, no problem THIS year but in the future...... Well, I'm betting that coming soon, if you don't have a tag on an antler of a "fresh kill" (meaning a year or two fresh), you will be busted for possessing an illegal deer. So how are you going to sneak that buck home (and keep it) that you found in the spring that you didn't want to call the DNR to get a tag for since you were afraid they would take it? How are you going to get it mounted without a tag? Deer hunting is all about the bone, isn't it?

Somebody said finders keepers: yeah, try that out when you find some other valuable item. There are regulations/rules that say you need to turn it over to the authorities and if nobody comes forward to claim it during X amount of time, depending on what it is, you might get it. The DNR says call us and we will determine if you get to keep it. I'd rather lose a dead buck's rack than get caught with an illegal deer head and lose the privilege to hunt. Again, personal decision on my part.

 

[Liv4Rut]

I think its all a bunch of crap. If you find a dead deer you should be able to keep the rack. Its one of those laws where a few bad apples ruin it for everyone. I found a buck this spring that looked like an elk, the brows were unreal 14inch-15inch daggers, 27 inch beams, mass galore but it was chewed up quite a bit but was still huge. I just took a picture and left it. I wanted it though. Then to top it off, I go home and I am 95% sure I have a shed off the buck from 2 years prior about 3 miles away. I know its him, the brows are a dead give away.

 

[Noodles3435]

liv4rut, any pics of the buck with the big brows??????????????

 

[Waddell Wannabe]

JNRBRONC, I'm gonna skip past the part about your speculated future laws on tagging stuff, because as far as I'm concerned, that's all it is...speculation.
And in the case of me finding something else valuable like a ring or a wallet, I can bet that this item originally belonged to someone else. The antlers on the other hand, I'm pretty sure could only be claimed by the whitetail holding them, and considering that he's dead, I don't think he's gonna mind.
And yeah, maybe you don't mount your deer, but I know quite a few people, especially on this site, that do. I'm sorry if you don't see the point in having a buck mounted, but I do. Especially a monarch 219" deer.
If I found a coon skull, or a turkey feather on my land and wanted to keep it, you wouldn't have any problem with that would you? It's only because more value is placed by others on a whitetail. Sorry, I just agree with LIV. I should be able to keep a whitetail rack the same as I would be able to keep an arrowhead.

 

[JNRBRONC]

JNRBRONC, I'm gonna skip past the part about your speculated future laws on tagging stuff, because as far as I'm concerned, that's all it is...speculation.

That's why I started it with a gaze into a crystal ball....

And in the case of me finding something else valuable like a ring or a wallet, I can bet that this item originally belonged to someone else. The antlers on the other hand, I'm pretty sure could only be claimed by the whitetail holding them, and considering that he's dead, I don't think he's gonna mind.

But deer are a public resource, so they belong to everyone, yet no one (until you wrap the tag around them).

It's only because more value is placed by others on a whitetail.

This is it in a nutshell! Lot's of people are complaining that the DNR "only claims the big ones". Well, looks like those people have a lot in common with the DNR. Neither really cares about the dead forkhorn, both want the "trophy" racks. Where does this value come from?

I'm on neither side here, I could care less what people do as long as it is within the law. Guess I'm playing the devil's advocate and I'm not trying to "sway" anyone's opinion. There are always many angles to look at an issue.

 

[Cooter]

Im not sure on this and the DNR web sight is no help, but I think the law states that any antlers that have any skull plate conected to it requires a tag.

 

[Noodles3435]

Here's my point. Say you are driving down the road in your brand new mercedes and you smoke a small basket rack with your car, do you think the dnr cares about that little basket rack? do you think if you wanted to keep the rack it would be a problem? NO. Ok now your driving down the road in your new mercedes and you hit a 240" monster do you think the dnr is gonna let you keep that one, i am gonna have to say probably not.
So regaurdless of size i think the dnr should do their job and check every single spike, 4 point, monster that is ever found dead, because if they make the excuse about checking the bigs ones for foul play, the should check all deer. SO REALLY, THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE MONSTERS, THEY SHOULD DO THEIR JOB AND CARE ABOUT ALL DEER. from now on any and every deer i find i am calling the dnr, and i will make sure they do their job.

 

[THA4]

Bottom line guys, and there is no sense in arguing about who should keep the deer...

The head with the antlers attached is a part of the evidence! Fact
The deer was Poached. Fact
The DNR has no obligation to surrender the deer head to the finder. Fact

Example. If an alleged drug dealer is arrested under suspicion (assuming he is innocent until proven guilty), all paraphaneilia (SP) and weapons are confiscated, and we can presume he is innocent until PROVEN guilty, should the alleged drug dealer be given back his gun and crack pipe until they can prove his guilt? NO, of course not.

In this case, there is too much evidence in question to return the head to the "finder", the stories have too many gaps and holes in it to assume total innocence.... however, after the investigation is complete, the "finder" could get the head back, but that would be a good-will gesture by the IDNR as they have no obligation to do so.

an animal this big is entitled to being honored as a remarkable deer. So it will most likely not get cut up and auctioned off, but rather mounted and hung up in a Conservation Education Center with a brass plate stating WHO found it (giving credit where credit is due) and having it available for all to see.

Im with Randy on this one, I would NEVER mount a head i did not kill, i find it pointless and not for me. IMO.

Noodles-
If you smoke a big deer with your car and it is evident that it was not poached, most DNR officers would prlly give you a salvage tag as the meat could still be edible.... a deer that has been dead for 3-4 weeks is not edible and the law states that a salvage tag is not for taxidermy purposes.

But by following the rules and contacting an officer, i think most would allow the finder to keep the head if no foul play is suspected.

 

[letemgrow]

Bottom line guys, and there is no sense in arguing about who should keep the deer...

The head with the antlers attached is a part of the evidence! Fact
The deer was Poached. Fact
The DNR has no obligation to surrender the deer head to the finder. Fact

Example. If an alleged drug dealer is arrested under suspicion (assuming he is innocent until proven guilty), all paraphaneilia (SP) and weapons are confiscated, and we can presume he is innocent until PROVEN guilty, should the alleged drug dealer be given back his gun and crack pipe until they can prove his guilt? NO, of course not.

In this case, there is too much evidence in question to return the head to the "finder", the stories have too many gaps and holes in it to assume total innocence.... however, after the investigation is complete, the "finder" could get the head back, but that would be a good-will gesture by the IDNR as they have no obligation to do so.

an animal this big is entitled to being honored as a remarkable deer. So it will most likely not get cut up and auctioned off, but rather mounted and hung up in a Conservation Education Center with a brass plate stating WHO found it (giving credit where credit is due) and having it available for all to see.

Im with Randy on this one, I would NEVER mount a head i did not kill, i find it pointless and not for me. IMO.

Noodles-
If you smoke a big deer with your car and it is evident that it was not poached, most DNR officers would prlly give you a salvage tag as the meat could still be edible.... a deer that has been dead for 3-4 weeks is not edible and the law states that a salvage tag is not for taxidermy purposes.

But by following the rules and contacting an officer, i think most would allow the finder to keep the head if no foul play is suspected.

Any deer this was knowingly poached would be hard to justify anyone but the DNR taking it I think. Even if someone found it that did not poach it.

I agree with Noodles, if they give you a tag or a 4 pointer that you hit by a car then they should do the same for a 240+.

 

[antlerfreak]

so say you find a 200" buck dead, you are afraid if you call the dnr they will not give it to you, but your not going to just take it without contacting them either. whats the law say about cutting the antlers off at the base and leaving the carcass? there not attached to the skull plate anymore. Is this leagal? I know most guys would hate to cut the antlers off but would this be a way to at least keep them?

 

[scottonbuck]

Im glad I just cut up all the 200" bucks I find into knife handles. It saves the hassle and potentially being prosecuted as a poacher. No body care about knife handles. So i guess I am am a poacher since i have found a few dead ones and maybe carried them home. But I will be the first poacher to stalk up on a dead rotted deer and hit it with a big as hickory stick till its head falls off, Now that takes stealth like skills. LOL

 

[turtlshell]

re

There are as many guys who would mount a deer without the tag as there are poachers that use the "I found a dead deer" excuse to get'em.

If you're a law abiding shed hunter and come across a dead freak buck that still has enough hide and meat on it (aka EVIDENCE) that proves it was poached...There's no chance or reason that you should keep it. The only thing a law like that would encourage is POACHING. It's very basic and pretty simple to understand.

If it were me, and I wanted to keep it...I'd use the gray-area approach and leave it until the scavengers had picked it clean and then try my luck with claiming it properly.

If I went the honest route and called it in immediately after finding it, I would expect the DNR is going to confiscate it (AS IT"S THEIR JOB)...I would ask the CO to take a picture of me with my find. That's keep-sake enough for me, I don't see the point of having it mounted...but that's just my opinion.

YES, due to potential value, large bucks (found dead) get more attention and raise more red flags.

 

[flugge]

Ok, so how many of you find forkhorns or spike dead and call the dnr? thats why you dont hear about it....

 

[ksbooner]

Agree with you on this

 

[BrewCrew]

Any deer this was knowingly poached would be hard to justify anyone but the DNR taking it I think. Even if someone found it that did not poach it.

I agree with Noodles, if they give you a tag or a 4 pointer that you hit by a car then they should do the same for a 240+.

This is true. They should treat the size the same if there was no dirty play, which does not hold true with this incident. If the finder is innocent and he has a long history with the buck and he has sheds off the buck and trail cam pictures of the buck and does not own a high powered rifle. That really really really really sucks for him and he should also be looking for who shot that buck so he could hopefully, maybe get it back someday. The likely scenario is that he will never get it back though.

I understand why some of you may be mad that you did not get salvage tags for dead bucks and honestly that does suck but now you're just holding a grudge against something completely unrelated. If they were coming out with evidence that the "finder" was guilty you'd all be saying it serves him right! Not pointing fingers, but you never know.

I don't know the officer in this situation but I think any officer would/should take a poached buck. And if it were me I would be pissed but not at the officer.

 

[letrfly]

I understand why some of you may be mad that you did not get salvage tags for dead bucks and honestly that does suck but now you're just holding a grudge against something completely unrelated. If they were coming out with evidence that the "finder" was guilty you'd all be saying it serves him right! Not pointing fingers, but you never know.


Agreed on that part

 

[kurtish]

I guess I can see both sides of the argument...I certainly have nothing against anyone that takes a skull home that they had no "foul dealings" with. However, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I live in Wisconsin where it is legal to possess any bucks skull once the scavangers have fed on the carcass. No need to call a CO or get a tag. So what's to stop a would be poacher from poping every good buck he sees and come collecting his pile of racks come spring time or a week later for that matter. Nothing really, it's all legit. Iowan's are fortunate to live and hunt in a top tier whitetail state that has this regulation set in place to help curb poaching, and I have a hard time seeing that as a bad thing. Laws and regulations tend to only affect the law abiding, stand up citizens which is a bummer but states need to regulate things of this sort so when a poacher (or someone with a bunch of untagged racks) is caught they have a case and can prosecute. Just my .02 $

 

[sofakingfast_1]

All the DNR cares about is big racks. Plain and simple. Just like the whole farmers shooting deer with rifles deal. Not even going to get started with that one.

 

[letemgrow]

I guess I can see both sides of the argument...I certainly have nothing against anyone that takes a skull home that they had no "foul dealings" with. However, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I live in Wisconsin where it is legal to possess any bucks skull once the scavangers have fed on the carcass. No need to call a CO or get a tag. So what's to stop a would be poacher from poping every good buck he sees and come collecting his pile of racks come spring time or a week later for that matter. Nothing really, it's all legit. Iowan's are fortunate to live and hunt in a top tier whitetail state that has this regulation set in place to help curb poaching, and I have a hard time seeing that as a bad thing. Laws and regulations tend to only affect the law abiding, stand up citizens which is a bummer but states need to regulate things of this sort so when a poacher (or someone with a bunch of untagged racks) is caught they have a case and can prosecute. Just my .02 $

great point!!!!!