Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Road Kill Question

P

PupChowMN

Guest
Bowhunt and I had an interesting discussion on road kill deer (bucks) on the way home from texas and I was looking for some more input or personal experiences. What is the ruling if you hit a big buck, i know the driver of the vehicle the hits the deer has first say on whether or not they want the deer, but i have heard stories about people arguing with law enforcement about who keeps the antlers off those deer. This ever happen to anyone? So if i hit a 180 class with my truck (on accident no intentional swerving or anything) do i get to keep the rack by law or can the DNR or law enforcement agent legally take them?
 
I think in Iowa the person that receives the salvage tag takes the entire deer.
OA
 
Up here, you have absolutely no chance of keeping those antlers, they are property of the DNR. I know a guy who found a 170 5x5 dead on the road by his house, he phoned them and asked if he could keep it for his dogs to chew on, they said you betcha, just bring us the antlers or we'll come looking for them. If I hit a beast of a buck while driving, I'd pretend it never happened and hack the antlers off below the burr and throw them in my trophy room and keep my mouth shut, I really would. The DNR office up here has some brutes on the wall, all road kills.
 
Not sure but spoted a big buck in a ditch along a busy Hwy. Went to the court house to get a claim tag. They didn't know what to do, had to track down the right DNR person who knew what to do. Man I spent 3-4 hrs. running around town trying to get the right paperwork. When I finally got what I needed I went out to get the deer (and they told me I had to take the whole deer, not just the horns)someone already cut the rack off, I was ticked. So the next day the DNR runs me down and starts chewing my a$$, "I thought we told you to take the whole deer not just cut the horns off" even with someone else in possesion of the horns he wanted me to go out there and scoop up what was left. Somehow I talked my way out of that, lol what an experience!

Hunt on All4s
 
We know of a certain law enforcement person (not DNR) that claims his retirement fund is the collection of road kill horns he has i'd say 30-50 sets of horns 140-190 class...it's a shame that it happens that way. I also talked to a guy who found some locked bucks who were dead on his property, big bucks 160-170 and word got out that he had them, and the county sherriff showed up with a warrant to take possession of the antlers...with all of the selling on Ebay these days it really makes you wonder
 
We have received salvage tags for road kill deer. Sometimes they tell you to take the deer and they will drop you off a tag later. We always have been able to keep everything - antlers included. The bucks have never been anything too good though. Can see how a huge set of horns change things though.
 
I also thought I'd mention that you need a permit to bring home any dead buck you find up here as well. It is because of this that all the bucks I find are kept secret. Why? A permit is easy to get for a 130 class buck, but a trophy buck, forget it, it'll hang in the dnr office, even if I found a dead whopper on my property, they wouldn't give me a permit for it. If you find a big one, shut up about it and enjoy it for years in the privacy of your own home.
 
Thats why I always carry a saw in my truck at all times, one of these days that 6 hour drive there and back hunting is gonna pay off
smile.gif
 
A few years back my hunting partner and I where right behind a car that took out a very nice nine pointer,150ish. We asked the first officer on the seen for a salvage tag and we gutted it and put it in the truck, simple as that.
 
LIV4RUT you should go and get those whoppers off the property you hunt... secretly.

I would never contact anybody for roadkill antlers. Theres no need for it unless your taking the meat.. If it was a insurance deal by hitting a deer I would contact them but I know theyd say just take it home and dowhat ever you want with it. Saskguy, if its a secret then why are you informing strangers...Thats kinda like me telling strangers about my shed hunting tactics, but knowbody cares...
grin.gif
 
As a law enforcement officer I just have to chime in on this one.
1. If you smack a deer or find a dead one you have two options, take it all or leave it all, but you have to have a salvage tag issued to you by someone before you move anything.
2.If you decide to skip step A, be sure that set of horns your cutting off is worth $4,000 to you, even if you dont get to keep them, because you won't. Ok, you probably wont get fined the $4K for just cuttting a roadkill, but you definately won't get to keep them, and you had better convince the officer that finds you that you didnt kill that deer or your back to $4k.
3. Yes, you can get a salvage tag for a deer that is intended for human or animal consumption. I.E. we have given numerous tags for people who have mountain lions and coon dogs. It is best to be put on a list for this (most countys have a list going) instead of waiting until you find the WR hit by grandma to decide your going to feed your hamster deer meat. (See #4.)
4. There is nothing on the books in Iowa that I am aware of that entitles the responding officer to any part of the deer over you, (if there is please let me know!) unless something looks suspicious. In which case, that doesnt make the rack his personal property but he will most likely hold on to it as evidence until everyone is satisfied. (Hint, discretely hacking antlers off in the ditch by moonlight looks kind of suspicious.)
5. Never, EVER, take it upon yourself to shoot a wounded deer, ESPECIALLY A BIG BUCK, without first calling law enforcement. (See #4.) I have seen this many times and it never fails to look at least a little suspicious despite the fact that most guys have good intentions.
6. Keeping the deer is not a reward for running over it. I only mention this because of my favorite car vs. deer story. I got called to an accident and the guy wanted to keep the deer. This particular deer looked very much alive and the fellow wanted to know if he should just cut its throat or if I should shoot it. I replied "I think I'll shoot it, but you might want to have your son get off of it first". The guy protested for a while but the boy eventually got off the buck, which immeadiatley jumped up and hauled the mail into the next county. The deer looked fine, the boy looked exhausted, and the old man was clearly PO'ed by the whole deal and could not understand how I could let his deer get away.

I really think 99% of these stories about CO's and police officers getting rich off of roadkills are bunk. Personally I have only seen one remotely large buck killed by car and the guy who found it got to keep it. Its just not that hard. Ask and you shall recieve, if not ask why. If you are not satisfied with that answer, ask his boss why. Chances are you will get it if in deed it is fair game. Or, you could just carry around $4,000 with you.
wink.gif
 
Thanks for the clarification TimberPig. If I want to have a salvage tag on me, thats possible or do I get put on a list and when I find the WR then go get my salvage tag?

Hunt on All4s
 
All4s- You can do either. You dont have to be on a list to get a salvage tag. I'm sure some departments dont even have a list but most are happy to have someone pick them up so they are not just rotting on the shoulder of the road. A lot of the motorists who hit deer do not want them and it is nice to know ahead of time who might want it. Usually the people on our list want multiple deer each year for themselves or pets.
Happy motoring...
 
I know that warren county and polk county have a list for people that want road kill. As soon as there is a hit deer reported they go to the list and call that individual up and ask them if they want it. If you ask the dispatcher if it is a big buck or not they will take you off the list. The purpose for it is to help out people that want the meat.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I know that warren county and polk county have a list for people that want road kill. As soon as there is a hit deer reported they go to the list and call that individual up and ask them if they want it. If you ask the dispatcher if it is a big buck or not they will take you off the list. The purpose for it is to help out people that want the meat.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was on the Cedar and Johnson county list about 10 years ago. If you got called, and said you couldn't make it, you were dropped to the bottom of the list. Most deer get hit at night, so you can expect a call in the middle of the night. In 1991, I got a call for a small eight point that was hit by a truck outside of Iowa City. Surprisingly, it wasn't too torn up. I think the deputy makes a judgement call before telling dispatch to start calling. I would guess that they are still keeping a list of interested people, but the ditches sure seem to be full of dead (unreported?) deer.

From calling a DNR officer (or at least this particular officer) recently, the meat has to be fit for consumption for you to get a salvage permit.

This thread reminds me of an incident that happened to someone I know. They were out bowhunting, and happened to arrow a 180+ buck. The buck took off when hit, and ran out onto I80. One car hit it, then a second. The driver of the first car didn't want the dead buck so the driver of the second took it. The driver of the second car just happened to be a friend of the bowhunter! The buck had the broadhead and a section of arrow in it when they cleaned it. Not sure which of the two has the mount today.
 
I have to chime in on this one. Several points. While in Sask. shed hunting, we have found several nice bucks, winterkill or wolf kills, one was a 170 class 6x6. They are all still in the woods because we were stearnly warned by the local CO that they HAVE to stay there. Iowa, I know of a retired Game Warden who has a basement full of roadkill and confiscated racks. He sold a 212 double droptined rack for $1000.00 a few years ago. Minnesota. Pupchow, there are alot of nice antlers in the houses of law enforcment officers in your area. There was a 190 class typical taken from a hunter a few years ago that has never come out. We even have the CO's name but to this day he still denighs it ever happened. I know it did because I personally know the guy who shot the deer, seen the field photos and have talked with him about it. In Minn a roadkill belongs to the State and knowone has the right to cut off the antlers. But its really hard to find a roadkilled buck that still has antlers. It would have to be a pretty good one before I would risk it. I have heard that the penalty could reach as high as $2500.00. I also know a Highway Patrolman from Moorhead that has a house full of big racks, all roadkills. There is no reason why these people should get to keep these antlers. Every year our DNR has an auction of confiscated guns. The way they are always bitchin about being out of money, this is where these racks should end up. At least the public has a chance to legally obtain them. This "rumor" of law enforcment personal having a house, garage, or basement full of antlers is an all to common thing and it's true.., but still a bunch of BS!
 
DC240, I'll grant you this much, I do know a number of officers who have a house full of antlers. All are from deer they hunted however. I have no doubt that what you are talking about does happen in some instances, there are rule breakers in any line of work. Calling it "common" however is a bit of a stretch and a tad disrespectfull to the officers who work hard at protecting the bucks you like to hunt. (Qoute)"Pupchow, there are a lot of nice antlers in the houses of law enforcement officers in your area"- so what? It is this type of generalization, that any LEO with more than a button buck on the wall somehow did something illegal, that bothers me.
Frankly, most LEO's could not come across a house full of big roadkills in their whole career, unless they worked in a lot better area than me. Granted CO's would have better chances of getting their hands on some nice ones via different means, but I honestly believe they would generally be the least likely to do what you suggest.
When you have personal knowledge of a specific situation thats one thing, your free to tell your story. However, don't label all police officers as crooks just because you may happen to not like them in general.
 
Dan, next time your up in my neck of the woods and find a big wolf kill like the one you spoke of, mark it on your g.p.s, stop by my place and give me the coordinates, I'll drag it home. I honestly don't see the problem with bringing a dead buck home that I find, I'm sure not the only one who does it around here, heck many guys do, in fact the only guys who find dead bucks and don't have them now are the guys who try and get a permit for them. It really is too bad when a guy has to bend the law in such situations, following it has left a bad taste in many mouths that i know.
 
I don't think you can label all LEO's as "antler theives" or whatever. There are some exceptions to the rule however and the stories I have heard and things I have witnessed makes a man wonder. I think there are only a few bad apples, but as with anything else, that ruins the reputation of those who are good honest hard working folks. Personally with my experiences with the LEO's on road kill deer, if I hit a monster let me stress monster, I don't think i would call the cops first, I would call a friend, a friend with a hacksaw.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom