# Tagging a deer



## SR-Mechead (Jan 25, 2004)

I have a question about tagging a deer. A friend of mind shot a really nice 8 point. He shot it at night and thought his hit may have been a little back so he let it lay over night. The next morning when he went back and found it the yokes eat most of it plus the nose. 

The question I have is does he have to tag the deer if he is only going to cut off the horns? 

My friend did tag the deer
Bob


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Unfortunate situation but the legal correct answer is yes.


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## SR-Mechead (Jan 25, 2004)

boehr said:


> Unfortunate situation but the legal correct answer is yes.



Thank you.
Bob


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

I guessif I find a fresh gut pile including the heart and liver I have to tag that to take home. How do I know if I use buck or doe tag??


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

What was it when you shot it.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

2PawsRiver said:


> What was it when you shot it.


Exactly correct, it is mandatory not to tag a deer that you shot, obviously as soon as you find it. Second, it is illegal to tag a deer that you did not shoot. Why anyone would take organs from a gut pile with what could have happened to them is beyond me but to each there own.


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

Intereseting-The heart and liver must be left to rot if you didnt shoot the deer?

Cant take it without tagging and cant takes with tag as I didnt shoot..

I know a fellow that was ticketed cause he had an untagged organ. Perhaps he needed the meat-pperhaps he wanted to feed a pet-perhaps he wanted to make some lure/bait for trapping.


edited because sentence not needed


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

CL-Lewiston said:


> Intereseting-The heart and liver must be left to rot if you didnt shoot the deer?
> 
> Cant take it without tagging and cant takes with tag as I didnt shoot..
> 
> I know a fellow that was ticketed cause he had an untagged organ. Perhaps he needed the meat-pperhaps he wanted to feed a pet-perhaps he wanted to make some lure/bait for trapping.


You are making interpetations that are not there. Who said the heart and liver had to lay there and rot? Please paste the exact quote where it said that above. I also don't believe you know a person who had an untagged organ either. The law does not provide where an organ must be tagged or that it is required to be tagged. However, the law does provide that venison must be taken legally to begin with. Can you say without a doubt the organs are from a legal deer? There is no doubt in my mind there is more to that story of a guy ticketed for not having an organ tagged. If you have futher questions maybe I can help you out.


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## Hi Ho Silver_Joe (Aug 4, 2003)

I'm confused Can one hunter give another hunter the heart and liver from a legally taken deer while in the field? We always carry zip lock bags for just this reason.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Hi Ho Silver_Joe said:


> I'm confused Can one hunter give another hunter the heart and liver from a legally taken deer while in the field? We always carry zip lock bags for just this reason.


Yes, no problem. Appartently, CL-Lewiston just comes across gut piles with the heart or liver left behind and wants to pick them up not knowing anything about the deer that was shot.


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## SR-Mechead (Jan 25, 2004)

boehr said:


> Yes, no problem. Appartently, CL-Lewiston just comes across gut piles with the heart or liver left behind and wants to pick them up not knowing anything about the deer that was shot.



I say what falls on the ground stays on the ground


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## Mister ED (Apr 3, 2006)

CL-Lewiston said:


> perhaps he wanted to make some lure/bait for trapping.


Actually the way I read the trapping regs ... it is illegal to use any part of a deer for bait.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

You are correct Ed.


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## DryFly (Jun 4, 2001)

SR-Mechead said:


> I have a question about tagging a deer. A friend of mind shot a really nice 8 point. He shot it at night and thought his hit may have been a little back so he let it lay over night. The next morning when he went back and found it the yokes eat most of it plus the nose.
> 
> The question I have is does he have to tag the deer if he is only going to cut off the horns?
> 
> ...


Buer answered: Unfortunate situation but the legal correct answer is yes.

I possibly have been in violation of the law. 
On 2 occasions I have came upon bucks, one was dead in the woods for many weeks and the other was found dead in the river. Both were badly decomposed. 

I did cut the head off both for the nice sets of antlers. One set I am using for rattling while hunting and the other is hanging on the outside wall of my shop.

Was I being illegal by doing this?

If so, is it also illegal to gather sheds in the spring without tagging them? 

Thanks


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## DryFly (Jun 4, 2001)

Boehr not "Buer" answered....


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## DryFly (Jun 4, 2001)

SR-Mechead said:


> I say what falls on the ground stays on the ground



Most of the deer that I shoot eventually fall on the ground. 
It would be a sheme to leave them..:lol:


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

While I agree the law seems to make little sense, I would imagine that it is necessary to prevent those that find ways to scam the law, from abusing the resource.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

I'm wondering if those badly decomposed deer, was that during the season or sometime after like, January or Feburary. We have talked about looking and gathering sheds in the spring, no it is not against the law to gather sheds. There are reasons why gathering sheds or removing the antlers of a dead deer in the middle of winter is not the same as the original question.


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## DryFly (Jun 4, 2001)

boehr said:


> We have talked about looking and gathering sheds in the spring, no it is not against the law to gather sheds. There are reasons why gathering sheds or removing the antlers of a dead deer in the middle of winter is not the same as the original question.



Not intending to be a smart ass,
but I have heard that there are some officers in the field who go a little over board.
Like walking up to hunters in their blinds asking to see licenses right at peak deer hunting hours right after dawn or just before dark. With no probable, cause this would appear to be out of line.

I just would not want to run into one of these people in November and December when I did find a couple of dead deer, a little on the gamey side but still not decomposed. I took the head and antlers.

Another situation is when my son shot a nice buck with his bow and we could not find it, sad situation , we looked for 2 days. 
He later shot another buck and tagged it. A couple of weeks later while steelhead fishing, I came across his original buck, dead on the river bank hidden in the grass. I cut off it's head and antlers to give to my son. This was in early December. 

I have at other times (grossed out my wife ) while driving down country roads, and came across road kill that was not badly broken up and still in good condition. 
Some I used for fly tieing materials and one baby racoon is now mounted and 
is part of a mount display on my wall. These were taken (picked up already dead) out of the hunting season and I did not have a small game or trapping license.

Could I have been ticketed for these actions, or would the officer understand that I really am not a poacher and just wanted to put them to good use and not allow them to go to waste?


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

DryFly said:


> Not intending to be a smart ass,
> but I have heard that there are some officers in the field who go a little over board.
> Like walking up to hunters in their blinds asking to see licenses right at peak deer hunting hours right after dawn or just before dark. With no probable, cause this would appear to be out of line.


Key word in your sentence is that you "heard". If you only heard then how do you no there was no probable cause? How do you know some hunter or neighbor did not report that someone is poaching back there. Second, a license is required to participate in that particular recreational activity. If you're in the field with a gun that is reason enough to ensure you have a license. Third, I have done what you indicate but "never" without some reason. And when I did it I have no duty to tell the person why I'm doing it. If someone called me and wanted to provide me with information and stay confidential, confidential is what the complainant would stay.



> I just would not want to run into one of these people in November and December when I did find a couple of dead deer, a little on the gamey side but still not decomposed. I took the head and antlers.


Not sure what you mean by"would not want to run into one of these people in November and December when I did find a couple of dead deer" Don't know who "one of these people" are but, if your talking about a CO, and you do run into one, you might want to act human towards him/her or you might find yourself in some trouble you don't want to be in.



> Another situation is when my son shot a nice buck with his bow and we could not find it, sad situation , we looked for 2 days.
> He later shot another buck and tagged it. A couple of weeks later while steelhead fishing, I came across his original buck, dead on the river bank hidden in the grass. I cut off it's head and antlers to give to my son. This was in early December.


Guess he should have looked harder. So what you are saying is two bucks were shot and only one license.



> I have at other times (grossed out my wife ) while driving down country roads, and came across road kill that was not badly broken up and still in good condition.
> Some I used for fly tieing materials and one baby racoon is now mounted and
> is part of a mount display on my wall. These were taken (picked up already dead) out of the hunting season and I did not have a small game or trapping license.
> 
> Could I have been ticketed for these actions, or would the officer understand that I really am not a poacher and just wanted to put them to good use and not allow them to go to waste?


 Yep, a violation and good chance of getting a ticket. I have issued tickets for that before. We have discussed this a little on this form but the main reason for laws being like they are in road kills is pretty simple. A person can have the opportunity to run down, pheasants, turkeys, fox, ***** etc., and a good chance those smaller animals will not cause damage to the vehicle. So everytime someone wants some fly tying material, lets just go find a turkey in March to run down so we can tie some new flys. Get the picture?

People always want to talk about an animal going to waste. Those animals that die do not entirely go to waste. Those dead animals often feed other animals.

I have said it before and I will say it again. Most people that care about hunting and are honest hunters are they type of hunters that are part of this web site, about 18,000. There are 700,000 plus people that participate in hunting. If just 2% of those that participate are poachers, that means there are about 14000 plus poachers out there. That is a sufficent number to cause the laws that we have to attempt to stop people from poaching, trying to provide everyone with the same equal chance as possible and provide enjoyment too. Now remember, that 14000 number is just poachers, that doesn't count those who might have got into some type of trouble by making a stupid mistake, just those you can add thousands more. There are about 5000 hunters for every CO in the field. They don't check nearly, not even close, to that number. If you know of a better way for the CO to check as many hunters as they can, and to keep other hunters from complaining that they never get check or never even see a CO, I'm all ears.


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