Wounded or Dead elk?

[brokenscout]

If I find them one my property can I take the antlers? Apparently the bow hunters here can't shoot for shit.

[J]

You are supposed to call the DOW and have them take the carcass. It will be up to the game warden that comes if you can keep the rack. Generally, they don't allow it. If you get caught with it later with no tag filled, and no supporting documentation you can be charged with poaching.

They generally don't let you keep the rack or any meat, because there is no way for you to prove that you didn't kill/wound it. So allowing you to keep the rack provides a loop-hole for poaching, whenin some shady person shots a bull for the rack illegally, then reports it as a found carcass, doesn't get charged but gets to keep the rack.

[brokenscout]

That's what I was thinking. Thank you. Its so wasteful ,pisses me off.

[sniper7]

you could salvage some of the meat though. backstraps in the freezer are better than a wasted carcass IMO

morals are a big part of it. you didn't wound it, you didn't kill it. you don't have a tag, but I hate to let meat go to waste. true that mother nature will take care of it and it all goes back into the system some how. But I just hate watching meat wasted and rot away.

[gnihcraes]

If I find them one my property can I take the antlers? Apparently the bow hunters here can't shoot for shit.

My fathers hunt group, hit a couple elk, he said they should be dead, but never was able to track them because of rain and more rain and more rain. sucks.

[Auger]

Yup call the DOW.

Nothing is wasted in the wilderness.

[MarkCO]

You are supposed to call the DOW and have them take the carcass. It will be up to the game warden that comes if you can keep the rack. Generally, they don't allow it. If you get caught with it later with no tag filled, and no supporting documentation you can be charged with poaching.

They generally don't let you keep the rack or any meat, because there is no way for you to prove that you didn't kill/wound it. So allowing you to keep the rack provides a loop-hole for poaching, whenin some shady person shots a bull for the rack illegally, then reports it as a found carcass, doesn't get charged but gets to keep the rack.

That is the Samson rule and applies for road kill or found in the woods kill. The option to let you keep the antlers, or not, rests with the responding officer. I've kept the entire animal after being given a carcass tag.

[rondog]

I saw a guy in the median of I-70 once going west, frantically sawing the head off a road-killed bull like he was expecting Satan himself to come over the hill. I wondered if it was legal.....

[brokenscout]

I usually just waited for the coyotes to come but didn't know what the "legal" thing to do was

[Irving]

If it is wounded near your home, just drag it into your living room and claim self defense.