2019 Hunt photos and stories

[Hummer]

I don't quite understand, it sure looks like the first buck had at least 5" on one side, did it not? If not, then the ticket has to be issued. Since your son was licensed for a legal buck and didn't harvest one with the first kill, he was still entitled to take a legal buck, thus the reissue. You did right of course by signing and detaching the first tag, and declaring the error.

Without a reissue of a license, hunters might be incentivized to take an animal that didn't legally qualify, and simply pay a fine for the meat. That doesn't work for the purpose of ensuring only legal take.

Congrats on your son's second deer. He's a very nice buck.

[Gman]

I'm glad everything worked out. Sounds like your boy has a solid role model that takes responsibility and does the right thing. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the officer recognized that in the re-issuance of your son's tag.

Congrats on the 2nd buck!

[whitewalrus]

I wasn't aware of the "5" rule" on mule deer bucks. Good to know. And congrats to your son for getting it done, and to you as well on a nice buck.

BUT, what I never have understood is why the game wardens write a ticket for wrong doing, confiscate the animal, and then re-issue another tag. This isn't the first time I've heard of this being done. BUT, why not let the hunter keep the first animal along with a ticket. Just doesn't make sense in my mind.

From the big game brochure -
BUCK (ANTLERED): A male animal with antlers at least 5inches long. There are no antler-point restrictions for deer.
DOE (ANTLERLESS):A female animal with no antlers. Antlerless can also mean a young male with antlersless than 5 inches.
EITHER SEX: A legal buck or doe

You can shoot the small bucks with a doe tag, same with elk, pronghorn and moose.

[Irving]

I know not every unit is the same requirements for elk. Are there different requirements for deer in different areas?

[whitewalrus]

I know not every unit is the same requirements for elk. Are there different requirements for deer in different areas?

I am not aware of any restrictions other than the Whitetail only tags, which has the same sex restrictions, just that it must be a whitetail. The antler point restriction in certain units is only an elk thing.

[yankeefan98121]

I don't quite understand, it sure looks like the first buck had at least 5" on one side, did it not? If not, then the ticket has to be issued. Since your son was licensed for a legal buck and didn't harvest one with the first kill, he was still entitled to take a legal buck, thus the reissue. You did right of course by signing and detaching the first tag, and declaring the error.

Without a reissue of a license, hunters might be incentivized to take an animal that didn't legally qualify, and simply pay a fine for the meat. That doesn't work for the purpose of ensuring only legal take.

Congrats on your son's second deer. He's a very nice buck.

So, the photos look like it might have been, shit even naked eye it looked like it was a legal buck but wasn’t.
Yes, the ticket has to be issued, meat taken and head confiscated from what I was told.
I’m not sure about the entitlement, I just thought the officer was being cool, could be wrong. Either way, we were both happy with the reissue.

Thanks! He’s proven to be a pretty good shot unlike his old man heh

[yankeefan98121]

I know not every unit is the same requirements for elk. Are there different requirements for deer in different areas?

I’m not aware of those, if any, different requirements for mule deer in different gmu’s. Guess I need to do a little more research

[yankeefan98121]

I'm glad everything worked out. Sounds like your boy has a solid role model that takes responsibility and does the right thing. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the officer recognized that in the re-issuance of your son's tag.

Congrats on the 2nd buck!

Thank you! I know the look on his face when the game warden deemed hire first ever kill illegal and I’ll never forget it. He knew going in it would be up to the call if the officer though and it wouldn’t have been a surprise, just disappointment that we (I mostly, since I made the “ok” shot call) would have to just see what the officer said. Doing the right thing is not always easy..... It all worked out in the end with that 4x buck and his eyes the size of dinner plates when we walked up to it.

He can always say that he’s taken TWO bucks in a hunting season before hahaha

Regardless of the $140 fine and however the re-issue off the tag worked out, we still killed bucks on the same day. On the same day his first ever kill and his kill shots took only 1. That will forever live in our minds

[Irving]

I think the wildlife officer made the right call giving you the ticket and point dock; as I could see that experience turning him away from hunting in the future.

[sniper7]

Judging off the pictures and a rough estimate on head the antlers really appear to be at least 5”.
What were the measurements he took? Any chance he mistakenly issued a ticked based on elk regulations and not deer?