14 point buck

[mechanic]

For the last three years I have been trying to outsmart a very large buck that made his home on public land.  I found him a mile or more from the road, and have hunted him heavily except for this year when shoulder surgery killed my hunting.  Last year I found a shed from one side, and since he appeared evenly matched, I believe he was a 14 point or better.  This year, I found his rotting carcass with the head crudely chopped off halfway of the neck.  Made me so mad I'm still mad.  Someone came in by boat, well after hunting season and did this sad thing.  I tracked them back to where the boat pulled up.  Had it been long ago, the track would have washed away, and the coyotes would have done worse damage to the carcass. 

I appeal to my local attorney, Atlaw, to tell me if this would make a justified killin' in Ga. in case I could somehow find these yahoo's ?  If not, could I just wing them a little?

[Graybeard]

How can you KNOW beyond doubt it's the same not another buck?

[fl.hillbilly]

Well I am no attorney , but I would say you would be justified in at least sinking their boat . Other than that they need to be horse whipped and run out of town ,possibly tarred and feathered to boot . I cant stand  poachers  they are a boil on the butt of humanity . ok i feel better now

[mechanic]

How can you KNOW beyond doubt it's the same not another buck?

Obviously I can't.  I would almost bet money on it though.  That was his "stompin grounds".  I've tried 3 years to get a shot at him without luck.  I'm walked him up trying to get into this swampy area a couple times.  This deer was about the same size, in the same area, and had his head chopped off.  Irregardless, if they were going to kill him, they should have at least taken the meat.  Just seems a waste of a beautiful animal to me.....

[Graybeard]

Does GA have a law requiring meat be salvaged and used or is what they did legal in GA assuming of course they shot it during legal hours and otherwise in a legal manner?

If Bama has a law requiring meat be taken out I'm not aware of it.

[mechanic]

Graybeard,
If there is a law requiring use of meat, I am not aware of it.  Our season ended the first week of January however, and I found this last week.  With all the rain we have had, the sign had not been rained in, and the place where the boat pulled up would not have been there as well.  I would say this kill was a couple days old at most.  The coyotes had been at the carcass, and had eaten a lot of the hind quarters.  Their sign was very fresh.  I was walking looking for sheds and carrying a 22 for squirrils etc.  I was expecting to find sign from the deer but not this.

I guess after you try for three years on an old monster buck you get to the place he seems like he belongs to you in due time.....I just wish whoever killed him had appreciated what they had done.  DNR tells me this has become commonplace around the lake here, with thousands of acres of wooded land, they cannot patrol even a fraction of it.

[Graybeard]

I don't condone what seems to have been done. As to the sign to include the status of carcass don't forget the freezing weather the first half of month. It preserves sign and the body for quite a long while. I once watched the body of a small buck killed some time around such a prolonged hard freeze. I passed it several times over the course of well over a month.

For the most part it looked freshly killed for well over a month and not even any critters seemed to be bothering it. The first signs were a bit of hair laying around near the rear then a bit more. It never was heavily fed on then one day all of a sudden it was just gone. I mean totally completely GONE. There was no obvious sight of it having been dragged away tho I'm not sure the ground would have yielded up such.

That body has always been a mystery to me. It was right along a path I followed often so I saw it many times over the course of at least 45 days perhaps as much as two months I just don't recall. It's been many years ago. I never did detect any strong ordor from it and it never did show signs of rot until it was just gone one day after having been there I'd guess it couldn't have been more than 2-3 days or so since I'd last seen it.

The details of the death and the disappearance are anyone's guess. If we had bears or even wolves I might have understood but we don't and I'm not aware of anything else that could have carried it off other than a human and I can think of no reason why a human would have carried off such an old dead body. It was quite a long way from the nearest road anyone might have travelled and right along a path I made and never saw anyone else on or any sign anyone else used the remote trail. Just plain weird one of those unsolved mysteries of the outdoors.

[AtlLaw]

Don't know how I missed this thread till now, Sorry Ben.   

Although the "He needed killin" defense has been used in some situations, it wouldn't fly here.     Personally, I think an anonomus horse whippin would be in order though.   

My experience with Jawja courts hasn't been that favorable when it comes to this type of offense though.  They don't seem to take it as serious as they do shoplifting from the local K-Mart... 

[mechanic]

Don't know how I missed this thread till now, Sorry Ben.   

Although the "He needed killin" defense has been used in some situations, it wouldn't fly here.     Personally, I think an anonomus horse whippin would be in order though.   

My experience with Jawja courts hasn't been that favorable when it comes to this type of offense though.  They don't seem to take it as serious as they do shoplifting from the local K-Mart... 

Good Lord! They will hang you for that!

[DaGris]

at least it was Kmart and not Walmart......not that would be serious!