Retrieving deer from neighbors property

SD Hunter

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Feb 16, 2020
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Let’s say you shoot a deer and it runs 50 yards thru the trees onto the neighbors property. Are you going to call the neighbor and ask to go retrieve it or are just going to drag it back onto your side and not say anything to the neighbor. Myself I always prefer to talk to the neighbors first.
 
Depends on the neighbor and situation. Opening day of gun or any weekend and it's still hunting hours? Yeah I'm calling and likely waiting until after hours just so I don't ruin their hunt. We have a bunch of small parcels that aren't very wide that border one edge of our property. A well hit deer could still easily run across three of them. If the deer is hit well and I think I can get in and get out, I'll probably not call and just go get it after hunting hours. I wouldn't expect a call if they were in that boat themselves. If the deer wasn't hit well and it may take awhile, I'll call or knock on their doors to ask. As a general rule I just would do to them how I'd want to be treated if that situation were reversed. Worked well thus far.
 
All my neighbors text each night so we know where each other are hunting and not stacking on each other. If I’m going to have to track a deer, I’ll send a heads up text, but if it just on the other side of the line, none of us care and nobody needs to ask.

I actually had a doe that I thought was dead bump and run from me on Saturday. It ran to the neighbors cabin. He was there having lunch on his porch, saw the wounded doe and knew from where I was hunting and the sound of the shot that it was mine, shot it, and then texted me that the deer was in his yard and to come get it lol.
 
In the state of MN, you can go retrieve your animal with or without land owners permission.
 
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Depends. 90% I just go get it.

usually try to anchor them if its near a property line.

best to know yer naighbors.
 
In the state of MN, you can go retrieve your animal with or without land owners permission.
Yep if I can see the deer dead from the line or watched it fall I'm just going to go get it. If I have to track it it is a judgement call on how good I think I hit it or what I know about the neighbors. Any actually tracking I do without knowing 100% it is dead I like to have a weapon for a follow up so in MN I need permission.
 
I get permission from the neighbors before season and still give a heads up if I have to cross the line…. Except for the neighbor that I watched try to steal my trail camera screw that guy imma go get my deer
 
The area I hunt the property owner next too me and I have a agreement, go get the deer. I always stop and let him know what happened if that situation happens (not often), as I am fortunate there is no one else that hunts this area other than me. It is a polite issue and builds good hunter - owner relationship.
 
Yep if I can see the deer dead from the line or watched it fall I'm just going to go get it. If I have to track it it is a judgement call on how good I think I hit it or what I know about the neighbors. Any actually tracking I do without knowing 100% it is dead I like to have a weapon for a follow up so in MN I need permission.
good call on the follow up shot.
 
If I can SEE it, I'm just going to go drag it back onto my side. If I will have to look for it, I would call. In Iowa, we can cross boundaries as needed to recover wounded game.
 
I’ve had way too many people show up on my cameras and hunt over the line that I would just go and get it. Even after requesting that the neighbors stay out, they don’t. At this point I assume that if you’ve come on to my property without permission you’re OK with me doing the same. If they have a problem with it I’ll deal with it at that time.
 
Open field situation I'd drag it back. Wooded lot with the chance of another hunter in stand I'd talk to land owner first.
 
In the state of MN, you can go retrieve your animal with or without land owners permission.
I don't read the regs that you can universally retrieve your animal without permission.

"A person on foot may, without permission, enter land that is not posted to retrieve a wounded wild animal that was lawfully shot, but may not remain on the land after being told to leave."

In regards to the original question, I discuss it with neighbors before hand. If it were a new permission or public property in which I don't know the neighbors or haven't discussed it, it would be heavily dependent on the specific situation but I would abide by the regs quoted above. Long and short of it is I'd use common sense to try and avoid causing unneeded headaches for the landowner but if the Landowner is being unreasonable I'd take the legal measures possible to retrieve the game.

Buddy in MN arrowed a stud that ran onto a neighbors this fall. They gave him a 1 hr allotment to look for it and then told him he had to be gone. He didn't find it.
 
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Illegal here in MD. Buddy of mine used to hunt a farm adjacent to a large horse operation. One year he shot a P&Y buck that ended up dead on the neighbor's horse property, who was a real a-hole. After refusing permission for my buddy to retrieve it, the neighbor went and found it himself, took a backhoe and buried the whole deer...meat, hide and the 160ish head. Buddy spoke to DNR, who advised there was nothing to be done about it and the landowner had every right to do what the did. Really sucked but that's the law.

Best to have these things worked out ahead of time. I've made it a point to meet with, exchange numbers, and have an understanding of things worked out with the neighbors on all the pieces I hunt. To me the good feeling of knowing everyone is on the same page and respecting each other would far outweigh that feeling of "sneaking" onto another property. Plus if a deer crosses the line during prime hunting hours, I certainly don't want to go traipsing through someone else's area pursuing it right then and ruining their hunt, as I wouldn't want them doing it to me. Contact them and retrieve it when it works with both sides.
 
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