so last bow season I shot an 8 pt. long story short after 3 weekends of looking for the deer I never found it, which to this day I am still sick about it. The deer was not a monster deer, but the biggest I have ever shot at. I was told a while back that a guy in the hunt club found the deer while rabbit hunting with his son and grandson. This weekend was the first time I saw him and asked him about it. I don't know the old fellow very well and he is generally liked by all in the club from what I can see, only been there 3 years. He is rather quiet guy and did not deny the fact they found the deer. He then told me they let his 8 yr old grandson keep the antlers since he was there with them and basically said yep your not getting them. I then asked him if he could atleast bring them in just so I could see them... He hesitated for a second and said yeah I think I could do that. I said thanks and walked away. Now... if it were me and I found a deer and somebody asked about it, its a no brainer that I would be more than happy to give them to the rightful shooter. But obviously he is not me. I do think it is awesome the 8 yr old was there to find the deer and im sure he was pumped up. And if he wouldn't have said anything about his grandson I would have been kind of pissed because I really thought he was going to say sure ill bring it in for you. Soooo.... am I wrong about being a little mad at this situation? I am going to bring a pretty 10pt rack that I also found a few years ago this weekend. When he brings the rack im going to offer to just trade. It would be cool to get atleast the rack from the 8 pt I shot to kind of close the book because I was sick not finding it. The guy, nor his grandson, killed either of the two deer that had this antlers so im wouldn't think it mattered. But if he doesn't say yes to that im kinda scared im going to take it the wrong way.
Do you think once you see it, you will know without a doubt that it was the deer you shot? Also, how far away did he find it? I don't know, that's a tough one...I'm like you though I'd be giving it back.
i had that happen to me before. i shot a deer and tracked as far as i could, around 300 yards is where i saw the last speck of blood. after 3 straight days of trying to track and burning all the leave i could afford (the hunt area was 6 hours drive from the base), i had to give up. a couple of weeks later, some friends of my friend found what they described to be my deer, which they even admitted probably was my deer, but decided that "finders keepers" was the rule they wanted to play by. definitely disappointed and mad, but couldn't do anything about it.
If my kid found it I'd let him keep it, unless another kid shot it or it was someone else's first buck, especially if it was killed that long ago
That's a tough one for sure. Think it's going to come down to who becomes the bigger man. Had you found it last year you would have tagged it and kept it. Once the tag expired it would almost seem the rights to it would as well. I'm just thinking out loud from both sides of it, never really heard of a situation like this. On the other hand, he and his grandson have no sentimental value to it and if it's just a head they want, you have a cooler one with more points. Hopefully it becomes a moot point and it ends up not being the one you shot and both sides end up with what they had before. Good luck either way
I would be pretty disappointed about that. Bringing another set of horns with you and offering to trade is a great idea though. Goodluck and hopefully now that the old man has time to think about it, he will realize and make the right decision.
There is no doubt it is the deer, I told him exactly where I was and about the area they should have found it.... when it was found one of the old guys I know that saw him that day and showed it and explained where it was... I was told it was about 100 yards in a cutover from where my stand is. I told him what the deer looked like, not real wide but nearly just as tall... And he confirmed that it was a deer than was in the 15" wide range and about 13" tall I think he said?? If I didn't know 100% that it wasn't mine and it was dealing with the bow not sure I would be so worked up. The whole thing with the grandson is the kicker... 8 yr old was there and im sure excited about it. But im going to offer him the rack of a 10pt that is very similar, and a very pretty rack. They didn't kill either so in my mind it really doesn't matter.
Im really doubting that is the case... honestly his attitude was more a F- you attitude... but he is a more quiet and reserved old guy so im not sure what to take from the conversation we had. im just scared that I will not being able to take him saying no and the conversation end without me saying something kind of rude, which I don't want to do and start any ill feelings either way.
You shot it and lost it, let the kid have it and get over it, it's just a set of antlers. They'll be other antlers, they're easier to come by than bad blood is to air out of a situation like that. Someone needs to man up, might as well be you, your chance to find it came and went. I agree I would have been happy to have given it back to the hunter but if the old man wants to be an asshat about it then that's that.
I pretty much agree with Covey. You took a shot on a deer and didnt recover it, in failing to recover in my book your "claim" is over. The grandfather and grandson enjoying a trip in the outdoors finds a deadhead someone failed to harvest making a memory that may mean just as much to them as you. Not recovering a hit deer is a failure to me, not sure I'd want the antlers myself to one I couldn't seal the deal on. For the record I have found dead heads and given them to the hunter that hit it, but I had no sentimental value to it. If I was out for the first time with a young kid, that probably would change. You should get over it and move on.
I guess if I wounded and lost a buck, I wouldn't expect to get it back if someone else found it. The 8 year old kid will probably remember his great find with his granddad and dad forever. That to me means much more and I wouldn't take it back if offered. I would be happy just knowing where the buck was found and the closure of it. Tim
Also you've got to keep in mind... for them to give it back... means someone has to be the bad guy and break the little guys heart if the rack does mean a lot to him. I know I wouldn't want to be that guy. Pretty sure his granddad doesn't either and might explain his attitude with you. The kid did no wrong by finding it. Be the bigger man and let this one go. No rack is worth that. Tim
I would do as you plan and offer him the other rack. If the kid is cool with it, that would be great. If not, just let it go. I definitely don't think it's worth starting anything over.
Yes i agree there is no need for it to end with any ill feeling one way or another. And yes since i did not find i agree i have no claim to it, but regardless would still be nice to close the book on it and glad that the youngster was able to have some excitement finding it if it wasnt me. Again i really didnt even consider the fact that he would offer them to me, would have been a no brainer if roles reversed... The 10 pt i found a few years ago i actually called the 2 guys that run the hunt club to see if they knew who had shot it, but to each their own.
Yeah, I'd say it's the kids now. I'm sure the old man has some good memories about that day and want's to hold on to them, as well as his grandchild. Thank about it. many years from now after the Old man dies, this 8 year old boy will be a man and every time he looks at this rack he will remember his Grandpa. I'm not saying I wouldn't be disappointed, but I think you're doing the right thing. However, I feel an *** should be treated like an ***. So you're completely in the right if you get a little hostile with this man.
If it was me I would drop the whole non-issue. Dead heads are cool to find but when I do I just hang then in a big old tree in the yard and that's it. If it means enough to the kid and old man I wouldn't worry about it. You'll shoot more deer and hopefully the next one will be bigger and recovered. As far as closing the book on this one, it's closed the deer died and was eventually found by an 8 year old boy and his grandfather. You don't dont need the rack in your possession to know how the story ended.
I have an 8 year old who LOVES going out to the woods with his grandpa and looking for "Treasures". He keeps all of the cool stuff they find. His main love are the sheds. He keeps them in his room on a shelf and goes through them once-in-a-while. He can tell you where each one came from and what happened that day. I would say man up and let the kid have the antlers. Be the adult and let the kid keep memories of the time he got to spend with his grandpa. Grandpas don't last forever, but the memories will. I'm not trying to be rude I just think this is an easy call.
You may say it means nothing to them as they didn't shoot it, but is a memory for them. Just like shed hunting beginning of the year. Take a picture, at least you got to see it and it's no longer unknown what happened.
This long after, I'd want to see it and then let them keep it. I'd be more likely to ask for it if it was week or month later. At this point I feel like it belongs to the kid.
