Elk shot during season . . . recover and tag out of season?

[jgrimes]

Is this even an option?

[pd]

Let's see if I understand your question correctly.

Western Washington modern rifle elk season closes on November 15th (a Wednesday).  Let's say that you shot a legal elk (3 point or better in most cases...) just before dusk (legal shooting hours) on the last day of the season, but that you couldn't find him before nightfall.  Then, the next day (the season is closed at this point) you went in and searched and then found the animal.  Your question is: Is it legal to tag the animal? 

Of course it is.  However, I would call WDFW and speak with a game warden, just to let him know your intentions.  It might be a good idea to leave your rifle behind, too.  Just saying.

[jgrimes]

That is exactly my question. Just seems like a guy could get in a pinch. Just ran through my mind and wanted to see if anyone has ran into this kind of situation. Thanks pd.

[dreamunelk]

Let's see if I understand your question correctly.

Western Washington modern rifle elk season closes on November 15th (a Wednesday).  Let's say that you shot a legal elk (3 point or better in most cases...) just before dusk (legal shooting hours) on the last day of the season, but that you couldn't find him before nightfall.  Then, the next day (the season is closed at this point) you went in and searched and then found the animal.  Your question is: Is it legal to tag the animal? 

Of course it is.  However, I would call WDFW and speak with a game warden, just to let him know your intentions.  It might be a good idea to leave your rifle behind, too.  Just saying.

 

[jgrimes]

Ok . . . let's say that unfortunately a hunter shoots a bull and finds it after critters and heat have left no salvageable meat. Can the hunter remove the skull and, if possible, some evidence of sex and transport them?

[Bob33]

It is illegal to recover the elk anytime that your tag is not valid. It it illegal to take the skull unless you legally harvested and tagged the animal.

By all means contact a WDFW enforcement officer if this should ever happen. Contact him before you start your search. If you don't your odds of being cited are almost certain.

[grundy53]

It is illegal to recover the elk anytime that your tag is not valid. It it illegal to take the skull unless you legally harvested and tagged the animal.

By all means contact a WDFW enforcement officer if this should ever happen. Contact him before you start your search. If you don't your odds of being cited are almost certain.

You are probably right. But either way I would be recovering that animal. I owe it that much respect. It would make me sick to knowingly let it go to waste...

[Bob33]

It is illegal to recover the elk anytime that your tag is not valid. It it illegal to take the skull unless you legally harvested and tagged the animal.

By all means contact a WDFW enforcement officer if this should ever happen. Contact him before you start your search. If you don't your odds of being cited are almost certain.

You are probably right. But either way I would be recovering that animal. I owe it that much respect. It would make me sick to knowingly let it go to waste...

Good for you. Sometimes the right thing to do isn't legal. I would try to contact a WDFW officer first if possible
 
I mortally shot an elk once at dusk and tracked it in the dark with a flashlight and rifle. I found it and killed it by flashlight at 10:30 at night. Illegal but the right decision in my opinion.

[grundy53]

It is illegal to recover the elk anytime that your tag is not valid. It it illegal to take the skull unless you legally harvested and tagged the animal.

By all means contact a WDFW enforcement officer if this should ever happen. Contact him before you start your search. If you don't your odds of being cited are almost certain.

You are probably right. But either way I would be recovering that animal. I owe it that much respect. It would make me sick to knowingly let it go to waste...

Good for you. Sometimes the right thing to do isn't legal. I would try to contact a WDFW officer first if possible
 
I mortally shot an elk once at dusk and tracked it in the dark with a flashlight and rifle. I found it and killed it by flashlight at 10:30 at night. Illegal but the right decision in my opinion.

I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.

sent from my typewriter

[RockChuck]

I would like to think we all would do the same.

[pianoman9701]

That is exactly my question. Just seems like a guy could get in a pinch. Just ran through my mind and wanted to see if anyone has ran into this kind of situation. Thanks pd.

You'd be in a pinch if you didn't recover the animal.

[rtspring]

You recover the animal! Any gamie can tell if its a fresh kill or been 12 hours or so. I would find it tag it and let the whole deal play out.  We cant always call a gamie. Do the right thing...

[Tbar]

An open line of communication with the wdfw officer can go a long way in a situation like this. You may not get to keep the trophy, but you can avoid a court date.

[kalamasasquatch]

The exact same thing happened to me this year. (When I get home I will post pics and the story)I recovered my bull that I lost earlier in the season and threw my tag on him and packed it out. As long as its tagged and obviously not a fresh kill you're good. Mine was dead 11 days so it was safe to say mine wasn't poached.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Do the right thing, regardless of the law.  Laws aren't perfect and only cover a majority of situations and provide the expected results. if followed to the "T" you may end up doing the wrong thing. Leaving an animal to waste is something all hunters know is wrong,  do everything you can to find that animal and bring it home once you know it's been hit.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4

[boneaddict]

 

[bwhntr350]

Bowhunting back in 1983 and I shot a 5 point but, unfortunately, hit a limb before the bull. Arrow hit it right in the hind quarter. My Father and I tried to find the bull until dark and then we left. The following day it rained, a lot. We could never find any tracks, again so we looked blindly through the forest and gave up that night. It truly was a needle in a haystack.

 4 days later we ran into a guy that my Dad knew and he had found my bull, dead We took the head and I figured I had killed my bull so I tagged it.

 Two months later the local game warden pulled me aside at a local sportsman's show and told me thanks for tagging that bull as he would have hated to write me a ticket.

[Bob33]

The exact same thing happened to me this year. (When I get home I will post pics and the story)I recovered my bull that I lost earlier in the season and threw my tag on him and packed it out. As long as its tagged and obviously not a fresh kill you're good. Mine was dead 11 days so it was safe to say mine wasn't poached.

The problem with more than a day or two is this: who is to say you didn't kill the elk 11 days before the season, then wait and tag it during the season?

It is not legal to keep antlers with skull attached because poachers would illegally kill an animal, hide it, then retrieve the head and antlers after the season as "sheds".

Call the enforcement officer. If you don't have cell coverage make the call anyway. You can at least prove that you tried by looking at your call history. If you end up getting checked, it's far better to have notified someone first.

[kalamasasquatch]

Probably better advice than mine......... Better jump thru the hoops to be safe.

[Bob33]

If you retrieve an animal after the season is over, what date do you notch? If you notch a date after the season, you've essentially admitted to illegally harvesting an elk. If you notch it for a date earlier than when you retrieve it, you've lied and falsified the tag information, and that may have consequences as well.

You're best of action is to notify an enforcement officer before you find the animal.

[kalamasasquatch]

Mine was killed and recovered during the season, so i didnt notify anyone....... maybe I should have but little late now.

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

I've had this very scenerio happen.  Contacted fish and wildlife and it was a go.  They recomended that you just call them but u should expect a gamie to show up.