Poacher help

[Levipowell]

Hey guys. I was wondering if you could help me out with a situation I have. I'd been scouting this buck out for the last few years. Hunting season starts on September 1st where I’m at and at the end of august I stopped getting any deer on camera. I thought it was odd because I usually get at least 8 or so coming through each day. After around two weeks of not having a single deer on camera, I knew something was wrong. On September 10th, I went out and walk around a bit. A little backstory: I was hunting in a public land area where the only way to get out of city limits (where archery hunting was legal) was to enter the forest in the city limits. I had my trail camera placed on the line that connects the public property with private property and knew that there was a hunter hunting on his property for the same deer I was after. The area I’m hunting is bow only. Back to the story: I was walking to my camera and hadn’t exited city limits. I had with me my Labrador and ended up downwind from the other hunter’s property. My dog suddenly smelled something and started going frantic. She ran off to the property line and I followed. When I arrived at where she was, she had crossed the property line by around 20 feet and was rolling in what looked like a dead animal. At closer inspection, I realized it was the 7x5 blacktail I had been after the past few years. It looked like it had been there for a while. The last photo I have of him was taken on August 15th. He didn’t have any meat on him, but he still had an outer layer of skin. At first, I thought he may have died of natural causes but after looking closer, I noticed a hole right behind the shoulder. To me, it looked nothing like an arrow hole. It looks like a bullet hole, but I need your advice. To my knowledge, the other hunter has a stand around 50 yards from where I found the deer. I’m thinking that the deer was shot in city limits. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve reported it to game wardens, and they haven’t returned any of my repeated calls, emails, or reports.
Final questions:
Based on how he looks and the fact that this picture was taken on September 12th while hunting season started on September 1st, do you think he was taken in season?
Do you think he was taken with a bow or rifle/some type of gun?
 Any other feedback is much appreciated. Thanks for reading,
-Levi

[Born2late]

here is my observations and/or advice
It would be hard to say who shot him.I'd be careful to not point fingers.
Does look like a bullet hole or a field point hole.
The animal is hard horned and brown so when ever the deer in your area get that way would give you a approximate date of when he was last alive.
I pretty sure you would have to leave the head there also unless the warden gave you permission to take it to turn over to them.
Bummer to see a deer get wasted. hopefully some of his kids will show up there for you to hunt.

[Tbar]

Did the warden take the antlers?

[harveymarv]

in general, poachers don't leave racks like that laying on the ground...

[MADMAX]

Did the warden take the antlers?

If it was me
Id be nuking this post

nice rack

You do know taking the skull is illegal , right ?

[trophyhunt]

Did the warden take the antlers?

If it was me
Id be nuking this post

nice rack

You do know taking the skull is illegal , right ?

I'll add, I'd take the rack in a second, just wouldn't post about it.  I've caught poachers red handed, tons of evidence, even a found a bullet from the animal during archery season and NOTHING came out of it.  Just nuke the thread and get that skull mounted with a cape someday!!

[fishngamereaper]

Did the warden take the antlers?

If it was me
Id be nuking this post

nice rack

You do know taking the skull is illegal , right ?

 

Call it a day. File a road kill salvage permit.
Gamie won't investigate it. No proof of wrong doing, private property....Move on.

[RobinHoodlum]

Besides possession of the deadhead, seems like you're also admitting to trespass here. Sucks to see him shot and lost or left.
Strange (but not surprising) that enforcement hasn't been responsive. However, if you're contacting them in January for something that happened last September, that's a low probability case - thus the lack of interest. Like madmax said, you might consider dropping the whole thing and deleting this post.

[LDennis24]

 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Delete post.
.
Remember, it is not the criminal they are after, it's a conviction.
.
Only evidence is you.

[millerwheeler]

So , you trespassed to get to the deer itself ?  I wouldn’t point fingers as u don’t know , delete the thread lots of  taddle tails on hunt wa

[Tbar]

So , you trespassed to get to the deer itself ?  I wouldn’t point fingers as u don’t know , delete the thread lots of  taddle tails on hunt wa

What's the thread about? What's the OP claiming as well as looking for?  The title says poacher help with little evidence of such other than the appearance of a hole, a stretch.  Excellent advice for the op.

[dreadi]

Dog rolling in a dead animal carcass? First thing I think of is anthrax.


BLACK HAMMER ARMS
Type 07 Class 2 NFA Dealer
http://www.blackhammerarms.com
https://www.Silencershop.com/blackhammerarms
http://www.facebook.com/blackhammerarms
https://www.instagram.com/blackhammerarms
GLOCK Certified Armourer

[h2ofowlr]

Probably a few folks going after those Sudden Valley monsters.

[Ghost Hunter]

Very nice buck.  Shame to find it that way.  Show it the respect it deserves. 

[meatwhack]

This is a train wreck.

[Rainier10]

Looking at past posts I believe we have a youth hunter here who may have made a mistake.

Levi I would wait to hear back from the WDFW before I did anything else.

[Levipowell]

I knew I had to get a permit, but the officer never replied to me. (I contacted him when the event happened, and have continued to do so to this day. Because he didnt reply, I filed a salvage permit. It was the closest thing to what I thought I needed  https://wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/roadkill-salvage

[The scout]

Well he’ll probably get in contact with you now..

[h20hunter]

The permit applies per the link to animals killed by motor vehicles......I don't think a salvage permit helps in this situation.

[Rainier10]

I am not sure I would do or say anything more until you hear from WDFW.

[Widgeondeke]

In theory the buck was hit by this car below and made it to where you found him. 
Not poached or shot by a hunter 

Salvage permit is good now