how to prove a stolen animal is yours

[headshot5]

Just carry a camera.  I'm pretty sure if you have pictures of your animal with your weapon of choice, or with yourself in the picture that would work pretty good.  Might want to take pictures of animals characteristics (antlers specifically). 

I figure a pocketful of dimes would make an awful lot of noise but makes it easier to hear the warden coming  

Overall there is no guarantee that the animal/animals head will be where you left it special mark on it or not.  I am  going to laugh when the person, who takes an animal from you puts their own slit/special mark in it, and fills its head with coins.  Then it comes down to "their word against your's" sort of a deal.   

Overall the best bet would be to bug the animal with a gps tracking device but that really isn't feasible.  Best trick for now is have a hunting partner watch it for you.  Or the grenade trick.

[spikehunter]

with my knife i carve my initials in one of the hooves. 

[Hangfire]

From some older hunters I have known, apparently during the late 40's, 50"s and 60'6 elk theft was quite common in the Blues. There seemed to be some groups of people that when they heard shooting, or saw a elk go down, it was a foot race to the elk. I knew people that had elk stolen from the kill site and from their camp. Some of these people would put their elk tag in the troat and then if stolen wait at the check station. I had one long gone game protector, tell me, elk were recovered after finding the tag in the throat. I worked one summer fighting forest fires. One fire warden I worked with was about 5'5". Fred was about 60 but all man. Freds pardner shot a cow and a group of 4 guys ran to the elk and said it was there's. Fred chambered a round and said you will die here then, and he ment it.  They got the elk back.

[sakoshooter]

I herd about cutting the tounge off and keeping it to match teh carcus.

Been doin it for many years. First thing. Put it in a zip-loc bag in my pack. Never had a problem but it's insurance. Learned it from my dad and grandpa. The sometimes put a penny or dime between the deer's teeth and closed their mouth. Rigormortis kept it the mouth closed.

[quadrafire]

I am going to start carrying a microchip kit

[sisu]

I herd about cutting the tongue off and keeping it to match the carcass.

Funny you bring up the tongue, years ago when I was 15 or 16 I dumped a bull about 1/2 mile from camp. It was right at the end of the road we were camped on. With plenty of guys around and me needing help, I pulled the tounge out and cut it off then closed the mouth and went for help. My old man was peeved that I left the bull, then I pulled the tounge out of my pocket. He dang near crapped himself, I said let them explain how I have the tounge and they have the animal.     got back to the bull and my Old Man ended up knowing the guys and they helped us get it to the truck and loaded.

I had a female science teacher that put a moose eyeball in my coat pocket just before I was going thru the scanner at Anchorage airport. I was busy cleaning my pockets out when I pulled this eyeball out! Needless to say I palmed it and walked thru, showed the wife and kids what Leslie did to me. Funny but just think what TSA would of done...bend over fella

[quadrafire]

 

[huntnnw]

I knew a guy who had a elk stolen..some guys were packing it out..he called game dept..they showed up and said I can prove this is my elk..check in its mouth..my elk call is in there..it was 

[Kowsrule30]

It was modern elk season 2000 or so.... Spike hunting... Saw these two guys across the canyon I wanted to run about a mile away.... I posted up figure I'd bird dog em... Watching with my binos and spotted this elk alone.... I couldn't make out spikes and figured they'd see it anyway.... A shot rang out down canyon... And another... Elk goes running up the hill toward the two hunters.... They finally see it.... Don't think it was anywhere near 400yds of them.... They unload... Elk still running right toward me.... By the time it's 200yds from me I can tell it's a spike quartering away....... At a dead run and they unload again.... These have to be 800-1000 yard shots..... I lead for an opening in the timber before his nose got there I squeezed the 243.... It was a 158yds slightly quartered away.... I follow the massive blood trail and find the bull 150yds into the black timber. I gut him which I had to tie him off on the steep hillside... One bullet took out the top of his heart and both lungs.... Mine, the little 243 100 gr Hornady was in the opposite shoulder.... I book the 2 1/2 miles back to camp to get my Dad and pack frames... Booked backed leaving the rifle.... Dad and I interupted 3 guy's just starting to quarter up my elk.... We were out numbered and out gunned... So they thought... We argured for about 15 minutes until I finally pulled out the Glock and let one fly.. All the shooting and noise drew some attention... 4 guys and one lady came up behind us and they thought they were with us... Thank the elk god for that... Then I showed everbody my tag zip tied to the bottom of it's tongue... That's when I switched to ml...

[Kowsrule30]

O and while skinning we found one guy did hit it just in front of the rear legs in that little flap while the elk was at full tilt.... Clean pass threw not a drop of blood....

[h20hunter]

"We argured for about 15 minutes until I finally pulled out the Glock and let one fly"


Sorry, not worth it.

[Kowsrule30]

"We argured for about 15 minutes until I finally pulled out the Glock and let one fly"


Sorry, not worth it.

Don't be sorry... It was very worth it..... Cut the story short... The typing screen kept cutting me off.... When a guy goes for his gun my hand thinks fast.....

[h20hunter]

Understood.

[turkeyfeather]

I guess I will never get it. Why would you steal someone else's animal? Are you that gutless, a terrible hunter, what? To me the best part of hunting is the chase and the story you get to share with your buddies. 

[huntnnw]

I too have never understood this mentality or met or had any friends who stoop to this level...whats funny is I bet there are plenty of so called hunters on this site that some of these stories were wrote about or have done themselves