Hunting Washington Forum
Other Activities => Shed Hunting => Topic started by: BuckHunter23 on November 15, 2009, 08:04:07 PM
-
I was asked to revise this post.
What are the rules about sheds and skulls with antlers attached, when the find is during the hunting season (if that even matters)?
My brother and I were hunting for elk this past weekend and while out on his hike he came across an awesome find. He found an elk skull with 4x4 horns still attached. There were no other bones or hide near by. The skull was laying next to a creek about 200 yds off the road, up in some thick timber. It looks like it had been dead for a while, since the skull was a yellowish/brown, and it had been picked clean, with the exception of a little fatty tissue at the base of the antlers.. My guess is an archery kill that wasn't found...but odd that there were no othe parts of the animal nearby.
Your thoughts...what should we have done? Would you have kept it?
-
Definitely illegal! :bash:
-
Only NATURALLY SHED antlers may be kept.
-
Unfortunately, not legal to keep...
-
Yup. The law is in place to keep unethical folks that might pop a big buck or bull and then return later and say they "found" it. I won't argue with the validity of the law...but that's why it's there. Just as they say, "A few bad apples will spoil the barrel."
-
Might not be legal, but sure would be hard not to keep them!! I would of kept them!
-
So is he supposed to go put it back and wait for the antlers to fall off the skull to take it home? I think I would call a gamey and get clarification. You did nothing wrong and it is just going to fall apart laying in the woods. Maybe they will let you keep it.
-
Yup. The law is in place to keep unethical folks that might pop a big buck or bull and then return later and say they "found" it. I won't argue with the validity of the law...but that's why it's there. Just as they say, "A few bad apples will spoil the barrel."
Now that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. Looks like it has to go back. ;)
-
That is a great find and not very many people will ever find anything like that! If you dont take it, someone will!
-
Should have left it like everyone else would of. :rolleyes: By the way, cool find!
-
So is he supposed to go put it back and wait for the antlers to fall off the skull to take it home? I think I would call a gamey and get clarification. You did nothing wrong and it is just going to fall apart laying in the woods. Maybe they will let you keep it.
By law, he's not supposed to keep it at all. However, it would be tough to leave it as it lay...but that's the law.
-
Yup. The law is in place to keep unethical folks that might pop a big buck or bull and then return later and say they "found" it. I won't argue with the validity of the law...but that's why it's there. Just as they say, "A few bad apples will spoil the barrel."
well said
-
Kind of a B.S. law if you ask me. If someone is willing to shoot a buck or bull out of season or without a tag, do you really thing a law against picking up a skull is going to stop them. :twocents:
-
Mount them. How many gamies have something like that, that they have "found" in their homes..
Hunterman(Tony)
-
you have now posted photo-proof of you breaking the law on the internet and provided the gamies with your email address and other info so they can track you down.
dumb law, agreed...but you may want to reconsider posting your story and pics on a website frequented by game wardens.
-
you have now posted photo-proof of you breaking the law on the internet and provided the gamies with your email address and other info so they can track you down.
dumb law, agreed...but you may want to reconsider posting your story and pics on a website frequented by game wardens.
I was going to say the same thing my friend. Not wise to post proof on a public forum.
-
you have now posted photo-proof of you breaking the law on the internet and provided the gamies with your email address and other info so they can track you down.
dumb law, agreed...but you may want to reconsider posting your story and pics on a website frequented by game wardens.
I was going to say the same thing my friend. Not wise to post proof on a public forum.
I wouldn't worry about a game warden doing anything about this. If this is the kind of stuff they are worried about we don't need any game warden's.
-
worry about it or don't worry about it is up to you. there was a guy on here who posted a kill shot video off of one of those stabilizer bow video cameras and the gameys got a hold off him too...i don't think he got cited for it, but they did have a talk about it.
again, i think it's a bum law, but it is a law.
-
So is he supposed to go put it back and wait for the antlers to fall off the skull to take it home? I think I would call a gamey and get clarification. You did nothing wrong and it is just going to fall apart laying in the woods. Maybe they will let you keep it.
The antlers will never fall off unless the skull rots.
If you picked it up already , I see nothing unethical about keeping a "treasure" ......now if it was a huge rack there might be some suspicion.......
-
Break the skull off around the base of the antlers. Problem solved :chuckle:
-
Break the skull off around the base of the antlers. Problem solved :chuckle:
Be carefull with this also, laws states "Naturally shed" not broken off or with any portion of the skull attached.
Dumb a*$ law..
-
Unfortunately you have to leave them.
-
I picked a skull up many of years ago in the Entiat. A few years ago it fell off the trellis. Horns popped off like perfect sheds. You couldn't tell they weren't sheds. Worked out good for me. Also, I've seen them kicked off in perfect shed form........anyone want to comment?
-
I picked a skull up many of years ago in the Entiat. A few years ago it fell off the trellis. Horns popped off like perfect sheds. You couldn't tell they weren't sheds. Worked out good for me. Also, I've seen them kicked off in perfect shed form........anyone want to comment?
Gee congratulations, you broke the law and got away with it so far. That good enough of a comment????
-
All of our laws are set up around attempting to prevent crimanals from illigal activity. Yet the criminals still partake in illeagal activities anyway while the law abiding citizens get kicked in the junk. Welcome to America my freind. :dunno:
-
I picked a skull up many of years ago in the Entiat. A few years ago it fell off the trellis. Horns popped off like perfect sheds. You couldn't tell they weren't sheds. Worked out good for me. Also, I've seen them kicked off in perfect shed form........anyone want to comment?
I have a 5X7 Elk skull in my yard, been with me for 20 years, you wanna come over and kick it ?
Or my 4X4 Mulie ?
Or my 2x2 mulie ?
Or step on my whitetail spike skull ?
Depending on time of year that the animal died would have an influence on whether or not they would come off.
An animal that died during Sept would probably not lose them......"anyone want to comment ?" WTF?
-
Not sure on Idaho law, but the wife of a friend of mine found a huge, I mean huge bull elk skull while hiking outside of Priest River years ago. It may help that she works for the forest service, but she has shown it off with no law issues; but like I said Idaho :dunno: I have come across some spikes and little forkies before, not quite trophy materials and I figured I would leave them for the squirrels and rodents to chew on. Circle of life I guess.
-
Man that law sucks, I have found one Really nice 4 point skull, a decent two point, and a decent 3 by 4. Sucks we can't take them.
-
I have a 5X7 Elk skull in my yard, been with me for 20 years, you wanna come over and kick it ?
Or my 4X4 Mulie ?
Or my 2x2 mulie ?
Or step on my whitetail spike skull ?
Depending on time of year that the animal died would have an influence on whether or not they would come off.
An animal that died during Sept would probably not lose them......"anyone want to comment ?" WTF?
[/quote
]Damn. What's your deal? Was hoping the guy who kicked the horns off that buck in late February would comment, as he's a frequent member and had the idea before me!
Dugan, post that pic from the other day of that dandy roadkill that had to be left, only for someone else to cut the antlers off. >:( >:( >:(
-
No deal with me, I just thought that post was a little.......agressive, so I responded with sarcasm. :sas: but really I have skulls that have been outside in the weather for a long time and there is not any separation from the skull at all, BUT they fall off of live animals every year.........makes ya think.....
-
Was hoping the guy who kicked the horns off that buck in late February would comment
-
:peep:
-
Here is the pic of the roadkill that I could have got but did not want to break the law. It was there at 2pm and gone by 5pm.
-
Thats why i carry a battery powered sawzall in my truck.. :chuckle: :peep:
-
I picked a skull up many of years ago in the Entiat. A few years ago it fell off the trellis. Horns popped off like perfect sheds. You couldn't tell they weren't sheds. Worked out good for me. Also, I've seen them kicked off in perfect shed form........anyone want to comment?
I have a 5X7 Elk skull in my yard, been with me for 20 years, you wanna come over and kick it ?
Or my 4X4 Mulie ?
Or my 2x2 mulie ?
Or step on my whitetail spike skull ?
Depending on time of year that the animal died would have an influence on whether or not they would come off.
An animal that died during Sept would probably not lose them......"anyone want to comment ?" WTF?
Probably pretty rare but I spotted a dead head in February a few years back. Picked it up to admire(I was going to leave it of course) and plunk.... right side popped off right in my hand!!!! So I though what the heck, pulled on the other side and no go. Smacked it on the ground a few times and plunk off it came too, a little rougher though.
:dunno: Odd but true!!
-
i would have takin them :twocents:
-
give em a kick!! what is wrong with that a nice set of sheds! :IBCOOL: sure makes the guy who found the head a left it first mad!
-
The key being FEBRUARY
-
yea!! ya gotta use yer head yer not gonna make a horn fall off by kickin it if you find it fresh dead in oct or nov!!!
-
Thanks WARPONY for finally commenting on your soccer skills........in Ferbuary! ;)
-
Not sure on Idaho law, but the wife of a friend of mine found a huge, I mean huge bull elk skull while hiking outside of Priest River years ago. It may help that she works for the forest service, but she has shown it off with no law issues; but like I said Idaho :dunno: I have come across some spikes and little forkies before, not quite trophy materials and I figured I would leave them for the squirrels and rodents to chew on. Circle of life I guess.
perfectly legal in idaho to pick up any animal that died of natural causes, road kill still does not fit that bill
-
You're right Andrew, and a good friend of mine there has found 2 (suspected) wolf kills with very impressive racks this year. One elk and one WTail. Nice thing is, he could pick them up.
-
how do you explain all the skulls we have laying around the house or in the garage? Do you all keep tags with them? I surely dont have a tag on every head in my garage.
-
yes by the letter of the law it is illeagal, that being said, a gentleman i know (if you believe any "gentlemen" would admit to knowing me) found a nice 5x4 whitetail skeleton this year, pulled the head and loaded it up to go home, got stopped by usfs law enforcement, was told he wasnt supposed to be doing that, but was sent on his way with the skull :dunno:
-
Unfortunately the laws in this state are pretty clear on this. Dead animals must be left to lay where they are and may not be kept. Even winter kill animals with obvious signs that it was not taken recently must be discarded.
I know that most of us are law abiding citizens and would never poach an animal only to return later to claim our prize but it's obvious that these laws exist for some reason so it's a pretty good bet that Simone somewhere sometime ago shot a critter left it and returned later to claim it.
That sucks.
-
how do you explain all the skulls we have laying around the house or in the garage? Do you all keep tags with them? I surely dont have a tag on every head in my garage.
Tags are to be kept with the largest portion of meat remaining--not the hides/skull.
-
I picked this one up in Idaho last year. I left it and found a warden...showed him the pics, presumed it was winterkill as it was intact and where it was and then got the OK to go back and get it.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv47%2Fboneaddict%2Fantlersidaho.jpg&hash=ba7c5c695ca280263e3af5459e0be98ed01baa91)
-
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv47%2Fboneaddict%2Fidahobone.jpg&hash=63fa7ac276ae9e2e278bd09c4eeffa0855156881).
-
Look at the back tine on that thing. :yike: . Nice find Bone.
-
He has alot of moss too which I love. I can't believe he tried to winter where he was. HOLY MOLY
-
Unfortunately the laws in this state are pretty clear on this. Dead animals must be left to lay where they are and may not be kept. Even winter kill animals with obvious signs that it was not taken recently must be discarded.
I know that most of us are law abiding citizens and would never poach an animal only to return later to claim our prize but it's obvious that these laws exist for some reason so it's a pretty good bet that Simone somewhere sometime ago shot a critter left it and returned later to claim it.
That sucks.
that is exactly why these types of laws exist a guy did exactly that in colorado several years ago, he would go out and shoot muley bucks during the late elk seasons and then hang the heads in the trees until spring go back and get the skulls and claim them as winter kills exactly why laws like this are in place
-
THere are exceptions to this law. You can notify the WDFW with either phot evidence or give them the GPS and they may give you permission to obtian the skull. You risk them taking it, but that is one legal way to keep it. I know a gal who got to keep a sheep skull she found last spring. I thought no way, but they ok'd it. She left it in the field like a good citizen. Of course she risked someone less law abiding taking it, but now its legally hers.
NM operates the same way.
-
Glad you got the skull bone! You deserved it. This law hurts us law obiding hunters, yet prevents the culls from whacking several nice bucks in the winter and picking up their horns in the spring. It used to be amazing how the same people would keep finding these huge winterkills every year... >:(
-
I frequently hunt for chantrelles in an undisclosed forest and came across a very obviously long dead 5x5 elk skull... the thing is green and nibbled on... This is before I considered or thought about taking up bow hunting. I had no second thoughts about bringing my treasure home and it has been posted on my garage ever since.
-
that one bone found is cool.
-
i found a 2x5 double droptine (2pt on one side, and 5pt on the other with 2 droptines) blacktail skeleton quite a few years ago. my uncle wouldnt let me take the skull cause it was all smelly and gross (it would have been in the bed of his truck, heaven forbid that). this was well before i knew about the laws regarding taking a skull with antlers.
anyway i left it sitting on the stump next to the pull off, and was gonna have my dad meet up with me so i can take it home. as we pulled away some guy pulled up and grabbed it. my uncle wouldnt stop and let me hide it...he is a jerk.
it was the most heart breaking day to watch someone else take it. and i know i will never ever see anything like that again.
-
Well at least you can sleep well at night knowing you did the right thing and didn't break the law, I bet the guy that grabbed it can't sleep at all. :rolleyes:
-
Well at least you can sleep well at night knowing you did the right thing and didn't break the law, I bet the guy that grabbed it can't sleep at all. :rolleyes:
LOL, I am sure!
-
I have found a couple muley skulls with horns attached that had died from unknown causes (they were not connected to the body) and I took them. They were close to a year old or so and in one case there were some bones around the site. I know several wardens and under the circumstances of these two finds I don't believe they would give a hoot. I know one warden who has a trophy bull and buck in his house and he never shot them. Road kills are a different story, when you have to cut the horns off the skull or head off the spine that's wrong.
But when you find a skull and horns from an animal that has been dead long enough that predator's have separated the body parts and the meat and hair are non-exsistant, that's a lucky find :)
-
i left a nice 4x4 mule deer skull in the woods this last bear season. i cant break the game laws myself and then bitch about people breaking game laws. i think its called integrity. :dunno:
-
iv found a few and iv taken 2, one nice 4pt muley and a little brush rack 5pt elk. both all bleached out with moss growing on them. i havent lost one ounce of sleep over it and they both cleaned up great!
-
I have a question, what about Doe or Cow skulls, or bear, cougar etc?
I am at work and do not have the law in front of me so any insite??
-
no skulls period. that's how it reads. I'm curious to you guys that roll your eyes and say well i took it any way, how do you decide what game laws you will follow and what ones you will break? i may not agree with it but its a regulation that is in place.
-
Thanks, littlebuf..
I did find a domestic cat skull out pheasant hunting once, and yes i kept it.
-
hhmmm.. i wonder if anyone will answer my question?
-
I found this skull a couple years ago while elk hunting in Montana. I showed it to one of the local gamies and he said it was illegal to pick them up but since it was so weathered and had no trophy value he said I could keep it. I brought it home so that when I ever get that cougar, I can have a full mount of the cat and the skull on the rocks laying next to it.
I have found several deer, some with pretty nice racks like in post #21 and this one below, all of which had to be left. The bummer is I am sure someone else picked them up. :bash:
-
yeah it sucks leaving a nice skull behind knowing the next guy is going to take it. but as the saying goes integrity is measured by what you do when no one is looking
-
boy this one shut down fast after i asked that question. you guys must have a way to decide what game laws you will follow, i just want to hear them thats all
-
no skulls period. that's how it reads. I'm curious to you guys that roll your eyes and say well i took it any way, how do you decide what game laws you will follow and what ones you will break? i may not agree with it but its a regulation that is in place.
i don't sit around and think about breaking game laws or how i can get around certain laws or whatever, in fact i can't think of another instance where iv ever broken a game law? even so, im sure you've rolled through a stop sign a few times, or maybe won some money at a casino and not reported it on your tax forms. ever got a speeding ticket? i bet you still speed... get what im sayin? its not like poaching or even cutting the horns of road kill (which i doubt i would do) or off a a fresh cougar kill. IM talking about a year or 2 old broken up skull with bleached out moss covered antlers. is it against the 'law'? sure. am i a criminal? hell no. no more than anyone who's not come to a complete stop at a stop sign. thats how i feel anyways. now if it were a big horn sheep... maaaaaaaaaybe a different story. :chuckle:
-
sorry i don't equate 4 way stops to wildlife management or associated game regulations. i drive because i have to to get around, i hunt because i couldn't live with out it. ones a passion ones a necessity. no matter how many people do the "California stop" we will still be able to drive. our hunting privileges are under attack constantly. if you don't like a game reg get active in changing it somehow, if your that passionate about those skulls you find leave them there and get going on changing the reg. oops theres that integrity again :dunno:
-
Well at least you can sleep well at night knowing you did the right thing and didn't break the law, I bet the guy that grabbed it can't sleep at all. :rolleyes:
:chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
-
sorry i don't equate 4 way stops to wildlife management or associated game regulations. i drive because i have to to get around, i hunt because i couldn't live with out it. ones a passion ones a necessity. no matter how many people do the "California stop" we will still be able to drive. our hunting privileges are under attack constantly. if you don't like a game reg get active in changing it somehow, if your that passionate about those skulls you find leave them there and get going on changing the reg. oops theres that integrity again :dunno:
im not passionate enough about em to give a damn one way or another, they're just some old skulls with horns and i just chose to take the 2 nice ones i found, so be it. taking a 2 year old skull outa the woods off public land whether its a law not has nothing to do with integrity. i pick up my fair share of garbage and old shotgun hulls, i pack out what i pack in, i take the time to make ethical one shot kills and i take every last scrap of meat. i got plenty of integrity to go around. get off your high horse. or don't, whatever.
-
I've never taken any skulls home. That said Just cause its against the law doesn't make it wrong. And just because it's legal doesn't mean you should screw some one over. :twocents: The state enforces the "Spirit" of the law, or at least it used to. I think that discretion from cops, gamies, & others has turned into an A$$ covering session to protect themselves. Not that i can blame them when they get little cover from their superiors. :twocents:
-
i never stated taking a skill was "wrong" just a violation of game regs. i was just pinting out the hypocrisy of violating one and them condemning others for the onesthey violate that's all. kinda like bitching about whose in office even tho you didint vote. you cant really have a viable voice against say shooting from the truck which is also a reg violation if you yourself have violated regs from the same book. i don't like the skull rule but i follow it, no high horse just facts sorry
-
Ok, so you've "pointed it out" many many times here. Apparently this is an area of the law that some guys are not too concerned with. I believe that this law designed to stop poachers is fine, but possibly could be revised in a way to allow the taking of the skulls found. Not sure exactly how, but it would be nice to be able to contact a gamie and request permission to retrieve said skull. I seriously doubt a lot of poachers are willing to contact wildlife and put themselves on record as being in a certain area...
I am not going to question some guys ethic's if they find some decaying skull in the woods and take it home and hang it on the wall. I couldn't think of a better owner of the skull...
When I was driving the other day I had to speed to pass a slow car.
-
:yeah:
-
Kinda hard to take a lecture on integrity from a guy who seemed to think this site should be inappropriate for kids and seemed hellbent on making sure it stayed that way.
-
All I can say is make sure you don't do that in Montana!
... I was working on the 2007 Ahorn wildfire near Augusta with pretty much the sweetest assignment I had ever had: I was tasked to stay at a $60 million ranch in the middle of the wilderness with a crew and provide structure protection. It was the Klick family ranch, which has property in between the two forks of the Sun river... bordered by wilderness on one side, a wildlife preserve on another, and two sides by national forest. (can you say most amazing place to go back and hunt? Their waiting list is years long...)
While working the fire, I found some AMAZING trophies: a big horn sheep skull (found both caps, too!), moose sheds, and an awesome elk shed. More than anything I just wanted to show other people to allow these things to be appriciated.
Mr Klick calmly told me the following story...
"you know, David Letterman offered us some $100 million for this ranch a while back... we gracefully declined. He found himself one nearly 50 miles north as the crow flies... one day, someone attempted to kidnap his offspring... unsuccessfully. Well, they knew who it was, so raided the fellows house... in the process, they found a few trophy animals hanging on the wall that the man had illegally taken." (whether that was to mean he killed them or took their horns post-death I don't know) "well, they immediately dropped the attempted kidnapping charges and pursued the charges for illegal possession of game animals, because it was greater fines and jail time than attempted kidnapping in Montana."
Needless to say I put all my trophies back. :)
-
Road kills are a different story, when you have to cut the horns off the skull or head off the spine that's wrong.
But when you find a skull and horns from an animal that has been dead long enough that predator's have separated the body parts and the meat and hair are non-exsistant, that's a lucky find
:yeah:
-
My guess is an archery kill that wasn't found...but odd that there were no othe parts of the animal nearby
And my guess is that is was a rifle kill that wasn't found.
Makes as much sense doesn't it?
-
here we go again...gonna be a long winter...
-
Just to stir the pot a little.
Now Bone has one on this post that he got in Idaho, which someone else said was legal and the gamie said he could keep.(no problem)
Huntingphool has one he got in montana that the gamie said he could keep due to it's condition. (no problem)
Bone also said a person (lady) was able to pickup and retain a sheep skull after letting the gamies know about it and they gave her the ok.
So has anyone on here ever gotten premission from a gamie in this state to pickup and retain a skull? If so how would they make the decision to go outside the law and say it is ok? What parameters do they use? The laws states only naturally shed with no mention of or if it is this old or obviuosly old and weathered/white?
Also what if you own property and the animal dies on said property over the winter, do you just let it lie or is it then yours because of were it perished?
-
i found a 3x4 elk a few years back on bethel .while walking to the truck game warden stopped to b s with me told him about it and said go ahead and take .
-
no skulls period. that's how it reads. I'm curious to you guys that roll your eyes and say well i took it any way, how do you decide what game laws you will follow and what ones you will break? i may not agree with it but its a regulation that is in place.
I didn't roll my eyes just smiled when I seen them. Read my reply #60, these were old, meat free, bleached and scattered. The reason I took them was common sense told me that no enforcement officer would concider this to be what the law was written for as do I.
I won't intentionally run a stop sign or break the laws of the road because this could hurt or fatally injure someone, picking up an old skull won't. :)
-
no skulls period. that's how it reads. I'm curious to you guys that roll your eyes and say well i took it any way, how do you decide what game laws you will follow and what ones you will break? i may not agree with it but its a regulation that is in place.
buf, the only ones i have were with written permission. I've passed on some BEAUTIES... :'( only to have someone ELSE grab them before I could get permission :bash:
-
All I can say is make sure you don't do that in Montana!
... I was working on the 2007 Ahorn wildfire near Augusta with pretty much the sweetest assignment I had ever had: I was tasked to stay at a $60 million ranch in the middle of the wilderness with a crew and provide structure protection. It was the Klick family ranch, which has property in between the two forks of the Sun river... bordered by wilderness on one side, a wildlife preserve on another, and two sides by national forest. (can you say most amazing place to go back and hunt? Their waiting list is years long...)
While working the fire, I found some AMAZING trophies: a big horn sheep skull (found both caps, too!), moose sheds, and an awesome elk shed. More than anything I just wanted to show other people to allow these things to be appriciated.
Mr Klick calmly told me the following story...
"you know, David Letterman offered us some $100 million for this ranch a while back... we gracefully declined. He found himself one nearly 50 miles north as the crow flies... one day, someone attempted to kidnap his offspring... unsuccessfully. Well, they knew who it was, so raided the fellows house... in the process, they found a few trophy animals hanging on the wall that the man had illegally taken." (whether that was to mean he killed them or took their horns post-death I don't know) "well, they immediately dropped the attempted kidnapping charges and pursued the charges for illegal possession of game animals, because it was greater fines and jail time than attempted kidnapping in Montana."
Needless to say I put all my trophies back. :)
they were not illegally picked up they were illegally killed, one of them was the new state record typical muley,i highly doubt that the charges for illegal possession of game are carry greater jail time and fines than kidnapping, i believe kidnapping can carry a life sentece
-
they were not illegally picked up they were illegally killed, one of them was the new state record typical muley,i highly doubt that the charges for illegal possession of game are carry greater jail time and fines than kidnapping, i believe kidnapping can carry a life sentece
"attempted kidnapping"... and it IS Montana. The value they put on their wild game is pretty high. :)
I just repeated the story as I heard it...
thought I'd throw in a fun story since it was getting so serious in this thread. :)
-
Hey can we just say that the elk died of natural causes lets leave it to the greenies to say that every dead critter in the woods died by some hunter who wounded it. Cause it could have been a cougar kill, im just sayin lets stand up for all hunters on this site :) :twocents:
-
THis law was made for and caused by trophy poachers in the Blues. It sucks because it can turn a law abiding hunter into a law breaker by finding a skull in the woods that he would like to take home and admire forever rather than in a few years have it decay into nothing. I think most wardens will turn a blind eye to a legitimate winterkill but there are some overzealous wardens who will be happy to take them and write a ticket. If you find a skull with horns in the Blues ya better leave it. And comparing picking up a skull to a serious violation like shooting from a vehicle or loaded guns in vehicle that is bogus. nwhunter
-
Whether we all agree or not.... breaking the law is just that. :twocents:
-
Stupid laws are meant to be broken! We all break laws we just all don't get caught! :bash: That's how civil disobedience got started... just got to be willing to pay the price of admission if you get caught.
-
Two years ago while elk hunting, I found an old bull elk skull, green with moss, naturaly shed, just had the bone pedistals. Defenatly no trophy value what so ever, even the ivorys gone. I packed it out and hung it in camp. Killed a bull a day or so later, packing up camp the next day I put it in the back of the truck, loaded up and heading down the hyway, I was stopped by the gamie, he checked out my kill alls good. Then asks where'd you get the skull, what are you doing with it. Told him where I found it ,it was obviously several years old and naturaly shed(winter kill),told him I thought it would make some good yard art. He confinscated it , but told me he wasn't going to cite me for it, then have a nice day. :hello:
-
A few years ago a friend was archery hunting elk in the Blue Mt's. He had a game biologist with him or had met him in the woods. My friend found a large dead bull that looked like it died from injury in a fight. This bull was 360 plus class bull. The biologist could not give him permission to bring the head out. They cell phoned a agent who gave them permission to bring the head out, but said it belongs to the state.
Since my friend works for DNR he got permission to hang the head in a DNR office. The horns are never to leave the office and remain state property.
-
A few years ago a friend was archery hunting elk in the Blue Mt's. He had a game biologist with him or had met him in the woods. My friend found a large dead bull that looked like it died from injury in a fight. This bull was 360 plus class bull. The biologist could not give him permission to bring the head out. They cell phoned a agent who gave them permission to bring the head out, but said it belongs to the state.
Since my friend works for DNR he got permission to hang the head in a DNR office. The horns are never to leave the office and remain state property.
oh brother... :rolleyes:
-
Just to stir the pot a little.
Now Bone has one on this post that he got in Idaho, which someone else said was legal and the gamie said he could keep.(no problem)
Huntingphool has one he got in montana that the gamie said he could keep due to it's condition. (no problem)
Bone also said a person (lady) was able to pickup and retain a sheep skull after letting the gamies know about it and they gave her the ok.
So has anyone on here ever gotten premission from a gamie in this state to pickup and retain a skull? If so how would they make the decision to go outside the law and say it is ok? What parameters do they use? The laws states only naturally shed with no mention of or if it is this old or obviuosly old and weathered/white?
Also what if you own property and the animal dies on said property over the winter, do you just let it lie or is it then yours because of were it perished?
IT WOULD BE NICE....if it was written like NM law. It is unlawful to pick up but if you give coordinates, photos, etc, they will investigate it and allow you to have it. I copy and pasted it on here somewhere how it reads exactly. I found out it isn't illegal in Idaho, but I haven't confirmed that and I wasn't going to take any chances. The lady and the sheep skull still amazes me.
-
A few years ago a friend was archery hunting elk in the Blue Mt's. He had a game biologist with him or had met him in the woods. My friend found a large dead bull that looked like it died from injury in a fight. This bull was 360 plus class bull.
This story sounds familiar, i think i saw a picture of the bull and it was a toad if its the same bull deffinetly 360+
-
Of course I can't prove it was wolves, but very likey. Coyotes part out their kills and seperate the parts. Cats usually eat more. teeth were fine. Canine chews on some of the bones. Nice buck you and I won't be hunting this next year.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv47%2Fboneaddict%2FAntler%2520Images%2Fwhatwolvesdo.jpg&hash=a5e7f934fb787ef2f0636298be811e3043b29333)
-
Bone...was that the Methow area? :bash:
-
No, thats not in the Methow.
-
Did you do the right thing and cut the antlers off the skull :chuckle:
-
I left it, it smelled too bad. :)
-
Very sad to see such a beautiful animal go to waste. :(
Thanks for sharing the photo though! Hope the critters pick it clean for you soon. :)
-
I'm going to try to get approval for it, but since it is trophy class, I am guessing probably not.
-
well it is highly highly and i mean highly illeagal int he state of washington i have an interesting story about this years hunting season and the game department if you want i will tell you all about it and the trouble we faced
-
Do Tell........
You may reach more eyes if you post a new thread about your story.
-
Bump... Cannon master....lets hear it!
-
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/MGalleryItem.php?id=6999)
-
so when do we get to hear the story?????
-
I wonder if he is serving his time.... :)
-
waiting for a good story
:police: