Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting First blood, possession or it depends?

The only issue I've ever had was about 40 years ago in Maine on Diamond Match property in back of my buddies parents farm in Larone. 2nd morning of our hunt I was on stand with a couple other guys spread out along a ridge. A nice forkhorn came by and I took a shot through an opening as it was walking with my 270. I could tell it was hit but it made it up over a little hill and I figured I'd give it some time before I went looking for it. About 15 minutes later a shot rings out close, right over the hill where my deer disappeared. So I go over to see what happened and there is my deer about 50 yards from where I last saw him and this kid who was probably 4 or 5 years younger than me is standing over him all excited. Before I said anything he starts telling me how the deer was feeding with his head down and he shot him in the neck. So I pointed to the hole in the back of it's ribcage and said that's where I shot him a half hour ago. I wasn't sure what to do but I suggested we unload our guns which we did. Then I gutted the deer while he keeps telling me how the deer was standing up. I finished up and said we should drag the deer out. I was trying to avoid arguing about it but unsure how it was going to get resolved. So we started dragging and finally hit the main trail and met up with my buddies father on his tractor. I explained what happened and he asked the kid his side of the story and he admitted that he and his friend were camped in back of the neighbors barn and saw us walking out that morning and followed us keeping their distance. Then when he heard me shoot he ran up to see what happened and saw the deer which he insisted was standing and shot it. My buddies Dad told him to get lost in some not so nice words. We got the deer back to the house and I took it to the check station and got it registered.

About an hour later a warden shows up with the kid and we went over the whole thing again. Apparently the kid left a few details out of the story he told the warden. Like how they followed us and then ran up where I shot and found the deer dead. I finally opened the barn door and showed him where the deer was hit before he shot him in the neck. The warden asked the kid "are you still going to tell me this deer was standing up feeding"? The kid didn't say anything and that was the end of it.