Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Rifle found in woods

Back in the early 90s I worked with a guy who found a cheap derringer when mowing his parents lawn. They lived near the interstate and more than likely someone threw it there. I told him to throw it in a lake or give it to the police. Not sure what he did with it.

A buddy of mine found a Mauser HSc in a storm drain. He took the gun to the local police department. They took his information and location it was found. a few weeks later they called him and told him to come pick up the pistol. If not reported in a crime or reported stolen it's finder keepers here in Georgia. Even if it was stolen, most folks don't keep serial numbers written down and unless it has some distinguishing marks even if reported stolen without proof they probably aren't getting the gun back.
For the folks on here telling the OP to put the gun back and runaway, Y'all probably the folks who would turn non vaxxers in and call the gestapo on Ann Franks.
IF I lived in such a nanny ass state that by turning in a found gun was a crime, I think I would be moving the hell out of there. No sense on staying, it's already lost and your rights are not coming back.

Happy for you. Mine is still a POS though. You may not realize this, but Weatherby in their infinite wisdom built the 6.5PRC on a magnum length action. It’s a real jewel.

Give the cops the serial number, have them run a check on it. If nothing, send it off to be rebored into a 338-06. Slap it in a better stock w a nice recoil pad and name it orphan Annie.

This is fair.

A man who can’t keep track of his rifle doesn’t need one.

Turn it IN? Wow…I’d walk away with that rifle in a second.

I would call the sheriffs office to see if it would be handled like any other found item.
Here, found items are held for 30 days and if not claimed by the owner they become the property of the finder.
I'd still return it to the owner after that if they turned up.

You said it was private land but open to the public. I'd take it to the property owner. The true owner would most likely check there to see if anyone found it and turned it in.

Not a lot of private property owners open their land to the public. Good people!

The site "hotgunz" can assist in your determination of it's status. They have a database of stolen firearms.

Cracks me up that someone would risk becoming a felon over a found $500 rifle. Makes no sense.

That rifle will be under some cop’s bed in no time.

The OP, Nimblehunter, has received nearly every conceivable option from the masses here. Looks like he can do whatever he wants and he will be in agreement with some of you.
Best advise i could give is do whatever you feel good about.

A pawn shop may be able to tell you if it’s stolen.

A couple friends of mine were Elk hunting and found a Weatherby Mark V 300 Wby Mag and it's dead owner. They found his wallet and headed several or more miles back to the nearest town and had a gas station owner call the law. After the authorities showed up, they had to lead the proper authorities back to where they found the body.

It turns out that the guy had been missing several years.

Some of you guys from Mt. might remember when this happened. In the mountains above Gardiner.

What kind of scope was on it? 😁

I found a handgun in the woods on an elk hunt in New Mexico.
Was gonna turn it in to the Sheriff.
I want no part of a possible murder weapon or stolen firearm.
I found the owner a day later out looking for it.

What happened to the old adage “Finders keepers, losers weepers”?

How many of you would take a $20 bill you found in the Walmart parking lot back in the store and turn it in?

My brothers in law found a crashed WW2 era plane on Boistfort Peak in Lewis County Washington in the late 50's while elk hunting. They spent a few restless nights deciding whether they could salvage the air cooled Brownings. Common sense prevailed eventually and they notified the Sheriff.

Wasn't at walmart but the local grocery store and more than once. Took it into the store and left the money with them. Teaching my grandkids to do the same. That's my small part in MAGA!

I'm in the report it but hold it in your possession group. If you had lost it, you'd certainly hope somebody would help you get it back and you might even get a reward. If it turns out to be stolen (unlikely) you're on record as having cooperated.

If there's a 30-day rule, you might give it a light cleaning to stop rust, but don't do anything else to it until and unless it is formally released to you.

It just occurred to me that the first thing I might do is to remove the butt pad. A lot of owners put their info under the pad just in case.