Went fishing this weekend

[splashhopper]

Headed up to my favorite area Saturday morning for a last kick at fall pike... not to be this weekend.

 

Fished all day and then went to meet with a few friends of Bill W saturday night. Cruddy coffee, but good company.

 

Left those guys and headed over to Lake Huron to try for some rainbows where I tried some surf casting and river drifting within a 100 yards of each spot.

 

No luck either

 

Oh well, I had my bed in the back of the van and I had already plugged in the seat warmer under my sleeping bag.

 

Crawled in to the sack around 11:30 whooped. Slept like a baby.

 

This morning I awoke to strong SE winds which is never any good for me. I just don;t seem to know how to fish those winds.

 

I got the heck off the lake shore and moved inland a few miles.

 

Got to a place where I was certain that I would be sheltered from the wind and have caught fish there before.

 

The water was up but very clear. Oh well, I made mental notes of a few places in the river to fish the next time.

 

I also drifted the logs for the first time. Something hit me once and stripped my worm. Couldn't entice it back out for dinner though

 

With the slow action I was having, I decided to walk up river about 1500 yards or so past where I usually walk to.

 

Found another "new "hole to fish for next time.

 

On my way back down river, I took a path along a farmers field which would save me from slugging up and down the river banks and through the vines branches.

 

About 50 yards from my starting point of that river at the road, I came across this:

 

 

Now I am not a hunter, but I knew this was a pretty big deer. It didn't look like it had been there much past last night.

 

I don't know how to classify this buck by the horn count, but here is a good picture for you all to enlighten me:

 

 

 

As I was looking this brute over, I could see a faint red streak in his underbelly and followed the trail back to the middle of its gut to find what looks like a bullet hole to me:

 

 

On the drive home, it dawned on me. I haven't heard any gun shots in the past couple of weeks of fishing up there.

Is the season closed for deer now?

 

I can only assume that whoever shot it, couldn't find it, or didn't think they made the hit so they never collected their kill.

 

Finding that animal there was not the highlight of my day, but I also try to consider the fact that we are almost over run with deer in Southwestern Ontario now and losing this one isn't going to make a big difference in the grand scheme of their survival.

 

Still wondering why I haven't heard any gunshots and I have this nagging feeling it was a poached kill though. It was only 75 yards from the road and 10 yards up off the river bank. Would been easy to find it if they even looked for it.

[SBCregal]

it couldve been shot quite a distance from where it was found, also it couldve been shot with a bow or crossbow...both of which i believe would be legal. a deer can take quite a while to die from a gutshot like that.

[irishfield]

Should have called the MNR and claimed the beast.. 200 lbs of free meat!

[misfish]

What a waste. That wound you see,would not have been made from a good hunters shot.Even with buck fever,the hunter would of been closer to the vitals. Im not going to say it was poaching,but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

 

 

Like wayne said,you should of reported the animal and claimed it,as you said,it was not there long and the meat was still eatable.

[splashhopper]

Should have called the MNR and claimed the beast.. 200 lbs of free meat!

 

I had no idea

[irishfield]

Same as hitting one on the road.. you can usually keep it if you want it. Wouldn't hurt to call.. meat isn't going bad in this weather if it's still there.

[splashhopper]

Same as hitting one on the road.. you can usually keep it if you want it. Wouldn't hurt to call.. meat isn't going bad in this weather if it's still there.

 

How would I get it butchered? I drive a dodge caravan, how would I get it home?

[irishfield]

I'm sure there is someone close that hunts that would help you out. Call the local CO.. get a clearance #/document and throw it in the back of the caravan.

[misfish]

Although it has been cold Wayne and it,s now prbly past 24 hrs,it looks to be a gut shot. Leave it for the yotes.

 

You know where it is,so go back in a few days and take the rack even the whole scull.. Do some research on how to clean it. MAKE A GREAT CONVO PIECE.

Edited November 21, 2010 by BrianB

[irishfield]

Maybe Brian.. if not I'd hate to put him on the spot but chrisk could probably help you out. Beef goes days bleeding out without hitting a meat locker.. as does many a moose hunt animal hauled from way up North.

[misfish]

Maybe Brian.. if not I'd hate to put him on the spot but chrisk could probably help you out. Beef goes days bleeding out without hitting a meat locker.. as does many a moose hunt animal hauled from way up North.

 

 

True,but thier gutted out. If Rob can get ahold of Chris that would be a good move. I would of gutted it and put my tag on it.LOL

[ChrisK]

Wow,what a find. Wonder how long it was laying there.

Splashopper,was it warm or cold to the touch ??

If it was fresh we could of quartered that deer on the spot with a filleting knife and an axe after the MNR was notified. Nice rack too !!

[Leecher]

...... I would of gutted it and put my tag on it.LOL

 

That's too easy for you Brian Just playing ya

Don't feel bad about it Splash.... you did not know since you are not a hunter.... you guys in Ontario are so lucky to be able to harvest road kill and lost animals.... over in la belle province it goes to soup kitchen and can't claim it

 

That's a 10 - 11 pointer from what I can see in the pic.... lots of good eats in that animal for the freezer for sure

Too bad the yotes will have first dig

 

Just remember what you are allowed to do next time you have an encounter with a dead deer in the bush.

 

Leechman

Edited November 21, 2010 by Leechman

[Jewelbee]

Shame to let it waste! It was a very poor shot! Hope you found someone to check it out for you. If not, I would go back for the rack and skull!

Edited November 21, 2010 by Jewelbee

[misfish]

over in la belle province it goes to soup kitchen and can't claim it

 

Thats a great idea,IMO.Feed the hungry.

[Leecher]

Thats a great idea,IMO.Feed the hungry.

 

Very true B very true

[hammercarp]

That's an awful big hole. Could it be an antler wound?

[splashhopper]

Wow,what a find. Wonder how long it was laying there.

Splashopper,was it warm or cold to the touch ??

If it was fresh we could of quartered that deer on the spot with a filleting knife and an axe after the MNR was notified. Nice rack too !!

 

It was cold to the touch, but still soft in the hind quarters when I pushed my boot in to it. The belly was soft too.

 

PM sent.

[Harrison]

Shame really. That big boy was "gut" shot with a slug IMO. Unfortunately it was not a well placed shot and an animal can run for MILES after being hit like that.

 

I'd like to give the hunter benefit of a doubt that they tried really hard to track it. It seems Gut shots will stop bleeding after while which makes tracking very difficult without any snow.

 

Unfortunatley I know from experience, someone in our group Gut shot one. It was literally 2 days and 5 to 6 guys forming a line through the bush to stumble on him way back in a swamp. And to be honest we were lucky to find him.

 

Give the MNR a call. They may actually have record of it as sometimes a hunter will call to report they may have to trespass to harvest a wounded animal.

 

Very nice nine point.

Edited November 22, 2010 by Harrison

[bare foot wader]

like to think we could give benefit of the doubt to the hunter but not always true...very poor shot but that does happen sometimes, just the same as gut hooking a fish....if it was a bow hunter may have jumped the string if long yardage...and not uncommon to hit a buck at last light and track the next day...he could've ran a long distance with a shot like that

 

I'm from London area myself, lots of private property and not so nice landowners being so close to a big city...hunter could be trying to secure permission to trespass

 

interesting find tho, if it's not claimed in a day or two at least take the rack, conversation piece in the garage...and that's a hell of a lot of fly tying material right there...or a few bucktail jigs for walleyes...not hard to snip the tail off and dye any colour you want