Hunting & Fishing Have you ever had someone else try to claim your kill?

[whiskeysierra762]

Last week I shot my spike elk and had another hunter claim he shot it. A first for me, I was dumbfounded at the situation, here it is:

My group of friends had spotted the heard of elk in the open of some large fields on public land at first light. As we are making a plan to go after them another rig pulls up and a guy jumps out with his rifle and starts to hike toward the herd. So my partner and I grab our gear and go toward the herd as well. The other guy heads down a ravine with timber and we take the high side of the ravine. I lose sight of the other hunter in the timber and get to 350yds of the herd and get set up. Im prone behind my rifle, a 338LM Ackley Improved shooting a 300gr Accubond, using my bipod and a rear squeeze bag. I dial up 0.9mil on my Leupold Mk4 M5A2 for my drop and pick out a spike bull that is not moving around much, he is tall with dried velvet still attached to one horn. I expected the bullet to pass through and waited for the elk behind him to clear out.

Once I got a good clear background I center my reticle on his vitals, he was quartering away, and I fire. I see the bullet impact right were I was aiming and could also hear the impact. The elk hunched up and took a few staggering steps toward the rest of the heard, which was now on the run. I came up to my knees and looked through my binoculars, not wanting to shoot again because there was now a lot of elk in the background.

My bull is not moving and Im waiting for him to drop when the other hunter lets off two rounds from several hundred yards behind me. I turn to see where he was shooting from since I was down range, he stopped as the herd had ran off. My partner and I didn't see or hear any of his shots hit anything. My partner even went over the hill to see if he had wounded any elk in the herd. I get up and walk over to my dead bull, and the other hunter comes hiking up to me as Im grounding my gear and says that he shot the bull.

I explain to him that this was the elk I shot and even showed him the dried velvet on the horn that I had seen through my scope. He argued that he shot the bull. I showed him where I aimed, rolled it over and found the exit hole, there was only one bullet hole on the bull. He was still arguing that he shot it. So, I showed him where I shot from, that I dialed my drop, that I saw the impact. He still insisted he shot it. Then I asked him what yardage he shot it as, he replied that he didn't bother to range it because he was so close enough to them and shooting a 338Rum. I asked where he shot from, he pointed out a tree next to a fence line, I pulled out my laser and ranged the tree as 580yds. When I told him the range and that there was no way he was "close enough" he said that he "held high."

At this point I pretty much quit entertaining his story. He then asked me if I wanted to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets the bull. I laughed, said no because I was 100% certain it was the one I shot. The other hunter finally went on his way grumbling.

When I was quartering up the elk I found that my bullet had hit ribs, liver, lungs, and apparently had not expanded, the exit hole also through rib was about the diameter of my finger. I think if I had been shooting my usual 300gr SMK or 300gr Berger Hybrid I would have gotten better expansion and the bull would have dropped on impact and avoided the whole situation.

Later I ran into some people from work hunting the same area, shared my story and they said the same guys had tried to claim a bull someone else had shot a few years ago and the state police (our fish and game officers) had to get involved.

Well, thats my story. The whole thing kind of ruined my hunt. Has anyone else ever experienced something like that in the field?

 

[Fig]

I have never had someone claim my ungulate without more than my bullet hole in it. I shot a big doe and had it run a couple of hundred yards and had another hunter shoot, and then claim it. Upon examination there WERE two bullet holes. Mine was vitals and I am quite certain it was a few seconds from dropping, but the dude did shoot it on the hoof, and I as such it became his deer. He didn't know if it was just wounded or not, so I really couldn't blame him. I helped him drag it to where he could pick it up, and wished him well. Not much of a story, but there you have it. It would have gone down differently if there had only been one bullet hole.

I grew up duck and pheasant hunting with my father and his doctor buddies. They were fucking dishonest scoundrels. I've had them shoot when my birds had been DRT and already falling for more than a second and have them claim them. Seriously, preposterous claims of, "That was mine!". No one standing there would have believed it. They were doing it because I was a kid, and they were bullying me. At first I would get really pissed about it, but my Dad would shoot daggers at me if it looked like I was going to protest. After a while though I started really enjoying it, and I came to be grateful about all those hunts with those cheating doctors.

It got to the point where I would say, "That was yours!" as soon as I'd shoot. I know I've shot more than twenty pheasants in a morning, and probably forty ducks. I am in the habit, to this day, of bringing four boxes of shells into the field just because I am so used to shooting the limits of jackasses who can't shoot. The last time, years ago, the farmer was following us on the edge of the field in his truck, and laughing the whole way across as I dropped rooster after rooster and they kept claiming them. I had a huge grin on my face and barrels too hot to touch the whole morning.

 

[1500varmint]

That's a crazy story.

You handled it very well.

 

[Jefe's Dope]

And this is why I hate people.

 

[SkyScrapin]

Oh.. do I have some stories! Public land elk hunting never disappoints! I always carry a pistol for protection against other hunters, not for predators.

Ages ago, I was on my second elk hunt in south central Colorado with my father. We had hiked in the days prior scouting. Even got in the truck and drove about to see the lower areas of where we were hunting and spotted a heard of 20 elk, including cows and bulls. The next morning was the 2nd Rifle Season opener.

By 4:30am opening day, we left camp on foot, took a short cut (2 mile walk) through the woods and got into position for what we would had anticipated was a guaranteed hunt. Starting at first light, I could hear the elk coming, sounding off bugles every 2 minutes getting closer, and closer, and closer. Mind you I was a 16 year old kid who had only taken white tail sized game up until this point. Soon enough, the elk emerged from a heavily used game trail, but they weren't stopping, so I kept still and saw this heard of 15 cows and a couple bulls crest over a small ridge. I really had no opportunity to move/shoot without being spotted, they were that close. I got up, walked 30 yards, just to the point where I could see over some rocks, and spotted one cow. My father and I had two cow tags and so we were in a good position to fill at least one. I steadied my rifle on a broadside cow, squeezed the trigger of my 300 Weatherby, hitting the cow directly through the boiler room. Even still, she mustered up last minute energy and made it about 30 yards down hill. Meanwhile, another cow came from a higher elevation and stopped almost exactly where my cow was positioned when I broke the shot. So of course.. Dad shoots the cow which drops dead in it's tracks. In true elk hunting nature, she fell upside down, between two logs, in an extremely steep area. It never fails us!

10m later, some dude comes walking up within 30 yards and starts barking orders at me while I'm high-five'ing my pops for an early hunt success. We hadn't taken a single picture, nor had we even taken slung rifles off our shoulders. This mother fucker tries to tell me he shot that elk at first light, meanwhile, I never heard a single shot outside of our own, and I watched the exact track these elk took just as the sun crested the mountains. Not to mention, there was absolutely zero blood trail, and the dude said he was walking the direct path his cow took. Not wanting to spoil the excitement of having at least one elk on the ground, I told that POS to walk 30 yards down the game trail below us where he would find my cow which he could tag. The blood trail was so epic, it took him all of 60 seconds to find.

Pops had some choice words for this POS, but ultimately we decided a cow wasn't worth intensifying the situation. We now hunt in some of the remote wilderness our units have to offer. We rarely see other hunts which is something I have learned to appreciate. These remote spots are some of the hardest to get into, but we always see elk. Imagine that!

 

[ArmedGinger]

Last year I was out bear hunting and came across a nice old Black Bear. I ranged the bear and went prone on a nice flat rock. He was slowly walking so I was slowly following him with my crosshairs waiting for the moment he would stop moving. It was the first day of the season and I was a little anxious. The bear stopped and I squeezed the trigger and instantly knew my mistake. The bear had stopped and I didn't notice the one dried tree branch about two inches in diameter poking up from the ground. The branch exploded and the bear took off at a dead run. I went to the now busted branch and looked around and seen where my round had veered and smacked a boulder. Bears are dumb, so I decided to come back the next day and try again.

I hiked into the clearing before day break and went to the same rock and set myself up. Sure enough I could see the same bear through the growing light. I ranged him again and was just squeezing the trigger when I heard a boom from behind me and a crack right over my head. The bear dropped. When I stood up the guy went white as a ghost.

The guy explained he had no idea I was there. I was in a cheap ghillie suit bought from a hunting store and that was true, except to get to this area he would have had to drive right around my truck parked down the trail about 600 yards (which after looking at the tire tracks he did just that). Legally he did nothing wrong so there was nothing I could do on the fact but when he asked me to help him drag the bear out of the cut block I just turned around and walked away. It was public land so he had every right to be there just as I did.

I remember though as a kid that if my grandfather and I went down a trail and noticed someone was on said trail, we would leave that area. Not only was it common courtesy, but it was also a matter of safety as how can you shoot knowing someone is around and not knowing exactly where they are located.

 

[SavageSlayer]

Man you guys have had some rotten luck. I hope nobody ever has to go through that with any game, especially big game. The only kills I have ever had claimed by other hunters were doves. They definitely aren't worth fighting over and its usually younger hunters so I don't really mind. I did have an older guy one time run at a full sprint to grab a bird I had just dropped that he didn't even shoot at. I just figured he must have needed it more that I did and just shook my head.

 

[Deadman Pointers]

I had a different scenario play out some time ago. I was glassing a herd of elk that had two 300 size bulls within it as well as a number of spikes. Off about 150 yards or so off the ridgeline, there was a hunting party that had just pulled up in their truck. One guy got out, and used the hood of his car to steady his rifle.

I was expecting to see one of the big guys go down, but instead I saw of of the spikes right behind them fall. My buddy and I made our way down after a couple hours and came upon the group that had shot the spike. The shooter was refusing to put his tag on it because he shot 'the big one'. He added the one they were huddled over had been dead for some time and it was all bloated. Disregard the fact that it was still warm...

Anyway, the guy that shot the big one took out his 14" bowie knife and went to cut to show me it had been dead for awhile. In no short order, he placed his free hand on the elk and promptly sliced the tip of his thumb off during his field operation.

Karma.

 

[knuckleballz]

I was sitting in my portable on private land that had a border with public land 150 yards from me. I spotted a doe at legal shooting in the morning and put a broadside double lung shot through her. She did the death run across the private out onto the public land and flopped over dead. 2 guys jumped out of the brush on public land and ran over and slapped a tag on her before I could even get out of my tree stand. Mine was the only shot. I couldn't believe it. I also had 2 other situations were I shot deer and people came over from the public land saying they had shot the deer earlier in the day and tried to claim it. Of course there were no bullet wounds or blood trails other than from the one shot from me. I don't hunt that land anymore because of the annoyance of dealing with the craziness. A guy had about 15 kids with him doing drives through the public land. They would make u shaped formation drives and the adult was shooting carelessly in the direction of the kids. He shot multiple fawns. He was shooting illegally across roads with traffic going by at one point. I also had 3 deer stands stolen off from the private land that had cable locks securing them to trees.

 

[Jakebrake300]

Wow you guys have had some bad luck! This is another great reason I hike into places where I don’t usually see anyone else.
I once about 15 years ago in Eastern Montana shot a real nice 4 point muley with my dad and someone came to the edge of a bluff and shouted out to us that we were “stealing his buck” this was after about 2 hours of field dressing it out, pictures and high fives and a lunch break. My dad promptly told the rude gentleman who was yelling at us where he could go and what he could do to himself... I shot the buck at 80 yards jumped him out of his bed and dropped him in his tracks, my kill shot was his only wound and we had never heard another gunshot before that morning.
My dad however in western Montana had a scroungy lookin guy hold him up at gun point and steal a nice whitetail he had shot. My dad fired at the deer towards the to of a Ridge and hit it, the deer jumped and ran over the top when he heard another shot. Upon reaching the deer just over the other side he found the dead deer , tracks in the snow where he shot it, blood in the snow showing the kill and blood spray in the direction from my dads shot and the deer died 50 yards away. There was only 1 hole in the deer , the other guy missed it and it was obvious who killed it but the other guy ended up pointing his rifle at my dad telling him to get the fuck away from his deer!
Another vote for I hate peoples

 

[MK20]

You pull some of this shit up where I live and with a lot of folks you stand a good chance of ending up like the deer or elk.

 

[Bull Arms]

I had an acquaintance tell me that he always carried a penny in his pocket when hunting if he knew he would have to leave the animal to get his truck. He went on to say that his practice was to place the penny in the animal's mouth as an identifier. He said he got into a debate once with a pair of hunters (he was solo) and unable to prove his ownership of a shot cow elk he felt compelled to turn the cow over to the other gents. He told he years later he had a similar situation where another young (teenager) hunter tried to claim his cow elk and when the teens father asked how he was certain the animal was his he told them that they would find a 1969 penny in the mouth of the animal. As legend has it that settled the debate of ownership and the two hunters walked away.
Anymore, with the amount of money and pride people put on the line to come home the successful master hunter, I wouldn't be surprised to see shit heads stealing animals from the back of trucks!

 

[Maxduty]

I had killed 2 does on public land about a 3/4 mile hike from the truck. We got the first one back and a truck pulled up. Our discussion included that we had to go get the other deer. there were 3 guys in the truck eyeing the first deer loaded up. Before we left I made sure they saw me walk behind their truck and snap a pic of the tag. They were still sitting there when we got back with the second one and seemed a little irritated. I might mention that I had killed a nice 7 pointer earlier in the day and they saw that one in the back of the truck as well as the 2 does we had just loaded up. I'm fairly certain that, after talking to them and their line of questioning, if I hadn't taken the pic, the 2 deer in the truck would have been gone when we returned.

My only experience with actually losing a deer was a big 10 pointer that I had shot. He ran onto the neighbors property and I heard a shot come from that direction. When I was loading up I spotted a dad and his young son dragging the deer out. His dad relayed that he knew I had shot it and his son had not fatally shot the deer. He was so enamored by the size of the rack, he had fixated on it when he shot. His buckshot had removed most of one side of the rack. I let him keep it, telling him his son shot it last and according to that state's laws, the last shot fired is the one that matters.

 

[Caveman0101]

My first elk hunting trip to CO, my brother's best friend was with us. Opening morning he set up in the top of a small bowl and at daylight saw a 4x4 at about 200 yards. He shot the elk, it ran about 50 yards and fell. Another hunter then shot the elk as it was trying to get back up. After our guy walked down to the elk he was met by 3 other hunters who claimed the elk was about to get away when they shot it so it was their kill. There were two bullet holes in the elk one just behind the shoulder and one in the shoulder. The argument quickly escalated and ended when one of the other hunters raised his rifle and said they were taking the elk. My brother's friend has never come back to CO, that was almost 30 years ago.

More recently, last weekend, my son and I spotted a herd of about 100 elk at about a mile. We were getting our gear on, when a truck pulled up behind us, a guy jumps out and starts fast walking toward the elk, while his buddy sets up a spotting scope in the road and gets out a radio. I go over and ask if the guy is going to shoot an elk and if so could we work together so maybe all 3 of us could get one. The guy's response is "there is a pretty nice deer on the ridge past the elk and we don't give a shit about them". So he walks right through the elk, runs them onto a private ranch where they stay for the next 5 days.
Yep, I hate people.

 

[spaniel]

Many years ago I was hunting on my grandfather's land and heard a shot on neighboring land. Not a big deal. About half an hour later I see a buck sneaking along the edge of the woods I'm hunting in, moving slow. So I stalk it, and shoot it through the lungs. I affix my tag and leave to get an ATV to retrieve.

When I return, a hunter from a neighboring property is there. He's trespassing, nearest access half a mile away. Turns out he shot a small chunk out of the ass, from 30 yards away, and claims it's his. I told him to call the DNR and plead his case, or retreat across the property line before I called them myself. Case closed. Seems a pattern, make a good ethical shot and you won't have issues...

 

[TanktheFrank]

If someone drew down on me, over a damn elk , I'm not sure what my reaction would be.

 

[Caveman0101]

Well unless your name is Matthew Quigly, I think turning and walking away is appropriate since it was 3 to 1 odds.

 

[TanktheFrank]

Well unless your name is Matthew Quigly, I think turning and walking away is appropriate since it was 3 to 1 odds.

True. At this moment, I can say that I'd attempt to diffuse the situation and gtfo. I know it is bullshit, but I'd think the potential murder charge wouldn't be worth an elk.
Then again, what would the point of threatening be if you weren't going to pull the trigger.

I see the scenario play out in my head where asshat hunter and his buddies threaten another equally motivated and asshole hunter (instead of a good mannered Hide member) . They run him off and celebrate their "kill", meanwhile, other pissed off hunter with a deer rifle finds high ground and uses it to "get back at them." They're dead, he's a murderer and for what? A carcass? Bragging rights?

I'm probably just other thinking it, but from this thread I'm picking up there are some damn scummy people out there calling themselves hunters.

 

[SkyScrapin]

^^^
There are tons of shitty hunters out on public land. I wasn’t joking either... pistol on the hip is for protection against these as hats, not predators. The second best scenario is getting acquainted with the GW. The threat is worth more than the act.

 

[trob_205]

Had a buddy shoot a pretty good whitetail with bow his year. After the shot the deer ran across a small cut soy bean field onto the neighbors property. He was certain it was a good lethal shot. He did the right thing a backed out to get permission as the land owner wasn’t home at the time. After getting ahold of the land owner he was more than willing, but they also allow other people to hunt. That next morning he walked over the fence to a gut pile and obvious sled tracks to the main parking spot of the people that normally hunt that property.
There are some low life people out there. I’m sure the idiot that stole the deer told the true story to his buddies

 

[Hamcrow]

I know this is an old thread but here goes. Just came back from elk hunting in Colorado. Last day there saw 3 elk 2 bulls and 1 cow the came perfectly in front of me. I let off 4 round and hit each time. He ran 50 yards and stopped was about to drop when some dude jumps out of his truck and shoots it from the road and it dropped. The dude wanted to fight me over it and the only reason I didn’t is because his buddy and his buddies son where right there and They looked embarrassed and the kid was a good kid and I didn’t want to get all crazy in front of the boy. I really didn’t want to call the warden call me stupid but I’m not like that. So he ended up giving me the meat and he kept the head. His buddy pulled me aside after it was over and apologized for his friend and said if it was him he would have given me the elk because he knew it was mine. I ran into a warden and asked him about the situation and he said legally since he was the one to drop it it was his elk…. Stupid rule

 

[pmclaine]

Tonight…..on the parking lot……see the reverse lights of a car in a spot flash and I immediately throw my directional on.

I’m waiting directional flashing right turn while car backs out.

Other car enters from other side of aisle, as car backs out intent was to drive toward me so I was stuck in place until he cleared.

The other asshole fell right in behind and made a left into the just vacated spot.

I feel your pain.

 

[Modoc]

Tonight…..on the parking lot……see the reverse lights of a car in a spot flash and I immediately throw my directional on.

I’m waiting directional flashing right turn while car backs out.

Other car enters from other side of aisle, as car backs out intent was to drive toward me so I was stuck in place until he cleared.

The other asshole fell right in behind and made a left into the just vacated spot.

I feel your pain.

Ah the tribulations of the modern hunter/gatherer.

 

[Dough300]

Being a hardcore state land hunter for many years, I have seen it all. Here is my best advice. Life is a state of mind. Chalk it up to experience, and a lesson in human relations. i would of let the hunter that shot 1st take the deer. i doubt i would feel much pride if i shot 2nd. i did take a 4pt 20 years ago that came limping by me, that had been shot in the front leg. i didn't want the deer to suffer.

 

[GTOJOSH]

I hit a deer with my truck once. On the freeway. It was mangled like nothing you'd ever see. Snow everywhere, tow truck on the way, this pickup full of hipster looking 40ish year olds slam on the brakes, eventually stop sliding, BACK UP in the lane, park IN THE LANE next to me, load out, tag the deer, throw it in the truck, and speed off.
I'm fine. Really. Thanks for asking. And yeah, sure, you can take the fawn with a stub almost above the ears. It's cool. Nevermind I had a gun on you cause I thought I was about to be drug out of my disabled truck with blown airbag.
But yeah, people get over egoed to not come home empty handed.
Wonder what folks thought of the crushed plastic grille burried in its ribcage?