bradycarver
Member
On the evening of 9/19/21 I was hunting a piece of private land that I have had permission to hunt for about four years now. At about 5:15pm I was able to finally get a 21 yard shot at one of the three bucks on my hit list with my crossbow. I pulled the trigger, and let the arrow and 2 inch broadhead fly connecting with what I figured was a lung shot.
I backed out to get some help, and gave the deer time before we headed back in to start tracking. With good flashlights and some manpower we headed back in; tracking the buck for quite a ways. When we got to a crossroads where we could tell the buck was headed toward a neighboring piece of property we knew we had a decision to make. After talking it over we decided it would be best to call the land owner to try and get permission before being on their land. I looked online, and was able to find a phone number for the property owner. I called it and got the answer I dreaded; a resounding “NO.” The land owner said "I don't want anybody on my property for any reason!" I was hung up on while trying to convince the land owner that the deer was dead on their property and that it would go to waste and rot.
At this time I thought it would be my best bet to call my local game warden and see if he could assist me. I've heard my whole life that Georgia was a "Right to Retrieve" state and that if you don't gain permission to recover your kill that a game warden or law enforcement officer would assist you. Unfortunately, this is not true. My game warden told me that if the land owner says “no” there is nothing we can do. I then asked him if he could try to call and gain permission. He said "If the land owner says ‘yes’, I'll call you back." It's now been 4 days, and he hasn't called back. I'm assuming they said “no.”
In the next couple of days I contacted four Georgia Game Wardens from three different counties (some who were VERY helpful, and some not so much). I have also called two Georgia State Patrols. Unfortunately they all gave me the same answer.
I write this article to share my story in hopes that it will help other hunters to avoid this mistake. Looking back, if I had gone and got my deer without permission it sounds like, worst case scenario, I would have been given a trespass warning. I also would have my personal best buck mounted on my wall right now, or at least at the taxidermist.
I tried to do everything 100% by the book, and unfortunately it didn't work out. In this case the anti-hunter wins.
I hope this article can shed some light on this law in Georgia and anywhere else it might apply. As hunters, it is our job to conserve wildlife. Letting animals rot is not a good conservation practice. I understand private property laws and protecting private land owners, but something needs to change. There needs to be a revision somewhere that legal hunters can retrieve their kill in this type of scenario. I don’t know the fix, but I hope for the sake of my six month old son who will want to hunt here in Georgia one day, that this can be fixed.
Thank you for reading.
Brady Carver
I backed out to get some help, and gave the deer time before we headed back in to start tracking. With good flashlights and some manpower we headed back in; tracking the buck for quite a ways. When we got to a crossroads where we could tell the buck was headed toward a neighboring piece of property we knew we had a decision to make. After talking it over we decided it would be best to call the land owner to try and get permission before being on their land. I looked online, and was able to find a phone number for the property owner. I called it and got the answer I dreaded; a resounding “NO.” The land owner said "I don't want anybody on my property for any reason!" I was hung up on while trying to convince the land owner that the deer was dead on their property and that it would go to waste and rot.
At this time I thought it would be my best bet to call my local game warden and see if he could assist me. I've heard my whole life that Georgia was a "Right to Retrieve" state and that if you don't gain permission to recover your kill that a game warden or law enforcement officer would assist you. Unfortunately, this is not true. My game warden told me that if the land owner says “no” there is nothing we can do. I then asked him if he could try to call and gain permission. He said "If the land owner says ‘yes’, I'll call you back." It's now been 4 days, and he hasn't called back. I'm assuming they said “no.”
In the next couple of days I contacted four Georgia Game Wardens from three different counties (some who were VERY helpful, and some not so much). I have also called two Georgia State Patrols. Unfortunately they all gave me the same answer.
I write this article to share my story in hopes that it will help other hunters to avoid this mistake. Looking back, if I had gone and got my deer without permission it sounds like, worst case scenario, I would have been given a trespass warning. I also would have my personal best buck mounted on my wall right now, or at least at the taxidermist.
I tried to do everything 100% by the book, and unfortunately it didn't work out. In this case the anti-hunter wins.
I hope this article can shed some light on this law in Georgia and anywhere else it might apply. As hunters, it is our job to conserve wildlife. Letting animals rot is not a good conservation practice. I understand private property laws and protecting private land owners, but something needs to change. There needs to be a revision somewhere that legal hunters can retrieve their kill in this type of scenario. I don’t know the fix, but I hope for the sake of my six month old son who will want to hunt here in Georgia one day, that this can be fixed.
Thank you for reading.
Brady Carver
