New to hunting and made stupid but honest mistake.

[Ronnie1701]

Just think, 50 years from now no one will remember your infraction...maybe. JK, I won't remember it 2mins after I close this page. If you continue to beat yourself up about this you'll be the only one that even considers it important. Honest mistake...we all make them.

 

[LEON MANLEY]

Yes sir ! Thank you for responding. Im not sure if thats an exact rule about not loading rifle, i read it somewhere and wasnt sure so thats what did. Im such a rookie at this. There is difinetly a learning curve

I can't remember, but I think your weapon has to be unloaded within 50 or maybe 100 yards of a passable roadway.

It's been years since I hunted public land.

Read the regulations book, and when you are done, read it again. Repeat as necessary.

There are a lot of regulations about hunting on public land that folks that have been hunting them for 50 years don't know.
I hunted with several people that were breaking regulations and they didn't have any idea.

 

[chrisn1818]

If you were being dishonest you wouldn’t have went and checked the deer at the check station. Seems to me like any reasonable judge would be able to figure that out. Pay the small fine and continue hunting. You shouldn’t be punished for honesty.

 

[William0227]

The telephone call was awsome!! But the gutting experience was even more awesome!!

Rodney, whats up brother, i wanted to tell the story of you two helping me out in the woods, but i didn't think you would want to be mentioned after i got the ticket, and also i didn't want everyone to have to read an entire book, brother i will never forget you two good men, you made the experience even that much better for me. It's guys like yall that you always hope to meet. I learned so much from yall, i wouldnt have found that deer if it wasn't for yall. You two men were my heroes that day. I wanted so much to tell the story of all your help but i didn't think it would be appropriate without your permission.

 

[Meriwether Mike]

Congrats on your first buck. Life is about learning from your experiences. I am sure you will not mess up again.

 

[Whit90]

I have not read through this entire thread, so this may have been said already. Mistakes happen!! In my opinion, there are WAY too many options when it comes to hunting licenses, which is why I purchase the sportsman’s every year. It can be easy to miss something you need. Don’t let one mistake make you give up!! Congrats on your first deer! Keep it up, and good luck!

 

[4HAND]

Yes sir, thanks for your honesty. Stop beating yourself up. Everyone makes mistakes.
Don't let this ruin your hunting.
Congratulations on your 1st buck!

 

[Back40hunter]

Man you have gotten a ton of great, encouraging advise on this thread. I echo all of it. Everyone has made some sort of oversight regarding the regs. That shouldn’t discourage you from continuing to enjoy the hunting experience! Congratulations on your buck. Keep it up and there will be others. It is also wonderful to heat you are interested in getting your kids involved. Kudos to you for that.

 

[4HAND]

I remember years ago I went to my brother's in Ms on a deer hunt. It was between Christmas & New year. Went into the little country store to buy my license. Old man took my driver's license & processed my hunting license.
As he handed them back to me he said, "son it ain't none of my business, but do you know your D/L is expired?"
Obviously I didn't. It had been expired since October.
Anyone can make a mistake.

 

[Bjrink]

No pic, no buck!

 

[Kev]

DNR should have showed you where you were wrong and helped you fix it. They should go after real poachers and not someone who was a little confused

 

[Shipwrecked]

Someday you will probably shoot a deer that you misjudge or make a bad shot and wound one. You will feel bad about it, too. But don't give up. We all have occasional setbacks, but as long as our intentions are to do the right thing, we put our chin up and move forward. There is nothing like the hunting experience for a lifetime of enjoyment.

 

[Nerf Warrior]

Its been several years ago but I shot an illegal deer at Big Laser. Suppose to be 4 pts on 1 side. A main frame six came out and when it turned its head I saw a tine sticking out from the back of the antler so I pulled the trigger. Got up to it an then I saw that the G2 on one side was clearly broken as you could see the jagged edges. Didn't know how it would be ruled but after about 3hrs of work we got it to check station. The officer at the check station ask if I knew what I was shooting when I pulled the trigger and I told her yes, and when she found out where we were hunting and how hard it was to get the deer out she said that a lot of people would have left it laying. I told her I killed it and if it isn't big enough then Ill pay the fine, that leaving it wasn't an option. She kept the antlers and I got the meat and she wrote me up but did go to the judge on my behalf. I paid a fine but it was greatly reduced. I hate it I shot an illegal deer but I couldn't have lived with myself if I left it laying. Congrats on the buck and don't let this slow you down. Tell the judge what happened, pay your fine if any and move on. Cant let one mistake stop you cause chances are there will be more..Good Luck..

 

[Souhternhunter17]

Honest mistake- man it happens. If you hunt long enough you'll make them (myself included). Don't let it get you down or keep you from hunting and passing it on to your son! Congrats on your buck too, I am glad they let you keep it!

 

[devils12]

DNR should have showed you where you were wrong and helped you fix it. They should go after real poachers and not someone who was a little confused

This x 1000
Congrats on your deer! Stay after it and do not let one mistake get you down.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Man yes! Congrats on the deer!!!

It's amazing how easy it is to screw up with game laws.

One reason I take it with a grain of salt when I hear one of the big name hunters getting a ticket. Unless it smells really really fishy and it truly seems like they did something to conceal a kill I just ignore it. Way too easy to screw up

Get back in the woods brother

 

[Para Bellum]

Georgia's DNR and Wildlife sites are by far the worst in the country. Unbelievably unclear, convoluted and complicated. And just when you get the hang of them, they change them. And it's always more complicated than before. Don't beat yourself up over it one bit brother. Be honest and apologetic and I bet you get a break. Fortunately, our judges are much more common sensed than our game wardens. Who would check an animal knowing they didn't have the right license?? I've been written 3 tickets by game wardens in Georgia and every one of them was thrown out. Over the limit on Pintails for 3 hen Gadwall. Guy didn't know his species. Was thrown out with a picture. Failure to properly sign duck stamp because my "signature was not entirely inside the federal stamp and ran off onto the state license." Judge literally rolled his eyes and said, "Next." Driving down a closed road to unload decoys. Said closed road had no gate, no signs, etc. Thrown out again with pictures of the road entrance. Go to court and good luck!

 

[elfiii]

Congrats on the mountain buck. If I were the judge and you told me what you told us here it would be real hard for me to charge you much more than about $50 and tell you to go and sin no more. You were in the wrong, it was an honest mistake and you admitted it up front and fixed the problem as soon as you realized you didn't have the complete license package. That's a mistake I'm sure you'll never make again!

And yes, I have violated a game law by mistake but I didn't get caught. I realized it after the fact and it has made me a better, lawful, ethical hunter.

 

[Lead Poison]

Georgia has one of he worst, dumbest licensing requirement in the country!

Hope all goes well and it works out for you. Good to see honest sportsmen.

 

[krizia829]

The past couple years I have took interest in hunting and also if my son ever wants to hunt I would like to be able to teach him how to but I have to learn myself. I didn't grow up hunting nor did I have anyone to teach me. My wife's grandfather is a really good hunter but he isn't physically able to go out in the woods with me so, I have been on my own. Last year I took the hunter safety course and got my hunting license. I went a few times but not very often. The hardest challenge to me has been navigating all the regulations. I have gone over and beyond to follow all the rules exactly, I would like to teach my son the right way to enjoy the outdoors. This year I set out to get my first buck. I live in the mountains so hunting is tough but so fun, I scouted out a WMA for 2 days and found good sign and a place I felt confident I could get my first buck. I signed in exactly like I was supposed to and went over the rules again. I woke up the next morning and got to the spot before first light climbed up the tree and got comfortable. Around 10am a 4 point buck came out, and I got him. He ran down a steep hill and I recovered the deer, I field dressed the deer and got a picture. It was the most amazing hunt, I cant even explain in words how awesome it was. I felt so proud and thankful for the experience. I drug the deer up the hill and almost a mile down a closed forest service road to my vehicle. I was so proud of the buck I harvested and excited to show my son. I put the deer in my vehicle and went to check it in at the check in station, I told them it was my first buck, and they seemed proud for me. The Dnr asked for my license and my check in paper. I gave it to him, he left and came back and said why didn't I have the big game license, he said I see you have your hunting license but not the big game license that goes with it. I assured him there must be a mistake because I purchased the two stack annual hunting license and I was sure that came with it, he didn't have cell service but he wrote me a citation for not having it but did not confiscate my first buck. He said he would call me later that evening after he verified. When I got home I got online and it hit me like a ton of bricks how stupid the mistake I made. I thought I bought the sportsman combo that was stacked for 2 years that included evrything I needed to be legal and it read hunting stack two annual. I went to great length to follow the rules, wearing exactly the right amount of orange, not loading my gun until I was in my stand, when and where I could hunt, what was legal to hunt in the area. I failed completely on verifying I had the right license that covered everything I needed, honestly I was convinced I had the right thing and focused on all the other rules I needed to adhere to. I went online immediately and purchased 2 years worth of big game license, and waited for his call, he did call back and said that I did not have the big game license prior to harvesting the buck and he would take the citation to the probate office soon. I went from being completely excited about getting my first buck to extremely embarrassed about my stupid mistake. It intensified my worry about breaking a rule Im not aware of and honestly im not sure if I even want to hunt again after this, because it is not worth the risk. I have a family to support and I can not jeopardize my intergrity in the community or in my job. I cant find any information on the severity of this citation and how this will impact me. If anyone has any advice or thoughts on my situation I would greatly appreciate it.

First of all congratulations on your first buck! But hey, don't kick yourself over the mistake. It can happen to anyone. The excitement alone of the hunt, especially if you're new to the hobby, can make you forget some things. I say just go see the judge, be honest and tell them you even went ahead and purchased the license for the remainder of the season right away to avoid any further mistakes. If you have to pay a fine, pay it. Ask for leniency or anything you can do to lessen the fine. At least you went as far as to check out the buck and provided everything that you were asked to do without hesitation. They may even dismiss the fine. Hunting is an amazing way to get closer to your loved ones and stopping what you love to do over a fine is silly. You admit to your mistake a move forward. We all have to eventually learn some things in life the hard way. Good luck!!