txshntr, just for pure entertainment value, I'd pay twenty bucks to be a fly on the wall and watch you refuse the GW's request that you punch your tag, should he demand it. I have a feeling that you'd very soon come around to his way of thinking.......

That said, I just can't conceive any scenario whereby a game animal would be allowed to go to waste. Cool heads would eventually prevail and the hunter would get to retrieve his deer. Someway, somehow.

I've never heard of a GW in Texas making someone burn a tag before I guess you learn something new every day.

So if I get me a hog dog and permit him to go where ever he wants to wander, I can follow and retrieve my dog. The burning question to me is that you ALLOW the dog to do this and you think it's your right to follow the dog onto other peoples property with out permission and hunt? Sounds like some landowners need to start using some big, leg breaking, traps. It's wrong to injure and animal just because a room temperature IQ hunter wants to trespass, and I wouldn't, but I can see it coming. Some folks are real sensitive about their land.

The tag is a carcass tag, not a "I killed one that I didn't retrieve" tag. If you wound one and don't recover, you don't burn a tag.

I am not one to argue with a LEO and will comply with most request. I am not one the "internet tough guy" types that pretends to make some great stand against "the man." I respect what they do but I do not believe there is a GW with as little knowledge of the law that he would make this request. But if there was and I encountered one that did not have a relationship with an land owner not willing to allow access to their property and he made this request...there would be an argument and if I had to take it farther, I would.

And as far as a land owner that would not allow you to cross the fence to allow retrieval, they are out there and a GW can do nothing about it. Property rights laws are stronger than game laws.

I wouldn't hunt if I made shots like that

I'm sure many will argue this but most hog doggers don't respect property lines. They just don't-operating under the theory that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. I grew up in east TX and know lots of hoggers. Most of them are otherwise good guys but they start out on a property they can hunt and just go wherever the dogs take them from there. Just the way it is. If they are confronted they just pull out the old "Just getting my dog" story.

I would guess maybe 1 in 10 respect property lines.

East TEXAS, I'd guess 1 in 100. Most properties aren't large enough. You can read evidence of this on a particular east Texas hog dogging forum.

We used to have this type of problems with people like this that they think they have the right to go on every property they want, we started confiscating EVERY THING and send them but naked and barefooted back the way they came in, so far no trespassers, once the word get out there around those low life kind of people they will know what is waiting for them they wont do nothing about it cause they know they were trespassing just dont go to far if you know what iam talking about and youll be alright

So you're absolutely, 100%, not capable of making an unintended marginal shot? Maybe a bullet that doesn't perform as advertised? Maybe a deer that moved as you're squeezing the trigger? Maybe a deer that's just a little tougher than normal? Just curious.
BTW, the end result of the OP's story was a dead deer at the end of a blood trail.

Sorry im not going to let that deer go to waste... and ill gladly take a ticket

Always try to keep the neighbors close for that reason... some are just going to be Dbags just so they can poke their chest out. I try to be reasonable with anyone that comes onto my property... If I saw someone crossing my place to get a dog id go give them my number and let them know no hunting on my place and don't bring your gun or bow with you, just give me a call and let me know what you are doing before you do it. Who would really be that big of an arse to not let someone retrieve a downed animal off their property... hell I got a neighbor I don't much care for but id still let them go get it if they could show me it was shot on their side... id feel like id be the one that deserved a ticket if I didn't

Kind of a grey area there, If you think its ok to cross a fence to retrieve a dog without the land owner's permission then it should be understood that a land owner can shoot the dog without your permission. I've hunted behind dogs several times and have talked to land owners before we hunted to let them know and ask if this were to happen if we could retrieve the dogs. Most the times there was no problem. We all know you cant always control a dog especially if he's cut a scent. But no one likes trespassers especially hunting trespassers. Get to know your neighbors before you just assume their land is your land. See the grey is gone.

I get what y'all are saying about being reasonable. I am a very reasonable and accomodating neighbor. But the hoggers I know 1)aren't neighbors and 2)aren't looking for a dog-they are following dog/s with a gun hunting hogs.

They just give you the "Only looking for my dog" story if you catch them. It is the standard line because that's all they can say.....

Like the marvelous former Maverick Josh Howard said - "you can't control what the ball do.....".

Kills me these guys think it is OK to trespass.

Why not train your dog to come back to you when called. It's not that hard. Then you and your dog will be safe. You don't end up in trouble.

I agree, I had always assumed that this was part of their training until now. I'd think it would be the hardest part but the most important. Surely you don't just let me go and hope for the best. Seems that there is a few situations besides trespassing that you would want to recall your dogs.

It doesn't work. But garmin and tritronics have a collar with a huge range. You "could" shock em if they were about to cross boundaries. But most likely, you will end up shocking the hunt right out of them. Then you are stuck with a dog that wont hunt for fear of getting shocked.

If my rifle doesn't zero or fires randomly, I don't take it hunting. What's the difference?

Don't get me wrong, I am not arguing for them. Just repeating something I have heard from numerous hunters. Because of this problem, I won't hunt with a friend that runs dogs.

If it's got 4 legs with a tail it gets hard for me to tell if it's a coyote or not.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Thread title is wrong, your hunt got ruined by poachers, not trespassers. They were out hunting, not merely walking around.

Dogs dont get cut any slack around here...

A dog that won't come is only worth as much as the bullet needed to put it down.

Hunting or not they were still trespassing, silly goose.

Exactly and well said, should be for anyone's property when someone accesses it without landowner permission.

Written in regulation on trespassing quite well.