10-03-2009, 01:22 AM
So I was driving up the North Ogden Divide today and decided to stop and glass the opposite side for some deer. As soon as I got out of the truck I could smell something dead. I looked around and didn't see anything. As I crested the egde of the road I looked down the hill, I saw a nice size muley rack. The rack was attached to somewhat of a body with no back end. There were also 4 front quarters all skinned out scattered around the hill. The deer had been skinned half way and the skin was up around the head and the back straps had been removed.
Before moving or touching the carcass or anything I had a big decision to make. Do I take the head and antlers and leave, or do I notify the DWR and let them take the antlers and forget about the whole thing. I have heard many stories about the DWR not even thinking twice about giving some guy the antlers to a poached kill or even a road kill. Most likely they end up in some officers garden or in the DWRs antler Auction.
After trying to figure out what could have happened. I decided that something was pretty wierd about the whole thing and I called the DWR. There was an officer there within 20 minutes which was nice and I got to watch him investigate the whole thing. We pulled the deer out of the Divide and onto the pull out off of the road. We found several bullet holes (Centerfire), and found that it was infact a "Poach and Dump" job. But who takes the back straps and not the antlers of nice buck? There were three deer total dumped, or what was left of them anyway.
So after an hour of trying to figure the whole thing out and trying to locate bullet fragments, the officer called it quits. He cut the head off and said there was nothing else for him to do. I asked him if I could take the antlers and he told me that he would have to talk to his boss and he would let me know.
I'm going to do everything I can to get the antlers, but I'm not sure that I will get them. So what do you guys think will happen with this?
Here's the pics.
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Before moving or touching the carcass or anything I had a big decision to make. Do I take the head and antlers and leave, or do I notify the DWR and let them take the antlers and forget about the whole thing. I have heard many stories about the DWR not even thinking twice about giving some guy the antlers to a poached kill or even a road kill. Most likely they end up in some officers garden or in the DWRs antler Auction.
After trying to figure out what could have happened. I decided that something was pretty wierd about the whole thing and I called the DWR. There was an officer there within 20 minutes which was nice and I got to watch him investigate the whole thing. We pulled the deer out of the Divide and onto the pull out off of the road. We found several bullet holes (Centerfire), and found that it was infact a "Poach and Dump" job. But who takes the back straps and not the antlers of nice buck? There were three deer total dumped, or what was left of them anyway.
So after an hour of trying to figure the whole thing out and trying to locate bullet fragments, the officer called it quits. He cut the head off and said there was nothing else for him to do. I asked him if I could take the antlers and he told me that he would have to talk to his boss and he would let me know.
I'm going to do everything I can to get the antlers, but I'm not sure that I will get them. So what do you guys think will happen with this?
Here's the pics.
[signature]