Cat killed our target buck

kickerbuck · 2024-10-03T15:28:21-0600

I found this buck in July and had a hard time keeping tabs on him. He was in some nasty country and I finally found him a few weeks back right at dark. My kid has a youth tag that started 5 days earlier than the general hunt so I thought we had a chance at him. After walking in about 5 miles on the other side of the canyon from where I had glassed him from my kid went down to get water at the spring and found him dead at the spring just above the last place I saw him. His nose was crushed and you could see the bite marks. Super depressing a little but it is Oregon and the Steens unit so no shortage of cats just deer. Anyway kind of amazing to find our target buck to begin with then actually find his horns. He was super cool heavy Horned 4x7 with lots of mass. My kid is 0-3 as he is waiting for the right buck and he would of fit the bill.

HntHrdr · 2024-10-03T15:35:38-0600

Woah

awesome buck! Kind of disappointing I’m sure to find him like that, I guess the deadhead is kind of a cool consolation prize

kickerbuck · 2024-10-03T15:38:03-0600

Well it's Oregon and you're not allowed to take them here, only naturally she'd from the skull.

HntHrdr · 2024-10-03T15:43:51-0600

kickerbuck said:
Well it's Oregon and you're not allowed to take them here, only naturally she'd from the skull.

Didn’t know that, dang

LIK2HNT · 2024-10-03T16:05:20-0600

That was a bummer. Bet your heart sank when you saw and realize it was that buck.
If you call fish and game will they allow you to keep the dead head?

kickerbuck · 2024-10-03T16:14:47-0600

No, it has to be for public use or display like a College, School, Hunter Ed class, ect. No private use. Trust me I had to talk my son off the ledge bc he was hell bent on taking it home with us ugh........................ And yes it was very heartbreaking to find him dead considering we walked 5 miles out and hunted in the area for 2 days looking for him or any other mature buck.

Togwotee · 2024-10-03T17:01:00-0600

It's legal to take them during season with a valid tag isn't it ? if I didn't fill my tag I'd go back and get it.

This is why we don't have deer anymore. they're all dog and cat food.

kickerbuck · 2024-10-03T17:39:18-0600

No, a valid tag does not allow you to keep the dead head we would be in unlawful possession of it. Very gray area for my kid to tag and keep it, he wanted to keep hunting and try to get his first buck.

And yes the deer numbers and deer sign are AWFUL! And Tog I know you know where we were there should be deer everywhere, but they're not there!

Aerosith · 2024-10-03T19:26:56-0600

kickerbuck said:
No, a valid tag does not allow you to keep the dead head we would be in unlawful possession of it. Very gray area for my kid to tag and keep it, he wanted to keep hunting and try to get his first buck.

And yes the deer numbers and deer sign are AWFUL! And Tog I know you know where we were there should be deer everywhere, but they're not there!

Well if he can't fill his tag before the season ends, at least you can tag the deadhead.

Bluehair · 2024-10-03T19:31:05-0600

Yup…be suspicious of any lion kill that has a nose intact.

schoolhousegrizz · 2024-10-03T19:40:35-0600

kickerbuck said:
No, it has to be for public use or display like a College, School, Hunter Ed class, ect. No private use. Trust me I had to talk my son off the ledge bc he was hell bent on taking it home with us ugh........................ And yes it was very heartbreaking to find him dead considering we walked 5 miles out and hunted in the area for 2 days looking for him or any other mature buck.

Liberal states are the worst

JPickett · 2024-10-03T19:44:28-0600

That head would definitely be in my garage…

Buckfever34 · 2024-10-03T20:56:49-0600

Dumber than a box of Biden’s cereal you can’t keep the head as a pickup.

Rule would just make me have to become a criminal no way I’d leave it behind.