Deadhead in Utah

TWALL · Oct 22, 2013

Alright I have a question for you all. So I read it is illegal to pick up a dead head with antlers attached in the state of Utah. So with that being said, is that something that is usually prosecuted? I found a deadhead on the rifle hunt but left it since I was unsure on the law and it was a great buck. Would I have had any issues if I did pick it up?

elkassassin · Oct 22, 2013

Just do it Legal!

Contact the DWR/Warden!

They might keep it!

They might give it back to you!

They might check it for Tye350's Slugs!

Kiddin Tye!

Was it a Fresh Kill?

I used to know of places worth Hiking in to for Elk & Deer!
Thanks to Illegal Bastards & the USFS not enforcing Rules you can Zing in to them Places on Wheelers now & not see a Damn thing!
But by GAWD it don't take long for them U-Tards to get there with all the Unethical BS and the New Technology!

TWALL · Oct 22, 2013

I think it was an archery kill, it was pretty bleached, but had some velvet on one side. Maybe I'll see if it is still there and give them a call, it was a great buck!

I saw where someone had tracked an animal to within 1/2 mile of where the buck was (orange tape on trees down a trail) so I assume they tracked it for awhile, just came up short.

bonepicker · Oct 23, 2013

Yeah just go through the proper channels, if you get to keep it you won't have to worry about getting a ticket 5-10 years down the road.

Gunnie3035 · Oct 25, 2013

If it was killed with a weapon and they find evidence of such then you will not get to keep it. And yes they will write you if they catch ya in possession.

nontypical · Oct 27, 2013

In Wyoming, it's also illegal to pick up a deadhead, but there is no law against cutting off each antler, and taking it home that way. Go figure. Maybe Utah is the same?

anadavid25 · Oct 30, 2013

That's illegal in Wyoming? Since when?

nfh · Nov 3, 2013

>That's illegal in Wyoming? Since when?
>

started few years ago. Have to contact a game warden and get a tag that cost $10 bucks. If its super nice I go through the process. If its old I leave it. But after you find a few deadheads and get to know the game warden I can just pick it up and take pictures of the deadhead and show him the pictures. But its building that trust. ITs kinda tough when you find a deadhead 17 miles in the backcountry and trying to get time to show the warden.

DesertGhillie · Nov 4, 2013

This is such an idiotic rule! If a poacher wants a buck, they're not going to leave it around awhile to bleach.

deerslayer88 · Nov 4, 2013

That's what I was thinking. If I am going to kill a monster buck out of season. I am going to take the parts and make it look like a some what legal kill. Leaving the head just reeks of hey come and get me when you go back for it.

utarchery · Jan 13, 2014

if it was human caused then theres no chance of you getting it back. if it was of natural causes then theres a chance you could get it back

YELUM · Jan 13, 2014

What would be real cool, and nice, is if you state what unit, and help an archer retrieve his buck. I do think if the hunter notified the DWR, and it is found, the the hunter can keep it.

Yelum

Theres logic, and theres women. They don't go together.

jstwnahnt · Feb 17, 2014

One of my buddies found a dead head during the hunt. Found a officer asked him if he could get it. The officer wrote him a "tag" so he could legally go and retrieve it. Pretty simple.

utarchery · Feb 17, 2014

>One of my buddies found a
>dead head during the hunt.
>Found a officer asked him
>if he could get it.
>The officer wrote him a
>"tag" so he could legally
>go and retrieve it. Pretty
>simple.

that officer is cutting corners or is lazy because they have to submit paperwork and do an investigation on the animal to determine the cause of death

TWALL · Feb 20, 2014

I'm with a lot of you guys on this, honestly a poacher is not going to leave the head out to bleach and crack. The deadhead that I stumbled upon was in the Central Mountains Manti Unit, in the southern part of the unit.

Now on this deadhead from my investigative work I could tell it was not poached, it seemed like a deer that was lost during the archery hunt. I could even see orange markers where they had tracked the deer and if it was the same tracking job, they gave up within 200 yards of finding the buck. It was a really nice 4x4, probably about 170-180 buck. Sad that he was lost.

boottracks · Feb 26, 2014

I have found a couple dead heads in Utah. I called DWR went out with the officer a couple days later and watched the investigation. With bleached skulls they are mostly looking for anything that may look for a bullet hole in the skull as a poacher is likely to shoot the deer directly in the head for a quick kill and quick get-away. The officer I went with found no evidence of a human kill. With a buck that was much older and really bleached out he hardly investigated. He took the bucks had me email his supervisor explaining that we had looked at bucks and found evidence suggesting poaching. A few days later the DWR officer came over to my house gave me both bucks and wrote me a receipt of possession allowing me to have the bucks in my possession. It wasn't as painful as I had thought it would be.