[bmelvin]

Leased a new property this year and had high hopes that it could be a great spot in a couple years with proper management. Was told there was a cop that lived next door that also hunted his own property and made it a point to introduce myself and see what he was all about. Thought he was a good guy until tonight. His father stuck a deer on Tuesday and they couldn't find it. Turns out it was a great two year old I had let walk twice already and the cop even said he was a keeper for the next year. Then today I get to the farm and we find the buck floating in the pond. My stomach sank when I saw what deer it was but I figured hey things happen. I then told the guy that I found the deer and his first question was can I have the rack. I said sure just come get the whole thing. I then wanted to confirm his father would tag the deer. He said he assumed so. They immediately raised red flags. So I politelty asked that he shoot me the conformation number when he did so I could let the property owner know everything had been handled correctly. That's when his true character came out. He stated that since th deer was of no use to them anymore they would not be tagging it. Real class act. I reported it to the wardens but since it was not in his possession legally there was nothing they could do. Atleast I got to know what kind of people they were early on.

 

[bmelvin]

Thanks deuce. And yes Ted your are correct. But I was trying to be a good guy and let them come get it I never thought about them not tagging it until he balked at my question but by then it was to late.

 

[bmelvin]

Yea I am not going to continue with the issue. I did let the owner know because he was concerned with the whole situation

 

[bmelvin]

Let floating bucks float lol.You called a woods cop on a street cop and tried to stick the cops dad with a four day old floating carcass because he snuffed a deer you passed.and all he did was ask if he could have the antlers thats friggin funny shit!

I tried to stick his dad with a four day old carcass?!?!? I tried to give the guy who shot the buck his buck. And when I realized the guy and his father would just cut the rack off and not tag the deer and probably go around sticking more that's when I made the call. I guess you would cut the rack off a deer you shoot and not tag it also. Sounds like your a hell of a guy.

 

[bmelvin]

And you must be a cop otherwise I'm not sure what could be found funny about my post. Also just so you are aware. By the post you just made you solidified negative connotation that cops have on this sight. I'll let you look that word up

 

[bmelvin]

Even though yea it sucked that his dad stuck a great two your old prospect that's not what pissed me off. If his dad would have been happen with that deer on the wall then so be it. But what was not right was that bc the buck no longer was perfect and they couldn't get meat out of it he wanted nothing to do with it. And when I questioned their intent to tag the deer that's when the gloves came off and they showed what kind of not only hunters they were but men. That's when I made the call

 

[bmelvin]

I know a lot great hunters that's are even better people. This just boiks down to their character. Not exactly the type of eople I would want standing between my family and harm.

 

[bmelvin]

I wonder if you would have posted this if there were no "cops" involved? Or better yet, does it make the story any better or worse because somewhere in the equation you were able to point out the fact that there was a "cop" involved. Okay so you're a saint for telling them were the deer was, but maybe you should have minded your own business from that point on and go back to being the perfect law abiding citizen that you are. For all you know they may not have retrieved the deer at all or maybe they decided to go ahead and tag the deer after all... you never really do know and at the point when you decided to notify F&G you really didn't know, correct?

Would it be at all possible that your mad because someone else shot a deer that you would have liked to shoot yourself, but didn't so now you're seeking retribution anyway possible?

yes I would have posted this regardless. I could care less the guy was a cop but when the wardens tell me he called in and has "friends" that just pisses me off.

I have a ton of friends and even more family that are cops in NJ and NY. Majority of cops are fantastic human beings and I am glad to call them my friends. However being in that roll comes with some responsibilities. You should lead by example. Atleast that is my thinking. And to answer your question how do I know what they were going to do??? He told me flat out they would not tag the deer.

Nownto to answer other questions.
gutpile like I said my response has nothing to do with the deer. I am blessed to hunt in a few spots that produce some of the larger deer in NJ I let dozens of this kind of buck walk a year. But what pissed me off once again was the fact that they said the deer is no longer good to them so they won't tag it. Those are their words not mine. And if it was me I would have tagged it in a second. It was less then a week ago his father shot the deer. Now if it was found a month from now and I had been hunting up until this time I would have then tagged the deer. Again it just boils down to morals and ethics.

Snitches get stitches.

now that was an intelligent response.

 

[bmelvin]

i don't think this really has anything to do with a cop seems to me its all about the bone……if this was a doe we and he didn't tag it we would not be having this discussion, as someone else said this happens a lot and not just in NJ.you know this is not actually your property you are given permission or leasing you why start problems that could jeopardize that, and the unthinkable you shoot a huge buck it goes onto his property or some other property and they refuse you to go on and get it. just saying sometimes you may not like the shit you get served but need to eat it anyway…..just my 2 cents!!

You are not comparing apples to apples I would assume they wouldn't mind tagging it since it would not limit their hunting since this zone has limitless antlerless deer. And you are correct that situation may happen but if i was to base my decision making process on the actions of others not doing the right thing I would be ashamed of myself

 

[bmelvin]

Flip it around...say your dad shot a deer, found a few days later by the cop, he tells you and asks if you are going to tag it then says he wants you to send him the confirmation number to be sure "everything had been handled correctly" (and I'm curious just how polite your tone was considering your feelings on the finding a buck dead you had already passed twice and wanted to keep for next year). You'd be here complaining it's none of his business, it's not his deer, not his land, you don't have to send him the confirmation number, it's just a rotting carcass anyway, blah, blah, blah.

Sorry man you don't know me he wouldn't have even had to ask. And I was extremely polite and respectful. Guys that know me on here can attest to that. At no time did I get nasty or negative.

 

[bmelvin]

like I said this is all about the bone!!!!!

On their end I would assume you are correct. But not mine

 

[bmelvin]

Again just to be clear his father shot the deer so the final decision I am assuming was the fathers but the son didn't seem to upset about it. And once again the son being a cop really doesn't matter except that I would think he would do the right thing. And If nothing else learn that in NJ possession is everything. Hopefully this never happens again but if there is a next time I will let whomever it is take the deer and then begin the process.

 

[bmelvin]

The cop bashing on here used to bother me.. Until I realized why it takes place. It's human nature to be jealous of those who have things that you do not. A lot of idiots on here love stereotyping cops. I was a gun owner and hunter long before I was a cop. Judge people for who they are, not by what they do for a living.

I agree completely. But again in that role i would assume doing the right thing should be automatic. Again I have a lot of family that are cops. My brother was in law enforcement for over 25 years. I called him immediately when it went down and his first response was "when you get off the phone with me call the wardens, but be prepared most likely nothing will be done". I knew that going into it but it was still the correct way to handle the situation

 

[bmelvin]

You are right, I don't know you...and you really don't know him. Well, you thought he was a good guy until his father shoots a deer they don't find until it's rotten and the police officer now has no class or is a dirt bag because of what...because he didn't charge his father for not tagging the rotting deer?

I'm sorry Melvin, maybe you are a by the book, straight arrow but if you're honest with yourself, you will admit what the rest of us see here. The fact that you passed this nice buck hoping to shoot it later when it was even bigger, and someone else shot it has you miffed, and you are lashing out about it. I also suspect you don't realize that your tone may not have been as "polite" as you remember. Just from what you posted it sounds like you were accusatory and confrontational. You tell a guy you want him to text you the conformation number on a rotting deer that his father shot, so you know "everything was handled correctly"? His thought probably was it's none of your business. If it was me, and I was tagging it, I would feel absolutely no obligation to text you the confirmation number and may have told you the same thing. But since he doesn't defer to your self-appointed Woods Monitor role, he has no class or is not a good guy, really?

Like I said, flip it around, I'm sure you would feel he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong, maybe even trying to intimidate you with his badge because you shot a deer he wanted to kill next year. That post would have been..."Neighbor cop tries to use his badge and intimidate me by telling me I have to send him my confirmation number of a deer I didn't even find until it was already rotten/decomposed/just bones (whatever) because he is mad I shot it after he passed it up wanting to shoot it himself when it got bigger"...or something like that.

Again your incorrect. Originally I didn't ask for the confirmation number but once I realized they would just cut the rack off and toss the deer and not tag it that's when I asked for the number. And yes i passed the deer and even got some great footage of him but that means nothing. I pass dozens of deer like that a year and if someone shoots one and is happy with it great. I'll even film them doing so. I actually even offered to film he or his father anytime. But what I have a problem with is someone wasting a deer. Everyone sticks a deer eventually it's part of bow hunting but holding ones self to a standard is difference. And if you can't see that the reason I was upset is bc of how they were trying to handle the situation vs a two ur old buck being shot then I explain it any clearer. All the guys I hunt with would have never even hesitated to tag that deer. Just the standard we hold our selves to. And again I originally did not ask for the confirmation number. But when I asked if the deer would be tagged the response was along the lines of yea I assume so. After he asked me if he can have the rack. If they would have said of course I would have helped them cut the rack off myself. I have been sending trail pics of all the bucks in the area to this guy talking hunting and trying to be a good guy. We even spoke about exact buck a week before and both agreed he would very nice next year. His exact words to me were "my dad and I don't shoot keepers". That's also why this really pissed me off. He even told me stories about a guy who hunts the same area and sticks deer and he hates it bc he watches the deer all year and then this guy comes in and ruins the area. And then this. You can twist it anyway you want. The right thing to do was clear.

 

[bmelvin]

I see a lot of angles to the story. definitely some sour grapes by Melvin that the cops dad shot "his" buck and he just got permission to hunt the property and now he's already got" his" buck. that deer was lost you don't know how long they tried to track it and now it's rotten deer get wasted all the time only thing that cops father done wrong technically if you're going to keep the rack you got to tag it. I don't see it as a cop deal but here's my $0.02 worth. most cops are good guys couple of dirtbags. what pisses most of us off and generates all this cop bashing or a lot of it is the good cops will blindly protect the scum bags no matter what they do and we all see that and yes it pisses us off. Yet why can't most cops see the obvious & break the blue wall bullshi@ when appropriate. The never snitch rule works in prison maybe but shouldn't b used by cops

It's not my buck I can't say it any other way I don't care that he shot the buck only that he wasted the buck. And yes I know how long they tracked it for bc he texted me that night. But that still doesn't matter. It just boils down to doing the right thing and holding yourself to a standard period.

 

[bmelvin]

I don't understand how you consider a rotten carcass, "wasting a deer".

Because legally you can not take any part of the deer including the antlers without tagging it. There for this deer will kust be dumped in the woods to rot. If they wanted the rack as they expressed then tag the deer and all is good in the world.

 

[bmelvin]

Here's another question. Why not tag that deer, buy a cape, mount the bone and get another doe for the meat? Or did he not like what he shot and now is poaching???????????? Seems like this probably isn't the first time these POS's were doing this! Obviously pure speculation...

Exactly what I said when the warden said they don't want it bc the meat is bad. My reply was why not tag the buck take the rack and then shoot does for meat. Covers all bases. But of course that is not what they want.

 

[bmelvin]

Speculation is that they could not do as you said, ( know a few who have for various reasons) cause they didn't earn the buck. again PURE speculation. as I don't know. I have lost the meat, but I have never lost the deer.

The man who shot the buck did in fact harvest a doe prior. So that is put to rest. It just was a bad call on their part on how to handle it

 

[bmelvin]

I know the game laws, but this just comes across as whiny!

Being upset about Wasting an animal is whiny?!?! Please explain

 

[bmelvin]

so you are pissed at the cop, but not the spineless wardens who can be swayed by a guy calling in a favor? If you were truly pissed, you would have asked to speak to the wardens superior officer.

Legally since it is not in their possession no law has been broken. And as a technicality there is no way to prove it was their buck. Learned a big lesson here.