Tracking Game Onto State Parks Property

December 14, 2017

Question: Just a quick question about tracking a deer or hog. If we’re hunting on private property, with permission of course, and an animal is wounded and its trail leads into a state park that borders the private property, what do we do? Contact the ranger of that park or just go in and retrieve it? I know we can’t have weapons in state parks. (Dean)

Answer: The best thing to do in this situation would be to contact your local wildlife officer and ask them to help facilitate the retrieval of the animal. When archery hunting, it is recommended to hunt farther from property boundaries to avoid this type of problem as animals taken with archery equipment usually travel farther after a lethal wound than those shot with a rifle.