Finders keepers...and for this Illinois snowmobiler, that means a brute of a whitetail buck.
What would you do if you came across a brute of a whitetail buck lying dead in a field? If you reside in the state of Illinois, a salvage tag can be issued if conservation police deem the animal did not meet its demise through the act of poaching.
This scenario presented itself back in 2016, when a snowmobiler traveling through fields in rural Amboy, Illinois found a dead buck and put in a request for a salvage tag.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police arrived on scene, and after an investigation by CPO Teas and CPO Beltran, it was determined that poaching did not take place and the person who found it was ultimately awarded the deer.
The hind quarter was apparently damaged as a result of coyotes.
When all was said and done, the deer's death resulted in one impressive trophy mount opportunity!
What do you believe the cause of death was for this mature whitetail deer? Old age? CWD? Exhaustion or internal injury from the rut?
Whatever the case, it's good to know the deer was harvested before coyotes made quick work of it.
NEXT: MY CHANCE MEETING WITH A BRUTE OF A BUCK I NAMED 'BARBED WIRE'
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