Angered as I saw a deer 'HANGING' off a hitch cargo carrier on the highway today...

[Ifishandhunt]

I was behind this guy in an SUV on the highway and he obviously just killed this deer. It was on a hitch cargo carrier. It was gutted, yes, it was quite obvious as the bloody gaping hole was staring at me and anyone else on the road. All four legs were just hanging off the carrier as the deer was in it, laying on it's side with two bungy straps (one by the neck and one by the hind side) holding the body down. The wet, dirty, salty, muddy road crap was spraying all over it! It was nasty and really TICKED me off.

Here are my thoughts I had when I saw it: I was disgusted as I saw this deer just laying in this carrier on it's side with the whole open body cavity wide open for ALL to see. It was totally disrespectful to the animal he just harvested as well as those he was driving past. All the nasty road slime was spraying all over it. In my opinion it needed to be either covered and then strapped to the carrier OR at least tuck it's legs in and close the body cavity so people don't have to see it. It is a real turn off for many people and is one more 'thing' that gives hunters a bad name to see this going down the highway in such a way. As a hunter who respects the animal I chase, I was disturbed by what I saw.

Am I off base on this?

[metrx]

I TOTALLY agree.  I've seen this plenty of times and it really ticks me off.  Like you said, its disrespectful to the animal and creates more controversy as well as brings unnecessary negative attention to hunters and our sport.  I've seen guys driving with their freshly "harvested" deer in a pickup with the tailgate deliberately left open to "show off" their trophy.  And I'm not talking about a P&Y buck either.  These people are egotistical, self-centered and just want to be noticed. 
Do us as sportsmen a favor, cover it up and share your take with friends and family when you get home or at camp, not the whole world.  If you have to, do it tastefully.
I've had the opportunity to witness this similar act and stop at a red light next to the person.  As I got the driver's attention, we rolled our windows down together and I asked him why he felt the need to so disrespectfully display his harvest.  I can't repeat his response...but I've come to learn that in every profession, every neighborhood, every sport, every walk of life...there are a few people who spoil it for everyone..."we are our own worst enemy" as they say.  All the instruction and education in the world will not change who people are, unless of course, they themselves are willing to change.

[Woods Walker]

Here in Illinois people are used to seeing deer in the back of pickup trucks, lashed to atv trailers, and elsewhere. It's really no big deal.
 
Now I wouldn't haul one the way that was described because of the dirt/salt issue, but as far as hiding my kill, no. I'm not ashamed of what I do. I hunt these deer, and when I kill one I use it for food. Why should I be ashamed of that?
 
We're hunters. We hunt. The purpose of the hunt is to kill game. That's what we do, and PC'ing it doesn't fool anyone.

[Ifishandhunt]

WW,
I think we are all proud hunters and I have no problem hauling a deer in the open, my beef is the way it was hauled on this SUV. I am not ashamed of any animal I kill but I think there is just a more tasteful way of having it strapped to that carrier. Having the legs flailing around and the chest cavity spread wide open so we can see it's bloody ribs from the inside was tacky, not to mention the crap from the road that was spraying in it. It could have been covered to protect it from the road debri and just done with a little more 'tastefulness' as Metrx put it. I am not sure how 'tasteful' a dead animal on your car can be but it has to be better than what I saw today. It just looked really bad and with that it does reflect on all of us as hunters. I, like you, have had my hands covered in blood and guts and literally up to the deer's throat from the inside and seen my share of dead deer and other animals but when I saw this deer on the carrier I even said out loud "that's just nasty". I suppose it's one of those 'you had to be there' moments.

The last deer I killed this year I had in my truck bed. I have a Tonneau cover on the truck so the deer was under it. If I didn't have a cover, I'd still have it in the bed but not hanging out of it or the tailgate left open. That night I had to pick my daughter up from her church youth group (shortly after checking the deer in) and mentioned to her that I had the deer in the bed. The kids and even the youth pastor wanted to come out to see it. I warned them if they did not like the sight of blood or a gutted deer then they shouldn't look. I opened the lift gate and displayed it proudly.

[scotman]

Here in Illinois people are used to seeing deer in the back of pickup trucks, lashed to atv trailers, and elsewhere. It's really no big deal.

Now I wouldn't haul one the way that was described because of the dirt/salt issue, but as far as hiding my kill, no. I'm not ashamed of what I do. I hunt these deer, and when I kill one I use it for food. Why should I be ashamed of that?

We're hunters. We hunt. The purpose of the hunt is to kill game. That's what we do, and PC'ing it doesn't fool anyone.

It is funny that you say that when I first started hunting I was 10 years old we lived on a major motorway and used to spend hours counting the amount of deer on cars and trucks that passed by. I personally never had a problem with the blood aspect of deer and spent my adult life butchering animals. I must have been considered a morbid kid but for me it was not about the blood and open wounds. It was about the meat in the freezer and remembering the hunt.Thanks for bringing back that memory Woods Walker.

[Woods Walker]

You're welcome!
 
I had similar experiences as a child. I grew up in a town on the edge of the suburbs (at that time) in New Jersey. In the center of town, there was a 200 year old building that began it's life as a stage stop, and was now a restaurant. The owner of this place used to go to Maine every fall, and when they got back they'd hang deer and bear on a game pole right out in front on Main Street!  I came from a non-hunting family of city folks, but every fall I'd make my mom drive me downtown to see the game hanging on that pole. There were other factors, but to this day I believe that the hunting spark was lit in me then by seeing those animals on that game pole.
 
The hunters who shot that game are long gone by now, but if I ever meet them in the hereafter, I will THANK them for starting a little boy on his lifelong journey of the hunt!

[vipermann7]

I can agree with the respect and image aspect of this topic, and I agree that more care should be taken. It does show a lack of respect for the animal to slap it on any ole way with legs flopping around and the body hanging open. But it's also an image thing. Some people dont care how it reflects on them personally, but its not about them personally, its about hunting and hunters in general.

The rest of us hunters can look at that and not be too bothered by it. But there is a lot of softies and tree huggers out there that use this kind of thing as ammunition against hunting. We as hunters need to protect ourselves better. The antis come up with enough BS by themselves, we don't need to hand them anything. In this country, a lot of stuff is about image, and the plain and simple truth is that kind of behavior pastes a bad image. I'm proud of my harvests as well and love to show them off, but we as hunters do need to be mindful of how we do it and the message it is sending to everyone around us.

[Ifishandhunt]

WW... I grew up in Jersey... East Hanover. Where abouts are you talking.

[Woods Walker]

Scotch Plains. This was in the 50's and 60's. I shot my first pheasant at the Troy Hills Rod And Gun Club (LOOOONG GONE!!) that was not too far from East Hanover.

[scotman]

That is a cool story WW.

Yea I do understand the whole image of hunters and totally respect your view of feeling it is damaging our image. I agree I would have probably thought the guy is going to ruin all that meat. I look at it like those same treehuggers are going to be against whatever hunting is and is not. They are going to exaggerate us out be just a bunch of guys and gals that are out for blood no matter what we do.