Wanton Waste Laws

[X13]

If caught, that is wonton waste. Same with a cooler of fish.

Is that in statute somewhere?

Edit: CO and Montana seem to be written in a manner that can be applied even after the game leaves the field.

 

[X13]

MA's law, it was enacted mostly because of coyote hunters leaving them where they lay... now you have to skin a yote.

@JT13 I went down this rabbit hole a while ago and noticed NH and I believe VT don't have laws on the books but you have to take out deer whole. So you could take the deer out, check it, then cut off the antlers and chuck the rest.

In general I think NE needs more wanton waste and edible portions laws on the books and should scrap the "out whole rules", especially as more and more hunters are on public.

Also a number of states don't have salvage laws for meat on bears, which I disagree with... Idaho for one.

View attachment 231617

PA essentially falls flat once you put your tag on a critter. Tagging makes that animal "yours" and you can essentially do with it as you please.

One could make a spirited argument that it's legal to kill an animal, tag it, remove the head, and leave the rest of the carcass behind on private property. It's also not illegal to trap and kill furbearers and throw them in the trash. Not illegal to shoot a limit of pheasants and toss them in the compost pile. Not illegal to kill a bear, take it to a check station, then leave it in your truck bed until it rots. Need I keep going?

It's good to see that some states are doing it right (mostly western). I plan on drafting something for the powers that be that's based on some of these more appropriately written laws.

 

[hank4elk]

Saw several cases filed and they guilty endings in CA. Coolers of fish. Took forever to get there.

 

[X13]

Saw several cases filed and they guilty endings in CA. Coolers of fish. Took forever to get there.

Understood. Figured you were talking about NM which only has the section below which is species specific and stops at recovery and removal from the field.


From NM-

Waste of Game
Anyone who takes a Barbary sheep, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, ibex, oryx, pronghorn or turkey must transport from the field the edible portions for human consumption. The edible portions of game animals include all four quarters, backstraps, tenderloins and the neck meat. Hunters are not required to remove the rib cage or organs of game mammals from the field. The edible portions of turkey include the breast, legs and thigh meat. Anyone who wounds or may have wounded any big-game species must go to the place where the animal sustained the wound or may have sustained the wound and make a reasonable attempt to track and kill the animal. This requirement does not authorize trespass on private land. Call 1-800-432-4263 for assistance recovering a wounded animal that enters private land.

Anyone who takes or kills a Barbary sheep, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, ibex, oryx, pronghorn or turkey outside of the legal season or without a valid license, which taking or killing results in waste of the animal, is guilty of a 4th-degree felony. Waste of the animal consists of removing from the animal only the head, antlers or horns or abandoning any of the four quarters, backstraps or tenderloins of the carcass. A violation of the provisions of this paragraph is intended to be separate from and cumulative to any other violation of Chapter 17 NMSA 1978.

 

[hank4elk]

Understood. Figured you were talking about NM which only has the section below which is species specific and stops at recovery and removal from the field.


From NM-

Waste of Game
Anyone who takes a Barbary sheep, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, ibex, oryx, pronghorn or turkey must transport from the field the edible portions for human consumption. The edible portions of game animals include all four quarters, backstraps, tenderloins and the neck meat. Hunters are not required to remove the rib cage or organs of game mammals from the field. The edible portions of turkey include the breast, legs and thigh meat. Anyone who wounds or may have wounded any big-game species must go to the place where the animal sustained the wound or may have sustained the wound and make a reasonable attempt to track an kill the animal. This requirement does not authorize trespass on private land. Call 1-800-432-4263 for assistance recovering a wounded animal that enters private land.

Anyone who takes or kills a Barbary sheep, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, ibex, oryx, pronghorn or turkey outside of the legal season or without a valid license, which taking or killing results in waste of the animal, is guilty of a 4th-degree felony. Waste of the animal consists of removing from the animal only the head, antlers or horns or abandoning any of the four quarters, backstraps or tenderloins of the carcass. A violation of the provisions of this paragraph is intended to be separate from and cumulative to any other violation of Chapter 17 NMSA 1978.

There are 2 cases now before the Game Commish and they just upped the anti for the dirtbags. $10k fines and 10 years no hunting. Mule deer headhunters on the oilfields.
2 cases, in thousands of case examples on file...

 

[longbow51]

I know when hunting caribou in AK the guide was adamant about taking the rib meat, and reminding us if asked by a warden to say we did.

As for organ meats, never heard of a warden in MT checking for that.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Alaska law is very strict, don’t have it in front of me but worth looking at.
Among other things the law requires that all edible meat is in camp before the head and horns. I’ve been told of guys getting cited because the guy packing the head and horns happened to get into camp before (minutes) the guys with the rest of the meat.
Regardless; it is a very thorough statute and an excellent model in my opinion.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Alaska law is very strict, don’t have it in front of me but worth looking at.
Among other things the law requires that all edible meat is in camp before the head and horns. I’ve been told of guys getting cited because the guy packing the head and horns happened to get into camp before (minutes) the guys with the rest of the meat.
Regardless; it is a very thorough statute and an excellent model in my opinion.