Locals arrested for Deer Meat in truck

meanwhile · #1 03/27/12, 06:57 AM

Local man, woman charged with transporting deer meat | BlueRidgeNow.com

This caught my attention since recently a family friend asked us if we wanted to buy some Deer Meat. Since we only eat small amounts of meat, we did not buy any but this article now makes me wonder about buying Deer Meat from others?

As with any news story, there is probably more to this but I wanted to post it in case others might get offered Deer Meat for purchase that might not be "legal."

yikes · #2 03/27/12, 07:16 AM

I believe in Indiana you must keep the deer tag with the meat until the meat is all gone. Therefore I would not want more than one or two packages in my freezer without the tag or a photo copy of it.

||Downhome|| · #3 03/27/12, 07:23 AM

In Michigan it's Illegal to sell any game meat or parts. exceptions are fur and such to legal buyers, I.E licensed.

I'm not sure and have not looked into it recently but last I knew even farm raised venison was Illegal. may still be a grey area.

the law also says you can only have venison so long. I forget the date but if a CO went in your freezer and found it you could be cited.

Jan in CO · #4 03/27/12, 07:32 AM

Same in Colorado. Tag must remain with the meat. Not sure how you do it if you are taking the head to the taxidermist, I'll have to check with hubby. In any case, I wouldn't buy from a stranger anyway. How would you know how the carcass was field dressed, handled, etc, even if they had the tag with it?

SFM in KY · #5 03/27/12, 07:41 AM

I know there were 'game farms' in MT and WY that raised deer/elk/buffalo for commercial sale. I know there are a lot of permits/regulations required ... but farm-raised 'wildlife' meat can be sold under those regulations.

Otherwise, it is illegal to sell meat from hunted game. Not sure of the regulations concerning the meat from legally hunted animals except for the tag being required if requested.

arabian knight · #6 03/27/12, 07:42 AM

Same in WI also. Tag Must stay on.

jross · #7 03/27/12, 07:50 AM

It is illegal to sell any wild game meat in New Jersey and the metal possession tag must be held until the meat is consumed. If it is given away, a written note with the tag number is to be included with the meat, and that has to be kept until that meat is consumed.

||Downhome|| · #8 03/27/12, 07:51 AM

Seems the time limitation on venison was repealed.

And as long as you have all the paper work on captive raised venison , sale is legal.

I'm not quite sure on what federal and state regulations are in place for those kinds of animals as far as butcher and inspection.

honeyrobber · #9 03/27/12, 08:17 AM

EAch states laws on wild game meat are a bit different. My cousin is a taxadermist and has had clients run into the issue of the tag has to stay with the head and the meat. If you photo copy the tag it is not the tag and you still have problems but most officers are understanding of this problem in the law. So if you show a photo copy and say the head is being mounted there is not usually any problem. Again you can not sell any game meat wether fish or mammal.

haypoint · #10 03/27/12, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ||Downhome||

Seems the time limitation on venison was repealed.

And as long as you have all the paper work on captive raised venison , sale is legal.

I'm not quite sure on what federal and state regulations are in place for those kinds of animals as far as butcher and inspection.

I think in Michigan that it is illegal to sell beef unless it was brought to a USDA supervised slaughter facility, alive. I doubt a slaughter facility would like it if you showed up with a live deer from your farm. So, I don't know how you could sell venison from your farm.
You can sell a live deer, have someone shoot it, then it is their deer and they can get the meat processed and that's legal. I think captive deer farms must send the heads to a Lab to be checked for CWD.

meanwhile · #11 03/27/12, 09:07 AM

Oh wow - I did not know about all these laws and meat. Had no idea. When we first moved to the country, we met two men who would hunt and shoot wild hogs and then sell the meat. Wonder if that was illegal too? Later they stopped coming around after someone else bought the land they were hunting on.

I bet these laws will be more noticed now since the economy is so bad that many more people will be doing hunting to get their meats or fish.

We stayed at a Farm in Ireland that had a huge high stone wall all around a garden and small over-grown area. The wall was at least 12 feet high and in other places it was higher. We were told it used to be the Manor garden and that rabbits and other small game lived in there and were caught for the kitchen at the Manor. The Wall was there not just to keep the animals inside but mainly to keep the "peasants" out so they could not poach the food for the Manor.

But that article says the man might get 3 years in jail? That seems like too much time to me. Interesting topic though.

KMA1 · #12 03/27/12, 11:39 AM

Most states prohibit selling wild game meat. This practice is a throwback to the market hunting of the last half of the 1800's and first half of the 1900s when commercial hunting decimated many species of wildlife. (buffalo, passenger pigeon, deer in the southeast, bear, many species of waterfowl.) It is still a common practice in much of the world today and is decimating wildlife populations in africa, asia and south america.

meanwhile · #13 03/27/12, 02:17 PM

I understand having rules about hunting. Makes sense but I was really surprised to see that man might get 7 years in jail? That is a lot!

DebM · #14 03/27/12, 03:27 PM

Multiple charges, multiple dates, multiple states. All ads up to something nasty :-(

Michael W. Smith · #15 03/27/12, 03:57 PM

Ummmmm . . . . . it sounds like they were transporting the whole deer rather than deer "meat" that has been processed, packaged, etc.

I know Pennsylvania game commission takes their job very seriously. And here in PA, you can shoot (1 buck and 1 doe each year - provided you have your deer hunting license and have bought the doe license.

With these people not having hunting licenses - yes they would be in trouble. And I don't know what kind of hunting season they have in Nebraska, but here in PA, deer season is from October - Janary. Starting with archery in October, rifle season in late November - early December, and flintlock season in January.

Wendy · #16 03/27/12, 10:55 PM

You are not allowed to sell any wild game meat in Indiana as far as I know.

In Indiana it is also illegal to butcher your own beef at home. Even if it is for your own use. It is ok to butcher pork, but you can not transport it off of the place it was butchered. So if I helped my brother-in-law butcher at his house, I could not bring any home to our house. From what I know, it is ok for me to butcher up to 1,000 chickens without being inspected.

Am I the only one that is thinking these laws are crazy? Why is it anyone's business if I choose to butcher my own beef for my own use? I can understand if I was going to sell it, but for my own use? I don't need the government saving me from myself. If I butcher something & end up eating tainted meat, that would be my own fault.

oz in SC V2.0 · #17 03/28/12, 08:11 AM

It is a good thing the country isn't overflowing with more deer than can be managed...ohh,wait,the country IS overflowing with deer.

Micheal · #18 03/28/12, 08:39 AM

Here in NY:
"All portions of deer or bear meat being transported by the taker (one who shot it) shall be individually tagged and all tags shall include the name, address, big game DOC#, the date that portions were cut, and signature of taker. Packaged or boxed portions of venison need only one tag and must be labeled "venison" on the outside of the box.
If someone other than the taker is transporting portions, an additional tag signed by the taker with names and addresses of the cosignee and taker is required for each portion.
Heads of male deer may be transported to a taxidermist only if a tag supplied by the taker bearing the taker's signature, address, big game DOC#, number of points on each antler and the name and address of the taxidermist."

There are most regs, non-resident, etc, but I'm sure you'll get the gist of it.............

bruce2288 · #19 03/28/12, 08:40 AM

How about a little perspective here. This guy had no Nebraska permits. That makes him a poacher. He obviously was not doing this to feed his family. It takes a lot of dollars of gas to drive from S.C. to Nebraska. Deer herd management is accomplished by killing does. I will bet this man did not drive to Ne to shoot does.
Oz What is your solution? Open season all the time?

arabian knight · #20 03/28/12, 08:41 AM

Yes we have lost of deer in WI. and it is because of the way they are being managed.
Years ago deer in WI were hard to spot. Now even with many deer gun hunting days, and many special hunts, we now have a herd of over a million animals. And that is even with the reintroduction of wolves to the state. The DNR is doing a good job of managing the herd. If it wasn't for hinting season deer would be over running that State and more and more deer car crashes would be happening.
That person was lucky it was not in WI where they got caught.
Not only losing their "hunting privileges, they would have Lost their rifles, and their Truck~! WI takes a hard stance on things like this and people know it.