Is it illegal to pack deer out?

[Randle]

What states are illegal to breakdown and pack out deer?
Been watching some deer hunting in Maine and New hampshire , man they drag deer a long ways.

 

[Tenstrike]

Minnesota's rules allow the deer to be quartered but the head must be attached to one of the quarters until it is registered. With online registration, a person may be able to register it at the kill site then quarter it but I don't know how a game warden would read that.

 

[knale87]

I’ve packed our deer Maine. Completely legal

 

[Bubblehide]

Some states you need to leave proof of sex on the animal. In other words, when you quarter the animal, leave the genitals attached.

 

[knale87]

I think it’s just more of tradition to hang and weigh whitetails in those north eastern states, that’s why they drag.

 

[DooleyVT]

Vermont rifle season bucks need to be checked in and weighed (intact) at an official VT Big Game check station within 24 hours of the harvest. VT archery season deer can be checked in online but pictures are recommended.

 

[Brendan]

Maine they can be broken down:

Prior to registration, bear, deer, and moose may be dismembered for ease of transportation, all edible meat, the head and evidence of sex must be presented for registration. The viscera, hide, lower legs and rib cage, including the ribs, spine and pelvis, are not required to be presented for registration but must be disposed of where they are not visible to a person traveling on a public or private way

Mass they can be broken down once checked, but you can check via your phone except 1 week of the season where they want them checked in person for data collection via state biologists.

NH, has to be registered, but doesn't say it can't be in pieces:

Deer must be registered at the closest open registration station within 24 hours. Deer must be accompanied and registered by the person who took the deer. See page 28 for a listing of stations. A conservation officer may request to see the head and hide of a deer taken under an archery license within 48 hours of killing

 

[Brewski]

In Texas you can't break down the deer beyond 4 quarters with bones intact plus two backstraps until you are at your "final destination" which is hunters permanent residence or processing facility.

For out of state hunters who dont use a processor and go from hunting location to airport, good luck figuring out what final destination is. The Texas regulations are written to encourage the use of deer processors and increase citation revenue.

 

[Forestryguy]

WI you can break them down, but can only leave gut pile. So it is kind of pointless to break it down.

 

[EdP]

In Va we now have the ability to check deer via phone or internet. We have to notch our tag before moving the deer but can then field dress it. Once it has been registered (called in or via internet) and a confirmation number issued and recorded on our license, we can break it down regardless of location. The only issue is having phone service in some mountain locations.

 

[Macintosh]

Vermont rifle season bucks need to be checked in and weighed (intact) at an official VT Big Game check station within 24 hours of the harvest. VT archery season deer can be checked in online but pictures are recommended.

Im in VT as well—I actually asked the state deer biologist, then my local warden and then spoke with his supervisor for confirmation this year. All were 100% confidant that during archery or muzzleloader season a deer could be broken down in the field as long as the online check-in is used with estimated weight—they even said you have 24 hours to check in so you can still do this without service, as long as ypu have the required photo. The biologist deferred to law enforcement on rifle season, but the warden said he was ok with it and his supervisor told me definitively that while they would prefer that I checked-in whole, I COULD break a deer down in the field, but that I still needed to check it at a weigh station with an estimated weight, and was likely to get a warden called on me because its not common. In all cases they advised me to take field pictures with my tag and way-point the carcass in case warden wanted to verify, and suggested if I had service to call warden from the field so he was aware and could head-off any strange calls later-on in the process. In other words, it is legal but its clear as mud and possibly a hassle. I would encourage you to call F&W about this so it “comes up more” and maybe we get this a bit clarified. It’d sure make things easier to have the option and not worry about getting hassled, as I have a few places I hunt where it’s a royal epic to drag a deer out due to swamps and very thick dogwoods.
I did not ask about youth season with the mandatory check ins, as I know thats their main source of biological data.

 

[Packin_packout]

Definitely get weird looks in Texas when you show up with a deer in quarters. I did not have vehicle that I could take into my old lease so I would always quarter it. Got hassled about it by processor. Repeatedly. All good as long as you don't debone before getting home.

 

[4090Sharps]

I've opted for civil disobedience on this one in locations where it was an issue, and will do so in the future.

 

[Miflatlander91]

I think it’s just more of tradition to hang and weigh whitetails in those north eastern states, that’s why they drag.

You nailed it it's amazing how many guys say I won't hut down there I'll never get him out and then look at me crazy and say why not just quarter it they just look at me like it's a foreign language

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[bigbassin]

You nailed it it's amazing how many guys say I won't hut down there I'll never get him out and then look at me crazy and say why not just quarter it they just look at me like it's a foreign language

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Yep.

I think some of the North Georgia guys may be able to chime in. I see a good number quarter deer, but there’s at least as many that will drag 1-2 miles in the mountains.

Some of that may be gear related too. I don’t have a pack to quarter a deer and carry out if I wanted to.

 

[WCB]

Minnesota's rules allow the deer to be quartered but the head must be attached to one of the quarters until it is registered. With online registration, a person may be able to register it at the kill site then quarter it but I don't know how a game warden would read that.

Done it and talked to a Warden about it. I am not the official rule keeper but he said as long as I had the registration completed and the appropriate number I would be good to go. However, you then could run into trouble with the disposal of a carcass issue which states:

Hunters who process their own deer may not dispose of carcasses on public land, including wildlife management areas, state forests, road rights of way, or in any water body.
Deer carcasses may be disposed of in the following ways:
• On private land with the permission of the landowner.
• Through your refuse hauler after checking on how to properly bag the carcass.
• At a local landfill

The same Warden explained to me it is intended for people dumping deer after processing but could be a sticking point for Gung-Ho Ranger Joe

 

[nomadicbohunk]

Im in VT as well—I actually asked the state deer biologist, then my local warden and then spoke with his supervisor for confirmation this year. All were 100% confidant that during archery or muzzleloader season a deer could be broken down in the field as long as the online check-in is used with estimated weight—they even said you have 24 hours to check in so you can still do this without service, as long as ypu have the required photo. The biologist deferred to law enforcement on rifle season, but the warden said he was ok with it and his supervisor told me definitively that while they would prefer that I checked-in whole, I COULD break a deer down in the field, but that I still needed to check it at a weigh station with an estimated weight, and was likely to get a warden called on me because its not common. In all cases they advised me to take field pictures with my tag and way-point the carcass in case warden wanted to verify, and suggested if I had service to call warden from the field so he was aware and could head-off any strange calls later-on in the process. In other words, it is legal but its clear as mud and possibly a hassle. I would encourage you to call F&W about this so it “comes up more” and maybe we get this a bit clarified. It’d sure make things easier to have the option and not worry about getting hassled, as I have a few places I hunt where it’s a royal epic to drag a deer out due to swamps and very thick dogwoods.
I did not ask about youth season with the mandatory check ins, as I know thats their main source of biological data.

Interesting. I talked to the warden where I hunt and emailed the state. They told me I must remove the deer whole. So much stuff here is like that. I just recently realized you can't car camp at the WMAs legally during the big game seasons when you can camp. You've got to have an RV with a toilet. Which is kind of hilarious based on a couple of the sites locations and how they have outhouses.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Pics and a quick video showing where you dressed it (to prove it was in the proper unit) and what it looked like before you quartered it. Gutless method, birds will clean up the leftovers in no time. Seen a gut pile eated in 30 minutes this way.

 

[dtrkyman]

Illinois always was, not sure if anyhting has changed recently with being able to check your deer on the phone?