waste vs. regulations

[Ruttin' Buck]

I wanted to hear what you folks think about a situation I was in last Friday to see if you have any input and/or conversation directly from a CO regarding this circumstance.

On Friday after work, I eased slowly into the woods on the mat of fresh crunchy leaves, put up my stand, and began to bow hunt. Not long after, 5 antlerless deer presented themselves, 3 of which were yearlings. Since I possessed a management tag, I opted to take a doe if the situation presented itself. I put an arrow in one of the mature does at about 6:30 PM, watched her run about 80 yards and lay down. For those of you who bow hunt, you probably use a rule similar to mine...I wait a minimum of a half hour before I start on the trail to make sure the animal is done.

I decided not to hunt out the remainder of the evening, but instead to head back with my gear in the little bit of daylight I had left. My neighbor gave me permission this year to take a doe in this particular woods which is adjacent to my property. I hiked back to my place with my gear and assured myself that I had a head lamp, extra batteries, knife, rope, etc. and was back on the approximately half mile walk back to where my stand had been.

After field dressing the animal under head lamp I began the drag. I'm a scrappy guy and am fully capable of dragging a doe by myself for long distances without stopping to rest much. I've dragged 8 pointers almost a mile on dry ground before by myself so this was actually a cake walk. I thought I made pretty good time and was out of the woods with the deer just before 9:00. I knew the local registration station closed at 9:00. There was no registering it on Friday.

Here's the dilema. It was then about 70 degrees F. That night, it was not supposed to get down below 40-45 degrees F. I decided rather than risking wasting this animal to spoilage, that I'd butcher her and face the consequences later if I was challenged with not having the deer when I registered. I am fully aware that beef is actually cured for weeks at temperatures just above freezing, but when you get in the 40's, my opinion is that you're risking sour meat. Particularly when the animal is not allowed to cool properly (has hide and fat on it). I've registered dozens of deer in MN and had yet to be asked to see the animal so I thought the risk would be low. Remember, the regs state that you are not supposed to even skin the animal before registering.

I was up until 2:00 AM Saturday morning, cutting chops, roasts, stew meat, and grinding the scrap into burger. So needless to say, the next morning I was not much in the mood to argue. I went to register the deer and upon doing so the guy behind the counter asked me if I had the doe with me. I politely explained the circumstance I had the previous night. He told me, "well, I won't say anything". Again politely, I explained that if he was concerned, I'd be more than willing to contact the local CO myself. I said, his name is Brian Mies, I've spoke with him before, and I'd have no problem discussing this circumstance. He disregarded this statement. I then told him that if it would make him feel better, I'd bring the hide (in my freezer for Hides for Habitat) and meat in. He then said, "we were open until 9:00 last night". I again explained that I could not have made that time and reiterated that I was a one man team the previous night. He replied, "well I've seen guys freeze the entire deer before and not bring it in until the last day of the season". Now, I have a huge deep freeze freezer, but as luck would have it, a friend of mine just shot a moose this year so the real estate in my freezer is somewhat occupied at this time and there's no room for an unbutchered deer. I explained this, and the fact that there is no local meat locker open until 9:00 on a Friday either.

I walked away feeling guilty because I did not abide by the regulations but yet knowing I had made the right decision because I chose to assure that there was not a piece of green meat that went to waste on this animal.

Have any of you been in a similar circumstance? Are there any CO's that frequent this forum that could provide me with some input?

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"When the hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values and with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20' closer to God"
-Fred Bear

[Surface Tension]

If everyone was honest we wouldn't have half the regulations have. The law that says you have to register your deer whole and within a time frame is to enable CO's to do their jobs.
What if you had a tracking job that went on into the wee hours of the night?
You can usually find a registration site open all night at a gas station, might take a bit of a drive to get there. If that wasn't an option then bags of ice in the chest cavity would have gotten you through the night. Anyway its just something a hunter has to consider before the hunt to stay legal. Your intensions were good but not legal.

[huskminn]

Buckblaster,

I am not a CO and I've never been through a similar circumstance. 95% of the deer I've taken have been out of state where no registration is required.

However, you basically "turned yourself in" at the registration location and volunteered for punishment under the law, but the citizen behind the counter chose not to make an arrest. I think that citizen made a sound decision and I don't think you should feel guilty about what is now a done deal.

You acted in the spirit of the law and made ethical decisions in dealing with your downed animal.

Surface Tension has some valid points about why regulations exist, but within that context, we mustn't lose sight of the relationship between freedoms and responsibilities. The regulation, in my opinion, should have allowed you the freedom and responsibility to do what you did.

If it was me, I probably would have tried to pack that carcass full of ice for the night, but, perhaps that really wasn't an option for you. That is not for me to say.

I think you can sleep easy tonight and know that, although you "violated" the written law, you really have done nothing morally wrong.

[Surface Tension]

I said the deer must remain whole and as I think back that rule has been changed. The regs say you can quarter the deer but the head must remain attached to a quarter. Anyway I wouldnt lose any sleep over it.

[Ruttin' Buck]

Thanks ST and Huskminn. I do realize I was in the wrong. I don't place any blame on the registration station for asking despite the regulations stating they need not do so as it is the responsibility of the hunter. I also fully understand the rule as it pertains to a CO's ability to do their job.

I have used ice before to cool a deer on a hot day, but it has always got below freezing that night. I knew it wasn't going to freeze Friday night. It likely would have worked, but I decided to risk confrontation with my decision rather than a spoiled deer.

I guess I got in a hustle. I bear hunt and for those of you who do, you know how important it is to get the jammy's off of them immediately otherwise the animal will 'cook' itself. By the time I had the deer out of the woods it had already been cooking itself for 2.5 hours. It was still warm outside as was the deer inside. I wasn't sure that the animal hadn't begun spoiling already. Now a deer doesn't have the fat reserves a bear does. However, this deer had its winter coat and a large amount of fat reserves along its spine. That means that overall, the deer is healthy and fat. Call it panic, haste, misjudgement, what have you...I decided those jammy's better come off immediately.

Anyway, what's done is done. It does raise an interesting point. Due to the same situation (taking an animal in warm conditions), bear may be 'subdivided' per the regulations and registered in this fashion. Moose obviously due to their size must be subdivided just to get them to the registration station.