What do you do with your deer carcass?

[Ole1855]

After we register our deer we butcher at deer camp ususally in the evening and sometimes at midday. We then put the leg bones and rib cages out in the woods to let the birds/coyotes etc... send the remains back to nature. We do have our own land, we don't litter public property.

Ole

[adaylate]

Mr. Garbage man gets mine.

[Polar Bear]

Coyotes love to chew on 'em. But what is kinda cool is to place them near water. You will be surprised at how many turtles will climb all over them and chew on them.
Polar Bear

[Lunker]

Not a lot of coyotes here in the city Garbage man gets mine.

[Fisher Dave]

I have never seen a turtle come out of an ice covered swamp or lake.

I drop my remains in the woods .. what doesnt support the critters will end up as plant food.

I believe in the cities its illegal, or against company policies to throw a carcass in the trash.. I may be wrong, but pretty sure.

[Boyz in the Woods]

Just wanted to know what you are SUPPOSED to do with the carcass after you butcher your deer and other game. My dumpster has 5 deer and 2 geese in it today.

Suprise! Mr. Garbage Man.

p.s. I don't want to dump them in a ditch like some people do and hanging them in the yard for bird food is out of the question.

[Boyz in the Woods]

Thanks for the replies.
Mr. Garbage Man took 'em. No notes, YET.

From "Cuffs and Collars", it seems like there are a lot of complaints from people about dumped carcasses. If you have your own land or permission, putting them in the woods sounds like the best bet. If you hunt public land, I guess the dumpster is where they go. Then hope you don't get a nasty note from Mr. Garbage Man.

Now it's time to plan next year's hunt.

See Ya!

[Fisher Dave]

Once again .. I may be wrong, but ..

I dont think it's illegal to dispose of a carcass on county or state land. The next time you run into a C.O. .. I would ask them.

I have run across countless carcasses (sp?) on land all over the place during the summer months while on ATV trail near headings .. I guess they have to put all these road kills somewhere.

What people are likely complaining about are remains laying in the ditch, or the side of the road in various areas where people arent sure what to do with the remains .. and taking *midnight rides* and tossing them off the truck in whatever place seems most conveinient at the given time on some rural county road.

[Boyz in the Woods]

F.D. you may be correct.

I did find this in the MN DNR Waterfowl Suppliment. "No person may leave any refuse, offal, or feathers on public lands in the controlled hunting zone or in any parking lot or desginated hunting zone or in any parking lot or designated overnight use area on the management area".

This is referring to waterfowl hunting in a public hunting area.

I will ask our local C.O. next time I see him.

To me, dumping a deer carcass on public property is no different than dumping biodegradable refuse such as meat scraps, vegetable matter, etc...

This is a good discussion.

Thanks.

[adaylate]

To me, dumping a deer carcass on public property is the same as littering.I can see
how a few can give us all a bad name.Can you
see little Johny out for a walk in the woods asking a non hunting mom and dad why all the deer heads are laying around.

[Coach Dog]

I hunt private land and we bury the carcass. I always thought that is the most ethical thing to do, returning the remains back to the earth. I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned this yet. I would rather NOT feed the coyotes.

[Fisher Dave]

adaylate...

Think to yourself for a second....

Would you rather come along an old skeleton in the woods, or would you rather have kids stumble upon it in your driveway, or your neighbors driveway when a dog tips a trash can over and has a feast? If you live in a rural area, a carcass can attract other unwanted critters .. like skunks, badgers, and black bears.

Personaly, I'm not going to break out a pick-axe and dig a grave in frozen ground for a deer I harvested, nor am I going to volunteer to bury all the road kill, natural death, or natural preditor killed animals to insure that a person of any age is going to come across them. No part of an animal is wasted if the remains are returned to the woods. One of the main reasons why waterfowl, and fish remains are not allowed to be dicarded at a body of water is because it promotes algea growth and reduces water visibility .. inevitably, reducing water quality.

To each their own. If we hunt, we must take care of the remains in one way or another. Big game hunting, the mass majority of hunters go to the processor, and the remains are not an issue. Many of us, chose to butcher our own game for our own reasons, leaving us resposible to discard the remains. If the idea of coming across an animal carcass of any type is completely unnacceptable, I would highly recommend staying out of the woods.

On my police scanner, I heard a call about an hour ago about 1 car vs 2 moose in the Hibbing area. I would lay odds them animals are not dead roadside, but I'm sure at least one will not live long... I guess I wouldnt recommend walking the woods in that area for a while.

[kb1965]

My group processes all our own deer and usually I usually open the back window of the garage and give my dogs a feast of bones. Saves on dog food for the next month and a half. The hides I turn into the local Hides for Habitat, and the heads and lower front legs go to my trash collector, wrapped up nice and tight in a feed bag.

[adaylate]

Dave,

Yea,nature should take it's own with
natural death.On public land I believe it is wrong and I think illegal to dump remains.Just adds to the slob hunter mentallity. Public land is for everyone,not just hunters to trow deer remains in. I have never had problems with dogs, neighbor kids or the garbage man with my remains.

[CornPirateKiller]

Garbage is garbage unless it is hazardous waste. Carcasses are not hazardous waste. If garbage collectors started inspecting the garbage and refusing some, there would be a lot of angry people out there.

You should be able to dispose of the remains in the garbage, but I think common sense should rule. Secure the cans so that they can't be raided. If there is a chance that they might be raided by dogs or kids, package the remains up and haul them to the dump yourself. There should be a place not far from most towns where you can haul your garbage. I've asked my local dump and they have no problem with me hauling carcasses and dumping them there. With the amount of food wasted and thrown out by people, a few carcasses make no difference.

IMHO, dumping remains in ditches, woods, or public areas should be illegal. Someone in my neighborhood dumps a deer carcass in the ditch up the road from my house every year. When it starts to smell, it draws dogs from all over that end up raiding local garbage cans too. I usually end up picking up the remains and hauling them away to keep the dogs away. Dumping remains in a ditch is just plain lazy.

My 2 cents...

By the way... Boyz in the Woods, with the size of the deer that you normally shoot, disposing of the remains shouldn't be a big problem.

------------------
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

[Johnny B]

Ouch!

[eyecrosser2000]

I think common sense should prevail. A lot depends on where you live. If you live in a remote location, with few neighbors and fewer dogs, kids, or whatever that might find the remains go ahead and dump your deer carcass in the woods. Get off any road a few hundred feet and leave it for the critters.

However, if you live in near a town and you are dumping deer carcasses right along popular hunting, snowmobiling/rv trails you should think of those who are coming along after you. We've got people dumping a lot of deer on a road we like to 4-wheel on and I could sure do without the smell--it lasts the whole year long!

Like most stuff in these forums, the topic isn't black and white.

[Howieroch]

Boyz-
I wouldn't think that deer carcasses are a problem with the ones you shoot. Don't you just put the whole deer in a gallon size Ziplock bag after you drag them out with the Kite-string?