No bones...not legal in Montana?

[hunterofelk]

So maybe this has been discussed before, but some lines in the Montana regs make me think boning out an animal is waste of game and leaving game carcass on public lands.  If I was hunting in Montana this year I would have called a game warden already, but just for a topic I post it on forum to see what others know. 

[Bob33]

What are you seeing?

• Hunters, or persons in possession of a game animal or game animal parts, are prohibited from wasting or rendering unfit for human consumption, any part of a game animal that is defined as “suitable for food”.
• For big game animals (excluding mountain lions) all of the four quarters above the hock, including loin and backstrap are considered suitable for food.

[hunterofelk]

Yeah, sounds like they consider the bones and meat left on bones suitable for food. A regulated landfill or transfer station are the approved places to dispose of processed carcasses.  So if I boned out an animal on a state owned section I would violate a couple of laws.

[NRA4LIFE]

Bones are not considered suitable for food.  I've boned out dozens of animals in MT and have been checked by game wardens, no problem.  You need only to keep evidence of sex attached to the meat.

[dvolmer]

NRAforlife is right.  Same for me.  Been stopped at game check stations and they have no problem with boned out meat.  They are quite anal about proof of sex attached to meat.  I got a good verbal but chewing and a written warning for having a deer that was de-boned and I had the head and horns but no proof of sex on the meat itself.  I even had an either sex tag so it shouldn't have mattered but they didn't like it.  They were cool with me but said dont let it happen again.  I learned my lesson.  The Wardens in Montana are good guys if you are good to them.  Not like the Washington Wardens who's philosophy is guilty until proven innocent.

[trophyhunt]

Idaho also requires the sex to be left on a boned out animal, the warden was nice about it but I still received a ticket.  The wardens in Montana seem very nice, but that's on TV.

[Magnum_Willys]

Leaving rutty nerds with fresh meat in the cooler is just wrong 

[elkslayer069]

Leaving rutty nerds with fresh meat in the cooler is just wrong 

Yep that all comes off and stays in the field. Flame me if you guys want but that is the one law that I don't follow, and if I get check and they have a problem with it I guess that's why I bring my check book along. 

[Cleetiswillfeedus]

I bring a zip lock bag to keep the goods in. I think it's a totally stupid law, but that's the easiest way I have found. Its gets thrown out as soon as I get home.

[elkslayer069]

Cleet in this state I believe they would still write you a ticket just the same putting the goods in a zip lock. That isn't any different then having the horns with you as proof of sex

[Karl Blanchard]

Just an FYI guys but leaving proof of sex attached does nothing to "taint" your meat.  Once skinned off its just flesh. Heck lots of folks even eat the dang things.    Any "rutty" stench or odor comes from urine or glands.  Nothing "rutty" about a testicle.  Get glands and bladder gone and you'll be all good.

[BULLBLASTER]

Just an FYI guys but leaving proof of sex attached does nothing to "taint" your meat.  Once skinned off its just flesh. Heck lots of folks even eat the dang things.    Any "rutty" stench or odor comes from urine or glands.  Nothing "rutty" about a testicle.  Get glands and bladder gone and you'll be all good.

 

[grundy53]

Plus you don't need to leave the testicles attached. The penis is proof. Just leave a couple of inches of it attached.

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[Cleetiswillfeedus]

 I generally debone almost everything.  I might get a ticket some day, but I work hard to keep the meat clean and free of hair,  so I an not leaving the goods hanging by a thread of skin, getting hair all over a roast. I'm not sure what this would accomplish or prove that a head with antlers doesn't prove all ready. Yeah it proves you didn't shoot a doe and put a bucks head to go with it, but if someone is that determined, they will do it anyway.

[Karl Blanchard]

I generally debone almost everything.  I might get a ticket some day, but I work hard to keep the meat clean and free of hair,  so I an not leaving the goods hanging by a thread of skin, getting hair all over a roast. I'm not sure what this would accomplish or prove that a head with antlers doesn't prove all ready. Yeah it proves you didn't shoot a doe and put a bucks head to go with it, but if someone is that determined, they will do it anyway.

  there is zero reason to leave hide on the testicles or penis.  Skin them off when you skin the rest of it.  Like I said above, it's just flesh.  No different than the roast it's attached to.

[predatorpro]

Leaving rutty nerds with fresh meat in the cooler is just wrong 

Yep that all comes off and stays in the field. Flame me if you guys want but that is the one law that I don't follow, and if I get check and they have a problem with it I guess that's why I bring my check book along. 

Haha I agree with you on that!! Never brought em out!

[shanevg]

I agree. Proof of sex on meat is probably the stupidest law in the book.

[trophyhunt]

I've left the testis on once, the year after I received the ticket, I completely forgot to leave them on last year just from habit of not doing it.  I certainly didn't like leaving them on at first, but they skinned out pretty easily and I never even noticed they were there until I got to the meat locker.  No big deal and it saves you 100+ bucks potentially. 

[WAcoueshunter]

The evidence of sex just needs to be attached to "a portion of the meat".  It doesn't say anything about the size of the portion.  So presumably you could cut off a small portion and leave it attached and stick it in a ziplock if you like. 

[300rum]

It is pretty easy to leave them on.  However.....

A couple of years ago I arrowed a buck without any testicle's.  I thought about what I was going to do for awhile and then just took a picture of the area concerned, head still attached, then boned him out. 

I knew it was going to be my luck that the game warden would be waiting back at the truck for me and how was I going to explain this one?  I never got checked though...

[wadu1]

British Columbia also requires the sex to be left on even when the head is still attached while being transported. I've been checked and the first thing the gamey looked for was the dangling things.  Mind you this was a whole body not boned. 

[7mmfan]

I was checked 2 years ago by a warden by Winthrop while I was packing my 2nd load of meat off the hill. I had already packed head, back strap and hind quarters to camp, came back for the scrap and front shoulders. I explained to him that the tag and proof of sex was in camp with the largest portion of meat. He checked my license, said good work, sent me on my way.

I've only had one bad experience with a game warden in this state, but that's a whole nother story.

[cooltimber]

2005 I got a ticket for not having the utures ,and or the milk sack attached to the boned out meat.
   however I had scalped the cow for proof of sex.. WE all thought it was funny but the @#$ game warden didn't.