SD Trip and Transportation ?

[ST42]

Hi All,

I’m about to leave for South Dakota for a Pheasant hunting trip. While I was at work yesterday I was talking with a guy who said he was ticketed for improper transportation of his Pheasants and Sharpies because he processed them himself at his motel. He said that they must be brought back to WA with one of the following attached, Fully Feathered Head, one wing, or only leg attached to the bird. He cleaned and vacuum packed his birds himself, and to be honest, this is exactly what I have been doing for better than 15 years. I did consult the SD Regs. And it does state those requirements for transporting.

So I am writing to get a few suggestions as to how or what method you traveling bird hunters use / prefer to bring your birds back home. My trip will be a total of 10 days long and I am planning on hunting my way back home through North Dakota, and Montana. The vacuum packing and freezing works so well I am thinking about just vacuum packing the leg in with the bird. So, what say you? How do you all do it?

[bigtex]

Your buddy is partly correct, it sounds like he is relying on the SD law. The problem is each state has a different law. So if you leave just a leg in, once you hit WA you'll be in violation. WA requires the head (not a wing, or a leg) to be attached. My suggestion? Leave the head attached..

[jagermiester]

How much is the fine?
If it's less than  $200 I'd plead your case. I don't like doing anything illegal but that's ridiculous. Your processing them for dinner and you have to put the head in there?
I have too much respect for the meat to do such a thing.

[eastsidemallard74]

We hunt 9-10 guys in ND, and we have always just left the head. But we have never been stopped or bothered either. The guy that does our cleaning in ND says that's the way he cleans them for everyone. Get 2-3 per 1 gallon bag.

[Shannon]

Be careful on those long trips with birds in possession. You can only have three days of limits in possession in most states from here to the Dakotas.

[Forks]

 I usually spend 3 plus weeks in MT and ND hunting both states and sometimes each in the same day. Find a processor to freeze them and put them on a plane. Problem solved. If you don't go this route it would be wise to have each bag marked with ALL harvest info (date/place/state) inside the bag along with proper identification.

[ST42]

Thanks guys. I have decided to just FedEx them back per SD regs. I’ll do the same with ND and possibly MT. Sure wish there was a universal standard on this.

[jagermiester]

Thanks guys. I have decided to just FedEx them back per SD regs. I’ll do the same with ND and possibly MT. Sure wish there was a universal standard on this.

Problem solved

[bigtex]

How much is the fine?
If it's less than  $200 I'd plead your case. I don't like doing anything illegal but that's ridiculous. Your processing them for dinner and you have to put the head in there?
I have too much respect for the meat to do such a thing.

I have no idea what the fine is in SD. In WA we no longer have fines on tickets for criminal offense. This offense is a misdemeanor, which means mandatory appearance before a judge and up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail.

[jagermiester]

How much is the fine?
If it's less than  $200 I'd plead your case. I don't like doing anything illegal but that's ridiculous. Your processing them for dinner and you have to put the head in there?
I have too much respect for the meat to do such a thing.

I have no idea what the fine is in SD. In WA we no longer have fines on tickets for criminal offense. This offense is a misdemeanor, which means mandatory appearance before a judge and up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail.

That's kinda my point though. I don't want to deal with it but at the same time I'd like to bring it to light. Explain to the judge that when I vacuum seal my meat for consumption I don't believe putting a feather covered head in there works for me. A leg with a spur should be proof enough.

[jetjockey]

Does WA law specify transportation, or the harvest of birds?  If you harvested the birds in WA, the. You obviously have to go by WA law, but if your just transporting the birds back home, and the birds weren’t harvested in WA, do you still have to keep a head on?  Can you imagine the PITA it would have been for me to look up every state regulation I drive through when i used to drive from Georgia to SD?  I think it was 8 or 9 states I drove through.

[Seahawk12]

Your buddy is partly correct, it sounds like he is relying on the SD law. The problem is each state has a different law. So if you leave just a leg in, once you hit WA you'll be in violation. WA requires the head (not a wing, or a leg) to be attached. My suggestion? Leave the head attached..

That doesn't make sense.
What if I am driving back from another state with a harvest. Why would other states regs matter?
Am I expected to stop in each state and buy a hunting license also?

[bigtex]

Your buddy is partly correct, it sounds like he is relying on the SD law. The problem is each state has a different law. So if you leave just a leg in, once you hit WA you'll be in violation. WA requires the head (not a wing, or a leg) to be attached. My suggestion? Leave the head attached..

That doesn't make sense.
What if I am driving back from another state with a harvest. Why would other states regs matter?
Am I expected to stop in each state and buy a hunting license also?

You have to follow the state's laws where you are currently possessing the game. Some states require you to declare any wildlife you are in possession of when you cross their border. So if you shoot a deer in X state and hit Y state you have to file paperwork with the state that basically says you shot the deer in X state. WA doesn't require this, California and a few others do.

Think of it similarly to marijuana. It's legal to sell and purchase in WA, but you can't possess it in Idaho. You can't say well I legally bought and possessed it in WA so I shouldn't have to follow Idaho's laws.

[bigtex]

Does WA law specify transportation, or the harvest of birds?  If you harvested the birds in WA, the. You obviously have to go by WA law, but if your just transporting the birds back home, and the birds weren’t harvested in WA, do you still have to keep a head on?  Can you imagine the PITA it would have been for me to look up every state regulation I drive through when i used to drive from Georgia to SD?  I think it was 8 or 9 states I drove through.

It's a transportation and/or possession violation.

WAC 220-413-090
(1) It is unlawful to possess or transport game birds unless the feathered heads are left attached to the carcass, except falconry caught birds, until the carcass is processed and/or stored for consumption.

[jetjockey]

So, since it says “Processed and/or stored for consumption”, that would leave me to believe that once the birds are processed for consumption, your fine.  In my case, once I clean, skin/pluck, and vacuum seal the bird, then I could legally transport the bird without the head, or any feathers.  I could be wrong, but that’s how I read it.

[Forks]

So, since it says “Processed and/or stored for consumption”, that would leave me to believe that once the birds are processed for consumption, your fine.  In my case, once I clean, skin/pluck, and vacuum seal the bird, then I could legally transport the bird without the head, or any feathers.  I could be wrong, but that’s how I read it.

Are you leaving the spurs on the legs with this method and including them in the bag of breasts or are you VPing a plucked bird with spurs still attached?

[jetjockey]

We leave a spur on and vacuum seal the entire bird in SD.  It never really crossed my mind that could be illegal when crossing into another state, and that’s why I ask.  I live in a denver now, and I’m within a three hour drive of the best pheasant hunting locations in CO, NE, and KS.  We are hitting the NE opener this weekend due to my elk hunting being a bust, and will hunt the CO or KS opener the following weekend.  I really try and play by the rules, but sometimes it seems some states don’t make it very easy to understand all the rules. 

[lokidog]

So, since it says “Processed and/or stored for consumption”, that would leave me to believe that once the birds are processed for consumption, your fine.  In my case, once I clean, skin/pluck, and vacuum seal the bird, then I could legally transport the bird without the head, or any feathers.  I could be wrong, but that’s how I read it.

This would be my reading as well.