Waterfowl Possession UPDATE

[bobcat]

To come out and say we should not be able to harvest the limits set by the feds and the state, because some one feels it is just wingshooting, can kiss me you know where. We are hunting per the guidelines and rules set forth by the same governing body that sets the rules for your hunting preferences. These peoople can keep  their   to themselves.

So you're saying you've never been in possession of more than 14 ducks at one time, including at home in your freezer?

[bobcat]

"Fair" was probably not the best word to use but it also seems that technically those who kill hundreds of birds each season are not folowing the possession limit laws, which only allow 14 ducks in your possession at a time. It would seem fair to me to limit the number of birds a person can kill in a season. When you get up to 300 ducks and more in a season, that seems a bit excessive to me. It's not like there's an over abundance of ducks and that their population needs to be reduced. So why not a punch card that allowed, say 50 ducks, and then when you fill that card, you can purchase another one? They do it with salmon and steelhead, why not ducks and geese?

Bobcat,

I can kill 728 ducks in a season , following the federal and state daily limits. Legally.
The Duck Commander crew set their goal at 20000 ducks for the last season. Perfectly legal, with enough hunters.

Where the rub lies, is, what is the definition of the 14 rule. When can I say i don't possess a duck anymore? There is no definition by the state.
The feds say I can give it away of gift it away. Either of those, I need tags and have to keep records.
Some say possesion ends only after it is consumed. Those words are  Not written any where.

We are looking for a clear defined definition of what the term possession really means, not just someones opinion.

The federal rule is what matters since they are a migratory species, and the feds say you cannot have more than 14 ducks in your possession. Period.

[h2ofowlr]

Your killing me bobcat.  Your killing me.   Did someone get a ticket due to what they had legally harvest and froze for later fixings?  Just curious.

[Fishnclifff]

[.


[/quote]

The federal rule is what matters since they are a migratory species, and the feds say you cannot have more than 14 ducks in your possession. Period.

[/quote]
WRONG
The fed rule does not state that PERIOD.

The fed rule says what i can have IN THE FIELD, or IN TRANSIT , and that rule ends at my automobile, temp or perm abode, post office or taxidermist, PERIOD.

The fed rule also says what i can do with my ducks. BUT does not say how many or where I can possess at any time.

The stae rule says 14, but does not define anything else.

[Fishnclifff]

[quote So you're saying you've never been in possession of more than 14 ducks at one time, including at home in your freezer?
[/quote]

With the xceptiopn of what i have eaten, or given to freinds, I have all of my 74 ducks in the freezer.

Send the cops.

[CountryslickR]

IMHO if your eating the duck, and not just wing shooting than your numbers shouldnt be a issue.   

Exactly...who cares if you get your limit everytime you go out and you shoot 300 or so birds and your eating all of them? if you only shoot 5 and I shoot 300, well, you either dont get out alot or you need to hone in on your hunting technique..my shooting the numbers of ducks that I do does not take away from you only shooting 5...adding a punchcard is just another hassle and just costs sportsman more money...if you obide by the game laws, are ethical and are a stuard of the land, then how should numbers be an issue? kill what you eat or dont kill.....nothing wrong with shooting your limit if you consume it all and nothing is wasted....

[bobcat]

It would only be an issue if duck populations were plummeting due to excessive harvest.

[bobcat]

WRONG
The fed rule does not state that PERIOD.

The fed rule says what i can have IN THE FIELD, or IN TRANSIT , and that rule ends at my automobile, temp or perm abode, post office or taxidermist, PERIOD.

The fed rule also says what i can do with my ducks. BUT does not say how many or where I can possess at any time.

The stae rule says 14, but does not define anything else.

OK, so I guess it's the state law that says you can't have more than 14 in your possession. Sorry I really don't pay much attention to it because it's unenforceable anyway. When I used to hunt ducks I'm sure we each almost always had more than 14 ducks at home in the freezer.

[Black Plague]

yeah, its pretty bogus ....but what about this scenario: My parents have 8 kids (6 boys 2 girls) so if the 6 of us that have licenses go out and have a good day getting our limit of 42 ducks, clean them and put them in the freezer, does that mean that we are breaking the law? or is it a "per hunter" total, cuz if its per household then how the heck are you supposed to make hunting a family event?  we would go out once and then be breaking the law by the time we got home...? please explain

[bobcat]

yeah, its pretty bogus ....but what about this scenario: My parents have 8 kids (6 boys 2 girls) so if the 6 of us that have licenses go out and have a good day getting our limit of 42 ducks, clean them and put them in the freezer, does that mean that we are breaking the law? or is it a "per hunter" total, cuz if its per household then how the heck are you supposed to make hunting a family event?  we would go out once and then be breaking the law by the time we got home...? please explain

It would be per licensed hunter I am sure. So with 6 hunters you could have 84 ducks in the freezer at one time.

[GregFowler23]

So why are you making this such a big deal then? It is what it is, everyone has there way of interpreting it.

WRONG
The fed rule does not state that PERIOD.

The fed rule says what i can have IN THE FIELD, or IN TRANSIT , and that rule ends at my automobile, temp or perm abode, post office or taxidermist, PERIOD.

The fed rule also says what i can do with my ducks. BUT does not say how many or where I can possess at any time.

The stae rule says 14, but does not define anything else.

OK, so I guess it's the state law that says you can't have more than 14 in your possession. Sorry I really don't pay much attention to it because it's unenforceable anyway. When I used to hunt ducks I'm sure we each almost always had more than 14 ducks at home in the freezer.

[bigtex]

I think people really are making a lot out of nothing. The only time WDFW or USFWS will come to your house to see how many ducks you have in your freezer is if your breaking some other rules. Such as your being investigated for deer poaching, a search warrant is served, they open your freezer and holy *censored* they find 700 ducks.

It's not like they are going to look at a list of duck hunters and say "well lets go see how many ducks John Doe has in his freezer today".

[Fishnclifff]

This is why we are pursuing a rule change.
So that if you oops one day, they don't come to your house and make you a criminal for the other days you were legal.
Bobcat,
There isn't a single written rule to say where the 14 limit applies. It is all conjecture and opinion. We want to clarify that rule.

[bigtex]

This is why we are pursuing a rule change.
So that if you oops one day, they don't come to your house and make you a criminal for the other days you were legal.

Well if you "oops one day" you are probably already a criminal...
Like I said, they will only be searching your house if they are there for another reason. So as long as you don't poach something else you have nothing to worry about.

[Fishnclifff]

For that 1 day you go over the limit lets say, yes you are a criminal.
But to come to your house and add all the other legally taken game to that tally is not right and has no basis under the law. There is no written law to back that action.
The current law is too vague.