DaveH

In some states, it is illegal to waste any edible meat and in others, you can just leave it where it died. I believe it is unethical to willingly waste deer meat. Every year, I try to line up several people who will take any deer I take after my freezer is full. I won't shoot a deer if I don't have room in my freezer and no one lined up to accept it.

James B

Many Horn hunters where I live just take the horns and leave the critter lay. Its not legal here but they do it anyway.[:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

Serioushunter1

It depends on the state regulations in which the animal was harvested. Here in Ky I have reported a similar issue before and they said that "if they had checked the deer in and that is all that they wanted then it was legal. SAD I may try and contact someone to try and get a law like Colorado.

If a person harvestd an animal and does not remove all edible meat or just removes trophy parts then it is like a 10,000 dollar fine and a felony. If you wish to trophy hunt that is fine but realize that there are hungry and needy people in this world who would love to have some venison.

Sylvan

So do I but how do they enforce such laws? How about the rib cage? I never utilize meat from the rib cage. How much of the neck must be utilized? How about organ meat like heart, liver and kidneys? How about the foreleg? I can't believe they actually say any edible meat. I believe everybody wastes some. Some waste more than others but who is to say what meat is worth extracting and what isn't?

kevin1

Wanton waste as described in this post is illegal in Indiana , if you don't want the carcass all you have to do is call the local sheriff's office and they'll pick it up for a food bank .

tj_cubin

i know someone has found a couple yearlings strung up in the woods near my house, with just the back straps taken out.

the only time i would consider that would be like a car accident in the summer, when its too hot to hang and butcher it over a day or two.

NCDixieboy

In most states the farmers cannot touchthe deerafter he shoots them. A man has to protect his property wether outsiders like it or not. Been there and had to do that. We had the GWwritealetter so we could take them to FHFH. He is a really understanding guyand helped us out.

outdoorslover

It was found on a public WMA in MN.I know it's illegal to wantonly waste useable portions of the meat here. There was no tag or anything on it. The head may have been missing, but I can't remember. I could see where the deer had been shot and some fresh tracks and blood. There were hunters all over the place and it could've been anyone. They could've given the meat away. That seems totally unethical and wasteful to me. Hunters like that should be punished. I thought about taking the meat or hide but decided not to because the meat looked bad and I didn't wanna mess with the hide.Don't you need the deer to register it?

Another time we were by the woods I hunt. In the ditch was a deer carcass and the antlers were cut off of the head. The meat was totally gone from the bones like something had eaten it but it was really fresh. This made me angry too. It might not have been as bad as the other but for some reason it brought out my rage. What do you guys think? Was it a car hit or what?

fetzeriiif

It sounds like someone shot it and either started to process it but gave up or let it hang to long until the meat went bad. I don't think they were just looking for the backstraps. If they were, why did they skin it and cut the legs off? I would have to say that the lazyness set in after they got the deer home. Either way..it was a terrible waste.

USNRETHunter

Here is the blurb from Iowa regs:

Retrieval and Waste of Game

While taking or attempting to take game or

furbearing animals, you cannot abandon the injured

animal without making a reasonable effort to retrieve it

from the field. You cannot leave a usable portion of the

game or furbearing animal in the field. “Usable portion”

in this instance means the following: 1) for game, that

part of an animal that is customarily processed for

consumption; and 2) for furbearing animals, the fur or

hide of the animal.

I would guess that it is fairly standard for most states.