# Posession limits



## Anas Strepera (Nov 10, 2004)

*Once the regular season starts is it legal to have 10 geese in your freezer that were taken during the early season?*​
Yes, it is legal.1851.43%No, you are breaking the law.925.71%I am unsure about the law myself.822.86%


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## Anas Strepera (Nov 10, 2004)

No other issue brings up such heated debate in hunting circles as posession limits do. I've heard some argue that there is no 'freezer' limit. That posession limits only applies to when you're away from home. Others say posession limit is concrete and you better have an open limit if you want to go out and hunt because if you have a posession limit in your freezer and go out and shoot any birds it will put you over.

I guess the law is open for some interpretation which is why it can get so heated. With the early goose season posession limit being 10 and the regular season posession limit being 6, can I only have 6 in my freezer once the regular season starts? If I have 10 in my freezer that were lawfully taken and I was lawfully abiding the posession law for that season, am I still breaking the law?


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## Anas Strepera (Nov 10, 2004)

Let's say I had 5 geese in the freeze after early goose season and went out and shot my 3 bird limit during the regular season. For some reason the game warden follows me home and now sees that I have 8 birds in posession. Would he ticket me?


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## wtrfwlr (Sep 29, 2004)

When that happens get back too me. I have never heard of anybody being checked for a possession limit, unless they are a known poacher and are beign watched to begin with.


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## Anas Strepera (Nov 10, 2004)

Are you saying there is a freezer limit then?


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## SOTA'N'KOTA (Sep 9, 2004)

There is no limit on what you have in your freezer as long as your legal everywhere else. If the game warden was to look in my freezer I'd be SOL but he knows I'm legit and don't poach.


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## strand (Sep 29, 2004)

Yes, I believe you are breaking the law. I recently read the book Poachers Caught about a Minnesota game warden who on many occassions busted guys doing something on the brink of what the law states and just happened to be led back to the freezer at the cabin to find in many cases 100's of fish and solicited fines for over possession.

But as wtrfwlr said you probably won't get busted unless the warden has a good suspicion, but sometimes the wardens are curious.


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Ok..... early goose I am not sure what to tell you.

But lets just say for waterfowl regular season. You can only have as many ducks or geese as the most liberal license you hold.

So example... If you have a ND license (12 ducks in possession), MN (12 ducks in possession), Manitoba (24 ducks in possession).

YOu better not have more than 24 ducks in your freezer. Even though you have licenses that state you can have 48.....you can only have the most liberal of them. So if you go to ND on a hunt and have birds still left in your freezer from a Canada trip or from opening day in MN or your home state..... You are technically over your limit. I heard this first hand from a Game Warden.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Because they are migratory birds Federal Law take precidence. Often the feds and the states have different interpretation of possesion limit. As I understand it under Federal Law, possession limit includes what you have in your freezer but many state laws no longer consider it part of your possession limit once it reaches its final destination (home/freezer).

So in many cases if a local warden checks you they won't pursue it but if a Federal Warden checks you might be in trouble.

I only know this because I slept at a Holiday INN................


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