# Possession Limits & Reality



## joel barber (Sep 17, 2002)

For you resident guys this isn't an issue since you can ususally return home after a hunt but as a NR I'm not sure how to handle the possession limit issue - if I'm lucky enough for it to be an issue. Last year it was not an issue as we only got in four days of hunting and never limited out. The ND Regs state that the possession limit is twice the daily bag limit, so does that mean once I take 12 ducks that I am done with ducks? If I share some ducks with the landowner do those count against my possession limit?

Regs state that "Possession Limit is twice the daily bag limit". Looking at the wording of the regs and not knowing the intent an argument could be made that the possession limit is 10 mallards, 6 scaup and 4 redheads based on doubling the daily bag limit of 5 mallards, 3 scaup & 2 redheads, but I'm not sure that is correct. Does anybody know?

I'm not coming up to try and bring home as many ND ducks as possible but if we have a couple of good hunts I don't want to loose my shirt on the way home b/c I violated the possession limit. Any thoughts or ideas?


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Better re-read the possession limits again....or you're going to have trouble. You're way off. I think it's really fairly basic as to what you can possess every day. www.state.nd.us/gnf If you have the ducks in possession then they all count. If you give some away to farmers then you can shoot another daily possessin limit...THE NEXT DAY. If you're here for 4 days then you can realistically shoot 4 daily limits as long as you eat or give away some of your 2 day possession limit on a daily basis. It not legal, however to shoot a daily limit in the morning, cook them for lunch and then shoot another limit in the afternoon. Daily means daily.


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## joel barber (Sep 17, 2002)

I think I follow you but when I get ready to pack it up and head home, I can't legally take (possess) more than 12 ducks home. Is that the way you read it?


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Now you've got it. 12 ducks per person on the trip home. Assuming you've hunted 2 or more days. I don't think this will ever happen again but ND used to require NRs to leg tag all their birds as they were shot....so 12 was 12. Eat a few while your here and don't worry about it. Just don't see if you can shoot 50-100 or more.....you'll get in trouble.


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## joel barber (Sep 17, 2002)

Thanks field hunter. Other than giving ducks to landowners and cooking it while you're there, has anybody got any ideas on other ways to "share" the bounty with others. Last year, I only had one land owner who wanted it?


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

One other thing to remember is that migratory waterfowl possesion falls under the feds regs, so if you have any ducks or geese at home make sure you gift them to spouse or other family member because it is illegal to possess more than two daily limits at your home under your license no. no matter how many states you hunt. Normally this will be twelve ducks unless hunting the pacific flyway then you can possess fourteen only if they were taken there. On other thing you may ant to consider is shooting only the ducks you can consume and take back your possession limit with you. My feeling is that shooting limits each day and then giving them away so one can keep shooting more is kind of unethical but that is my oppinion. One more thing you might want to consider is that it is legal to prepare your ducks like in a caserole and whatever you do not consume does not count against your limit- for example if you cooked all six breasts for lunch but only ate three or four, the other two or three since being prepared are no longer cosidered a possession. If you keep a specimen for taxidermy purposes it does count against your possession limit maening you can only harvest five ducks/ day then on out or until you take it to the taxidermist. If you are in dought call you local federal regulations office(found in your hunting regs under Summary of Federal Regulations)


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Face,

Sorry, I'd bet that you can hunt SD, MN and ND and possess the limit of birds from each respective state as long as you're not traveling from one state to another in the same trip. I've heard this before and I think it's not true.
I've never heard the caserole example before. This is a good one. Good luck explaining to a warden why there are 5 duck breasts in the oven and five more hanging in your game bag. WHERE did you hear this? I've never read anything on this in the regulations.

Joel,

I've often wondered where the farmers are that are taking all the ducks that a group of my friends are shooting everyday when they visit the state. They say they give all ducks away so they can keep shooting.....sometimes the same day. I have a lot of friends and relatives that hunt and don't hunt and they would never take a bunch of ducks, pheasants maybe but ducks week after week, no way. Only a matter of time until a warden hears about them and watches with a spotting scope....especially since they are huntng a waterfowl management area.


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

Field Hunter,

You CANNOT possess any more than twelve ducks at any time no matter if you hunted multiple states except when hunting pacific flyway then at the most fourteen. Other exception is when hunting Canada or south of the U.S. where limits are higher, but you must retain proof. That is what is written in the Full Federal Regulations! Call them to find out! I bet you I am right on this one!

As far as having ducks in the oven that would be considdered possesion. I was talking about leftovers or one that have been proccessed by some other meens. Say on the first day I shoot six ducks that I will freeze to take home, then on day two I shoot six more clean them out cook them for dinner eat four put the leftovers in the fridge( remember they are now proccessed by being cooked to eat but wasn't able to eat so they become leftovers) then on day three I would be able to shoot another limit of six.

This was explained to me by a federal game and fish person at 651-778-8360. That person read me the explanations for possession limits out of their regulations. So check it out for yourself. No matter how you cut it you can only shoot your daily limit per day.

And because I cannot eat so much duck at once I would then gift whatever ducks I still have in possession to my wife before going duck hunting anywhere else. So as a family we can possess up to 24 ducks at any one time-12 for me and 12 for her. I only do this because I love to eat duck meat and it would bum me out if a week after season I was all out.

Now on the other hand, when it comes to non-migratory birds or animals in general you can possess possession limit from all the states you hunt them at the same time. Example you can possess 6 pheasants from Mn, 9 from Ia, plus the limits from Sd and Nd providing you hunted them and retain you licenses and have the info written on the packaging.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

I asked a game warden about this subject not to long ago. My concern was with the early season on geese being 5-10, but Reg season being 3-6.

With 6 or 7 in the freezer was I legal to go afield on the 27th after dark geese and would I be in volation if I had not gifted or consumed enough birds to be at or under possesion limit on opening day.

His response was that I techincally would be in volation of the possesion limit by Fed statue but he nor any other warden would be checking freezers to write violations, but if other actions warranted a search you could expect to see a ticket.

In reagrds to possesion it has become a very gray area but not one to lose sleep over. While in the field, daily or possesion rules need to be followed. Make sure you leave identifiying wings or heads and you will be fine.

For those traveling state to state or in our case MN to ND, you are not allowed a limit in each state. Daily limits apply across the board not gray area at all.

I cannot take a limit of geese in MN then travel to ND and take another. The only excepton was if ND had a five bird limt and MN a six, I could take the sixth in MN but only if it did not exceed speices limits.

You cannot shoot 3 mallards in ND then travel across the border and take 3 more, you are still limited to 5 mallards, even though you have not exceed 6 ducks in a day. Not to confusing but pretty simple. Multi license do not allow for multi limits on migratiry birds. The same rule does not apply to upland or deer or fish. At least in ND.

I asked him about possesion of gifted birds to another hunter. If you receive a gift of birds from another hunter his license # must be on the package and have been cleaned. One tech cannot go out and shoot a limit with a buddy then when home have him say keep all the birds without doing so and the package needs to be signed or a letter stateing the gift in your possesion. Not to sure how this plays out with NR in regards to transportation but I am sure you can get a clarification on that.

Nice to see you asking ahead of time instead of after the fact. Hope you have a very good time this fall.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Face,
Thanks for the further explaination. Gifting to your wife? Wouldn't that be a little unethical? Especially if she is unlicensed. Or maybe you get her to move out for duck season.....Maybe that's not a bad idea....we'd all get more time in the field.


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

Field Hunter

I don't have a problem gifting to my wife at all, for one it is legal and also the end result is family consumption. I would love to have my wife along for the hunt and she would too, she chooses to stay with the three yr old. What I feel borders being unethical is to gift to others so one can keep shooting ducks, my exeption is close friends and family and farmers that allow me to hunt their land. I clean and package for them and only do so knowing that they appreciate it and are goingf to put the meat to good use. Last year in Sd a group of hunters asked me if I wanted any of their ducks they shot that day because they wanted to keep shooting ducks because they had a hot spot. They were from Mn also and I basically told them it was people like them that give us real hunters a bad name. They managed to give them away to someone from town and went out and shot another limit the next morning. Iff I come to ND does someone have a vehicle I can borrow so I'm not steriotyped because of my 10,000 lakes license plate! :justanangel:

Just check the regs and stick to them and hope you have a very fun and successful hunt!!!

FACE :beer:


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## specklr (Jun 5, 2003)

I don't hunt ducks in ND but it is a good subject and from what I have gathered for the Conesrvation Officers I know ( I do contrac work here in Mo. for Deer removal) if the waterfowl is whole or untuched it is part of your Limit but once you process the wild game it no longer is part of your limit. To process means to grind or to mix with other meats or to cook, so if you have say your 10 early season Dark Geese you can grind them up and mix with other meats Pork in order to make in to Sausage or Brats once that is done it is no longer part of your limit. :beer: or at least that is what I was told by an Officer that checked me and was with me as I had gotten my sixth day of limiting out ( two a day) he asked what I did becouse he could not belive I eat that much goose meat so I told him I would get my possion limit and then would grind it up and mix with pork and when I had 20 lbs I would stiff and smoke the sausage , He then said good other wise he was gonig to have to ticket me. Now I do not say this so guys will go out and kill for the sake of killing but if you are going to consum the waterfowl then I see no problem with this as I eat Brats and pastrami from Snow goose all year .


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

specklr,

The grinding and sausage making is great.....if your doing it at home. Ask some friends of mine that had there ducks processed at the area they were hunting......the federal warden had something to say when they picked them up and the wing wasn't attached to the meat. Then there's te guys in Sask. one year that had 300 snow gose breasts processed into sausage in Canada while they were there......confiscated at border and big fines.

I've never been able to get the sausage right with the ducks and geese. Any good recipes?


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## specklr (Jun 5, 2003)

Yep no way to to it in Canada unless you leave it there I am still checking on if it can be shiped to the US form say a Farmer freind :wink: we had thought about just bringing a grinder and stuffer to Canada with us but no dice  As for the Federal game warden if it happened to me in my home town with my sausage I would tell him to stick it and wright the ticket I would see him in court.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Lots of Kitties eat well that evening when you leave uncleaned birds for the landowner.

Many a ND farmer will accept the birds (ND nice), but really have no intention of eating them. If they wanted to eat duck they would shoot duck.

Pheasants are another story indeed.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

Bring a crock pot or a cooker and eat some while you're here.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Go to your local grocery store get a box that they ship frozen meat and bring it with you. Then on your hunt freeze or chill your ducks and put them in the box. Now put that box in a slightly larger box and UPS next day air them to home to mama! Ups prefers cardboard boxes is why you can't simply use a cooler.


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

I ship pheasants every year to an aunt in California, and what we do is freeze them, pack them in some dry ice from a grocery store, and mail them 3 day guaranteed or whatever at the post office. Much cheaper than overniht, and she tells me they are always still frozen upon arrival.

Make sure you do it before thursday though, cause I think otherwise you could see four days.


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## USMC-RET (Aug 12, 2003)

Dehydrators work real well to process birds. Speaking to conservation agents here, once they are processed and turned into jerky, they no longer count toward possession.

Agree that giving birds away for the sole purpose of killing more birds is unethical.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

I agree that once the meat is processed it isn't part of possession,if you are home from the trip, but I would rather doubt that you could make jerky from the ducks you shot everyday so you could keep on hunting, assuming you haven't eaten it.(while staying at another location other than legal residence).


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

Most guys from Minn & Wisc. (if at the end of their trip) will take all the birds you can legally shoot & they can have. Go to any motel & they are usually hanging out in the parking lots. Great way to see whos doing good & how & maybe even where


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## hansonni (Aug 19, 2002)

Sorry I'm a little late on this topic, but I've got a few question/views. Why is it unethical to gift birds to your family, friends, farmers, etc in order that you can keep hunting? I think that the processing idea is great! Shoot some birds, make some sausage, and you don't have to worry about that counting against your posession limit (or give some to friends, family, farmers, etc). I don't think that's a big deal. You're not shooting birds and leaving them in the reeds just for the sake of killing! I too like to eat my birds all winter long and I can always use more meat, especially if I could make some of that tastey sausage for brats that I've been reading about :lol: . What am I supposed to do if I come to ND for a four or five day trip and run into some fantastic shooting the first couple days and get my possession limit the first two days?! Make sausage, give birds away, thats what!! I think there is nothing unethical about that, I plan on eating it and putting it to good use????? Any thoughts or points????


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