Possession Limit

J

Jakeismydog2

Member
Can anyone explain to me the realities of the Kansas possession limit law? I know the possession limit is set at 16. However what defines possession?

For example when I was a kid my family like to go to the ozarks and catch trout, we would always eat as much as we could while fishing and the take the rest home and put it in the freezer. Where some would get eaten and some seemed to work its way down deep in the depths of the chest freezer. The next year we do it all over again. Did those year old fish count against our possession limit?

For pheasant does it matter if they are cooked or uncooked in your possession? What about giving pheasant away to a friend that likes eating organic but is to lazy to hunt? Do those pheasant count against your possession limit? Do they need to take hunters safety and get a license so that you can give them a couple birds to cook up? Or what if I cook them and then give them to them? Do they need a license then?

What about a guy who like goose jerky? He shoots geese then makes jerky, is the jersey goose in possession?

I really don't know the answers to my questions.
 
One of the answers is yes, you can give it away as long as your name, conservation number, and date is on the bag. Once you give it away it does not count against your possession. I give away a turkey, quail, and frog legs every year. This is how it is in Missouri anyway.
 
Possession is 16 after the 4th day of the season. Daily bag is 4. You can't shoot 4 and give away 4 and then go back out and shoot 4 more the same day.On day 5 if you have 16 in possession and give 2 away and you go out and shoot 4 on day 5 you can only bring home 2, which gives you 16. You can PM Troy(Prairie Drifter) as he is a KDWP Employee to double and triple check for sure.:thumbsup:
 
That's correct. I should have said daily limit. You cant shoot a limit, give away, and go shoot another the same day in Missouri. The possession limit is 4 here. But if you have 4 in the freezer you can give away 2 and go shoot 2 more the next day.
 
Good questions and I've wondered about some of them myself.

In my opening weekend group the last ritual of the hunt is figuring out who's taking how many birds home. Since this happens on day 2 of the season, we've always said you can't take more than 8 birds home. Unfortunately, this hasn't been a problem in recent years. (side note: those who come out to hunt but don't want any birds are a real irritation when the population is good)

What about last season's birds that are in my freezer at home? It's not uncommon for me to have a few left when the season opens. I think I have one package of three that are a little shot up, and one package of legs and thighs (I store those separately).

With three licensed hunters at home, it would have to be one hell of season to create a problem once we reach day four.
 
Hey Guys this one is really clean with no gray. Starting day one of pheasant seasons you can only have 4 birds per licensed hunter. Second day can be 8 and so forth up to 16 birds. If you shoot 4 birds on opening day and you have two in the freezer you are over your possession limit. Now you can take other peoples birds home and be over you possession with tagged birds given to you with written permission from other legal hunters.

115-25-1b. Pheasants; open seasons, bag limits, and possession limits. (a) The open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be the first Saturday in November through January 31 of the following year. Effective on and after August 1, 2009, the open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be the second Saturday in November through January 31 of the following year.
(b) The youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall begin on the last Saturday in October and shall continue for two consecutive days, including the opening day. Only a person who is 16 years of age or younger and who is accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older may hunt during the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants. Effective on and after August 1, 2009, the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall begin on the first Saturday in November and shall continue for two consecutive days, including the opening day.
(c) The entire state shall be open for the taking of cock pheasants.
(d) (1) The daily bag limit during the open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be four cock pheasants.
(2) The daily bag limit during the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be two cock pheasants.
(e) (1) The possession limit during the open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be 16 cock pheasants.
(2) The possession limit during the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be four cock pheasants.
(f) This regulation shall be effective on and after August 1, 2008. (Authorized by K.S.A. 32- 807; implementing K.S.A. 32-807 and K.S.A. 2007 Supp. 32-1002.)
 
Kansasoutdoorsman said:
Hey Guys this one is really clean with no gray. Starting day one of pheasant seasons you can only have 4 birds per licensed hunter. Second day can be 8 and so forth up to 16 birds. If you shoot 4 birds on opening day and you have two in the freezer you are over your possession limit. Now you can take other peoples birds home and be over you possession with tagged birds given to you with written permission from other legal hunters.

115-25-1b. Pheasants; open seasons, bag limits, and possession limits. (a) The open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be the first Saturday in November through January 31 of the following year. Effective on and after August 1, 2009, the open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be the second Saturday in November through January 31 of the following year.
(b) The youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall begin on the last Saturday in October and shall continue for two consecutive days, including the opening day. Only a person who is 16 years of age or younger and who is accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older may hunt during the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants. Effective on and after August 1, 2009, the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall begin on the first Saturday in November and shall continue for two consecutive days, including the opening day.
(c) The entire state shall be open for the taking of cock pheasants.
(d) (1) The daily bag limit during the open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be four cock pheasants.
(2) The daily bag limit during the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be two cock pheasants.
(e) (1) The possession limit during the open season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be 16 cock pheasants.
(2) The possession limit during the youth season for the taking of cock pheasants shall be four cock pheasants.
(f) This regulation shall be effective on and after August 1, 2008. (Authorized by K.S.A. 32- 807; implementing K.S.A. 32-807 and K.S.A. 2007 Supp. 32-1002.)
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I guess I don't see it the same way as you ksoutdoorman, because I see plenty of gray. For starters the rules, at least the ones you posted, do not define possession. It says nothing of the rules of sharing birds in there. So where does it say I can have more than 16 pheasant in my freezer as long as they are tagged by a different hunter? (I am not saying I don't believe you, I just have never seen these rules written out.) If I can share my pheasant with someone else as long as it has my information on it can they have more than 16 pheasant in their freezer?
 
Great conversation so hope this helps some. We have had this conversation on other sites a lot and had KDWP employees chime in so not trying to be a know it all but its all out there see.

Its the same reason why the legacy act was put in place. Your house is considered possession. Here is an example directly from US fish and wildlife with link.

If someone gives me a legally harvested grouse, pheasant, or duck he or she harvested, does it count towards my daily bag limit and possession limit or theirs?

It counts towards the daily bag and possession limit of the person who harvested the game.
You should get a written statement from the person who harvested the game that includes name, address, license, permit or tag number, the number and kind of animal provided to you, the date killed, county and area it was taken in, your name, the date of the gift/transfer, and the hunter?s signature in order to be compliance with WAC 232-12-077, which covers transporting game or portions of meat taken by somebody else.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/help/questions/8...ily+bag+limit+and+possession+limit+or+theirs?
 
Here is one of the better possession definitions I have seen as well.

Possession Limit:
? No person shall possess more than one daily limit on the opening day of the season. (See pages 8 - 11).
? No person shall possess more than the possession limit even when such birds are stored at home or are being processed at a commercial preservation facility. (See pages 8 - 11).
? No person including commercial facilities shall possess migratory birds of another unless such birds are tagged by the taker with the total number of birds and species, date killed, and signed by the taker.

Tagging:
No person shall give, put or leave any migratory game birds at any place or in the custody of another person unless the birds are tagged by the hunter with the following information: (a) the hunter?s signature, (b) the hunter?s address, (c) the total number of birds involved, by species, and (d) the dates such birds were killed. Tagging is required if the birds are being transported by another person for the hunter, or if the birds have been left for cleaning, storage (including temporary storage), shipment, or taxidermy services (see proxy statement on page 20).
Termination of Possession:
The possession of birds taken by any hunter shall be deemed to have ceased when such birds have been delivered by him to:
? Another person as a gift when accompanied by a proxy statement.
? A post office, or a common carrier, or a migratory bird preservation facility, and consigned for transport by the Postal Service or a common carrier to some person other than the hunter.
(Note: Upland Game/Migratory birds left in processing or storage facilities, home freezers, etc., are part of a hunters possession limit until conditions above are met. Birds must be given or assigned to someone other than the taker in order to end or terminate possession.)
 
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Good discussion----

Now throw in hunting birds two states in one day, like quail along the Kansas/Oklahoma border.
 
Thanks for helping in this education ksoutdoorsman. Some real good info there. Although the info is not for the state of Kansas so I assume the laws could be different.

"No person shall possess more than one daily limit on the opening day of the season. (See pages 8 - 11)."

Does this mean that if I have 1 bird left in my freezer on opening day my limit for opening day is 3 instead of 4?
 
Ok so I did find this page on the KDWP website, "Game birds; legal equipment, taking methods, and possession" here: http://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/2105/9858/version/2/file/R-03-01.pdf

Legally taken game birds may be possessed without limit in time and may be given to another if accompanied by a dated written notice that includes the donor's printed name, signature, address, and permit or license number.

So we can keep our 16 in our freezer as long as we want? Ok well not a question I was worried about but I guess the rules did answer a question about possession. We are able to give them away with some stipulations. However no mention of whose possession limit those birds would count against.

Also some info here: http://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/7735/38957/version/5/file/R-25-01b.pdf

It says nothing about possession limit being only 4 on opening day in there.

Honestly there has to be a law on the books somewhere that defines possession, doesn't there?
 
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Jakeismydog2 said:
Thanks for helping in this education ksoutdoorsman. Some real good info there. Although the info is not for the state of Kansas so I assume the laws could be different.

"No person shall possess more than one daily limit on the opening day of the season. (See pages 8 - 11)."

Does this mean that if I have 1 bird left in my freezer on opening day my limit for opening day is 3 instead of 4?
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Sorry been at the game all day long. Sad loss by our coaching staff but?

Anyway yes the rules are the same no matter what state your in. I just used the above since they are the best I have seen. :cheers:

Letter of the law if you really wanted to push it is yes, on opening day if you had 1 bird at home your legal limit is 3 that day…

As an example we salmon fish in WI every year and our charter asked us if we have any fish at home so they know how many we can catch and keep on the trip. They won't let you keep more fish over the trip than what you have.
 
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Jakeismydog2 said:
Ok so I did find this page on the KDWP website, "Game birds; legal equipment, taking methods, and possession" here: http://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/2105/9858/version/2/file/R-03-01.pdf

Legally taken game birds may be possessed without limit in time and may be given to another if accompanied by a dated written notice that includes the donor's printed name, signature, address, and permit or license number.

So we can keep our 16 in our freezer as long as we want? Ok well not a question I was worried about but I guess the rules did answer a question about possession. We are able to give them away with some stipulations. However no mention of whose possession limit those birds would count against.

Also some info here: http://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/7735/38957/version/5/file/R-25-01b.pdf

It says nothing about possession limit being only 4 on opening day in there.

Honestly there has to be a law on the books somewhere that defines possession, doesn't there?
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I mean I don't work for KDWP or anything but as some point you have to understand the rule is the rule. We have to clean all of our waterfowl and wild game out of our freeze at the first of every season. If a game warden came into my house which they can do on the first day of duck season and I had 2 birds left over from last year or South Dakota this year and 6 from today I am 100% no questions asked above the clearly stated legal limit of 6 birds on the opening day of duck season. Pheasant are no different.

Now are they going to do that, no only if I do something stupid! So just don't give them a reason to go crawling up your ass or home freezer and your good. If you shoot 6 roosters on opening day you broke the law plane a simple. If shoot a deer out of season and they search you house and you have more birds then legal, I would say thats an added ticket. If you post lots of pictures on social media of dead things and brag about daily limits then yes, you could be checked by a warden some morning when wake up for coffee. If you have an extra bird in you freezer on opening day then yes you are technically breaking the law but are they going to track you down no.
 
M. R. Byrd said:
Good discussion----

Now throw in hunting birds two states in one day, like quail along the Kansas/Oklahoma border.
Click to expand...

So here is a close but not perfect example of the rule. It carries over and is applied the same for birds.

Can I have a daily (bag or catch) limit and possession limit for both Oregon & Washington under the Columbia River reciprocity agreement between the states, if I have a legal license from both States?

You can have one or the other of the daily (bag or catch) limits, but not both.

What that basically means if by law you can have a KS or a OK limit but not both in a given day. Possession is the same, you can a KS possession or a OK possession and state it but you can't have both. Just like when we hunt in Canada, you have to declare your birds before you can cross the boarder or you get a lot of bad things happening to you.
 
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Again, sorry not trying to be a know it all by any means. I am new to this board but have been on the fishing and waterfowl board of 15 years had this conversation a lot. It's all out there and as much as we want to think there are grey areas its all been tried. Just passing along what I have learned and found out over the years and giving examples that I think are fairly clear. I wish it was more well written out in KS but it is what it is and we have to do our own research to be good ethical hunters. Sad but true its on us to learn the laws not on them to teach us. It may not be in writing but its what the courts see it that matters. Keep the questions coming, if I don't know the answer I have a lot of friends I can go get the answer from or at least make it sound good. :)

Or tell me to stop being a know it all and be quite.
 
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Kansasoutdoorsman said:
Sorry been at the game all day long. Sad loss by our coaching staff but?

Anyway yes the rules are the same no matter what state your in. I just used the above since they are the best I have seen. :cheers:

Letter of the law if you really wanted to push it is yes, on opening day if you had 1 bird at home your legal limit is 3 that day?

As an example we salmon fish in WI every year and our charter asked us if we have any fish at home so they know how many we can catch and keep on the trip. They won't let you keep more fish over the trip than what you have.
Click to expand...

For waterfowl the rules are the same in every state as the Feds make those rules. However for non-migratory animals the rules are up to the individual states.
 
Kansasoutdoorsman said:
So here is a close but not perfect example of the rule. It carries over and is applied the same for birds.

Can I have a daily (bag or catch) limit and possession limit for both Oregon & Washington under the Columbia River reciprocity agreement between the states, if I have a legal license from both States?

You can have one or the other of the daily (bag or catch) limits, but not both.

What that basically means if by law you can have a KS or a OK limit but not both in a given day. Possession is the same, you can a KS possession or a OK possession and state it but you can't have both. Just like when we hunt in Canada, you have to declare your birds before you can cross the boarder or you get a lot of bad things happening to you.
Click to expand...


In my research online I have found many forum posts saying this is not true for pheasant and quail. It would most definitely be for migratory birds though which is what you referenced.
 
Kansasoutdoorsman said:
Again, sorry not trying to be a know it all by any means. I am new to this board but have been on the fishing and waterfowl board of 15 years had this conversation a lot. It's all out there and as much as we want to think there are grey areas its all been tried. Just passing along what I have learned and found out over the years and giving examples that I think are fairly clear. I wish it was more well written out in KS but it is what it is and we have to do our own research to be good ethical hunters. Sad but true its on us to learn the laws not on them to teach us. It may not be in writing but its what the courts see it that matters. Keep the questions coming, if I don't know the answer I have a lot of friends I can go get the answer from or at least make it sound good. :)

Or tell me to stop being a know it all and be quite.
Click to expand...

No no your not being a know it all. I appreciate your willingness to have a conversation with me on here about this subject. If it was not for you this post would be pretty short and useless.
 
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