Possession Limit

Every state is different. ND does not have possession limits for a resident at home (freezer, etc...)

Flip side ND does prohibit party hunting for deer and upland game birds. Every year a few Minnesotans get busted in ND because they fail to realize that the party hunting rules allowed in MN and SD are not allowed in ND.
 
I'd be curious how some of you feel about taking too many deer. In my opinion, most people really don't like it if someone takes more than 1 deer a year (or however many your state allows).

Why wouldn't you care the same about pheasants or other game birds? And maybe those of you that don't care about possession limits for birds, don't care about taking too many deer either.

I pride myself in being a steward of the land when it comes to being a hunter. I abide by the regs, don't take too many birds than I'm supposed to, etc. I'm kinda surprised everyone here isn't on the same page with this.

Yes not drinking and driving is a good thing to do (also a law, like possession limits) but how hard is it to eat your birds during the season if you want to hunt alot? Shoot 100 birds a year if you want. Just eat them as you go. The point of possession limits is to restrict over hunting. Whether you agree with it or not.


My great uncle had an interesting take on violators. I grew up hunting on his farm / ranch along a ND river bottom. Simply some of the best deer numbers, deer hunting in all of ND. Opening weekend was always marked by a tresspasser or two ... always neighbors or locals. He would drive out to them and ask them to leave ... his land was available to "others" after all family and friends tags were filled - season was long. I asked him why not call the sheriff ... his answer was I have to live with all these people the other 360+ days a year.

There was an older gentlemen who drove the area in an old el camino. Handicapped ... he would shoot deer out his window (before laws allowed such behavior) and we know he killed a half dozen deer during season by never sealing his tag. I learned that he and his family were quite desitute, but too proud to ask for government assistance. My uncles takes on this ... I will find far more dead deer in the spring after a moderate or tough winter than old Gene takes in the fall. Interestingly as the years went on ... antlerless tags (unlimited) became available over the counter.
 
Flip side ND does prohibit party hunting for deer and upland game birds.
I really wish Minnesota would put a halt to party hunting for deer. I don't care about the birds but deer hunters should not be able to harvest more than one buck every season. They should be able to fill their own tag and ONLY their tag. A lot of deer hunters complain about the lack of quality bucks but then they tag a spike and/or a fork every season. Removing the party hunting thing for deer would make a lot of hunters think twice about shooting a small buck on opening day if they wanted to continue hunting for a bigger one and we would immediately see bigger average size bucks around.
 
I do freeze some game birds and obviously deer ... I absolutely hate freezing fish. Keep what I can eat ... the rest go free.
 
I do freeze some game birds and obviously deer ... I absolutely hate freezing fish. Keep what I can eat ... the rest go free.
I don't hunt big game, but have done a prolific amount of waterfowl and upland game.Big game hunters are a priority for game wardens in Montana, as it should be.I have seen way more illegal activity from these people, than I've ever seen from bird hunters. That being said, there are poachers in the bird hunting crowd.
 
I do freeze some game birds and obviously deer ... I absolutely hate freezing fish. Keep what I can eat ... the rest go free.
Same. I vacuum seal most of my game birds. I used to vacuum seal fish filets too, but I haven't hardly kept fish for years and the ones I did keep I ate freshly caught. I would estimate that probably half of the pheasants I harvest every season I give away to family or friends, or landowners that allow me to hunt.
 
Same. I vacuum seal most of my game birds. I used to vacuum seal fish filets too, but I haven't hardly kept fish for years and the ones I did keep I ate freshly caught. I would estimate that probably half of the pheasants I harvest every season I give away to family or friends, or landowners that allow me to hunt.
I like to eat pheasant, so I only gave away a few.Any chicken recipe, works with pheasant, with a few alterations.
 
Same. I vacuum seal most of my game birds. I used to vacuum seal fish filets too, but I haven't hardly kept fish for years and the ones I did keep I ate freshly caught. I would estimate that probably half of the pheasants I harvest every season I give away to family or friends, or landowners that allow me to hunt.
+1 for vaccum sealing
 
When I lived in Nebraska, I also hunted Kansas a lot. My local CO claimed that I couldn't possess upland birds I'd taken in Kansas, in my NE home. His logic was so convoluted that I was embarrassed for him. We called the head office in Lincoln and his supervisor told him that if I was legally licensed in KS he was to leave me alone. They said this applied to my hunting both states in the same day, which I did a lot.

As far as multiple state's birds at home, I'm not aware of a law that requires you to maintain records of what was shot where. They aren't going to be in your freezer anyway unless you've done something egregious in the field.
 
When I lived in Nebraska, I also hunted Kansas a lot. My local CO claimed that I couldn't possess upland birds I'd taken in Kansas, in my NE home. His logic was so convoluted that I was embarrassed for him. We called the head office in Lincoln and his supervisor told him that if I was legally licensed in KS he was to leave me alone. They said this applied to my hunting both states in the same day, which I did a lot.

As far as multiple state's birds at home, I'm not aware of a law that requires you to maintain records of what was shot where. They aren't going to be in your freezer anyway unless you've done something egregious in the field.
I agree. Home freezer doesn't count. Nobody thinks about that ya all.
 
II don't believe any of the negative comments were directed at me, but, I didn't say "home freezer doesn't count." I said proof of origin, of the birds in a home freezer, isn't required. I was licensed in Iowa, NE, ND and SD last season. Including 2 SD licenses during pheasant season. (2 other SD licenses during prairie grouse season.) Someone else can do the math, but I could have held a lot of pheasants in my home freezer.

There's only one reason any state has daily and possession limits on upland birds and it isn't to protect the resource. The purpose is to distribute the harvest. They're attempting to allow persons who don't have a lot of opportunity to hunt, a chance at some "easier" birds, before the cream is taken by multi-day hunters. All any state cares about is that you don't take more birds from their state than you're licensed for. Every legally licensed hunter can shoot a state daily bag limit of birds every day his license(s) are valid, as long as he/she gifts or eats the birds to remain below the possession limit. In Iowa with a 75 day season and 3-bird per day bag, I could legally shoot 225 roosters as long as I never have more than 12 "Iowa" birds between the field, transport and home.

I might agree that at some level of take a "game hog" label might be appropriate, but a person who abides by the letter of the law isn't a poacher.
 
Benelli Banger, most of your posts are informative and helpful.

This one is not. Taking meds and maxing out retirement has nothing to do with following the law. The rest of do not care if you take your daily medicine.

You are basically admitting to poaching on a public forum with this statement. Considering how much hunting you do every season, and I assume you enjoy it, I would suggest being more detailed in your approach on a possession limit. Labeling and keeping numerical track of packaged birds from the state it originated is not a difficult thing to do. Although the chance of getting caught is rare, it does happen. And as I previously stated, its a moral thing since enforcement is limited.
No I’m not, and I never do. I’m saying that worrying about a warden coming to my home to inspect my freezer for birds in
Possession doesn’t worry
Me, it doesn’t in the least. That’s not admitting guilt of anything. My choice of words was inartful
or imprecise, or both.
 
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I don’t stockpile birds, just doesn’t happen. I go through them fairly quickly….cooking, gifting, etc, including eating at camp. Glad that we’ve got such an ethical, conscientious, concerned bunch here! Interpret my comments any way you wish, but I know my program…I love nothing more than sharing my birds…I rarely have a bag of pheasant in my own freezer before late November. I have several friends/family/clients who I crisscross the twin cities to gift to as I return from SD on my first 3-4 trips….what comes home gets cooked fairly quickly and brought to work, my mechanic’s shop, and a few clients and friends. Thanks for your concern, you have noble intentions I’m sure!
 
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I don’t stockpile birds, just doesn’t happen. I go through them fairly quickly….cooking, gifting, etc, including eating at camp. Glad that we’ve got such an ethical, conscientious, concerned bunch here! Interpret my comments any way you wish, but I know my program…I love nothing more than sharing my birds…I rarely have a bag of pheasant in my own freezer before late November. I have several friends/family/clients who I crisscross the twin cities to gift to as I return from SD on my first 3-4 trips….what comes home gets cooked fairly quickly and brought to work, my mechanic’s shop, and a few clients and friends. Thanks for your concern, you have noble intentions I’m sure!
I just can't give a lot away, because they are hard earned!! Also, I have some great pheasant recipes!!
 
I've seen this thread on here before. It's hilarious, and unfathomable. Don't shoot more than the daily limit, don't shoot from the road, don't shoot hens, don't possess more than the limit while on a trip.Its common sense.
 
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