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Migratory Bird Laws You May Not Know - Continued
Printer Friendly Version Available
Submitted by: TBC Press
Posted on: 03/26/20
Ryan Warden became an expert on migratory gamebird regulations in 2011 after federal agents raided his Kansas duck lodge. He was later accused of breaking migratory bird laws—27 counts in total.
Warden paid around $30,000 in fines and legal fees and was not allowed to hunt, fish, or trap in the U.S. for five years. He admits wrongdoing, but there were many rules he didn’t know. To assist the average hunter, he started a company called Toe Tags, LLC that helps hunters stay legal with proper tags, log books, and any other items you need when transporting, donating, or storing harvested waterfowl.
What if we are hunting with a guide and want to donate our birds?
You have to be careful there, because legally you can only donate birds to someone at their home or your home or through a processor. So if a guide says, “I’ve got a buddy who will take those at the gas station,” and he takes your birds, drives to the 7-Eleven and drops them off to his friend, that’s illegal. You have to physically take your ducks to that "buddy” at his home. You (nor the guide) can go down to the gas station and donate the birds.
Outfitters can take gifted birds to be delivered or shipped to another person if they are a migratory gamebird processing facility. Which means they must receive the birds properly tagged, keep records in a log book (Toe Tags sells them), and that log book cannot be destroyed for a year once the last entry has been made. Once you drop the birds off at a processor and arrange for them to be gifted, they are no longer part of your possession limit. But a word of caution: If you are only storing birds in someone else’s freezer, they must be tagged and still count towards your possession limit.
I recommend all outfitters be processors (check with your state agency to ensure you are compliant), then they can legally donate any bird their clients gift. If you are the client and want to gift birds, ask to see the log book. If the guide looks at you like you’re nuts, keep the birds in your possession.
Is there anything else we should know about migratory gamebird laws?
There are many rules that can trip you up, but I guess the one thing you would think goes without saying, but I’ve seen it be a problem is: kill cripples as fast and humane as you can. Make sure they are dead. It’s illegal not to dispatch birds as quickly as possible. So if you thought a bird was dead, but suddenly it’s not, you need to take care of it NOW. It’s inhumane and a violation not to.
AUTHOR NOTE:: This Article from Outdoor Life deals with Q&A from a former duck guide, who broke migratory bird laws, and is trying to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes. The information is based on federal law. Be sure to check with state agencies to make sure you are in compliance with state law.
You can order your toes tags at; http://toetagsllc.com/
For printer friendly version of this article see; http://tbcpress.com/Migratory-Bird-Laws-You-May-Not-Know-Printer-Version.html
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Article # A20-2141
