Yup all the way back into the bush to view the carcass and tag,if tagged by someone else all those details.....I think I will side with Mr.[COLOR=#333333]David Critchlow on this one.
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Did Jaycee and Gilroy actually agree on something? I thought hell would freeze over before that happened. Leafs fans might actually get a Stanley Cup in a few years.
Thinking you know the letter of the law is a recipe for trouble. The only place you can argue the law is in court, and the JP is going to base his judgment on the intent of the law, which is to make sure the CO can determine meat was legally taken.
I think it's obvious how that one would go.
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Well then if we take that literally, to the letter of the law as he perceives it, the tag should be with the meat till it's in your freezer, it's final destination.
That would mean the butcher would be responsible to keep the tag with the meat while he has it during the processing , because it's not it's final destination yet.
See how silly it can get.
Laws don't cover all generalities.
Guys keep it on in transport....when it gets to where its gonna be butchered you've met the requirements. If its been processed then it is no longer game wildlife....essentially...if it looks like a deer still and your transporting it.....keep the tag on it
On a muzzle-loader deer hunt last fall in NW Ontario we were processing deer more or less under the supervision of the local CO, who is a close friend of mine. The deer would be tagged in the field (obviously) and then brought back to the lodge we were renting. If we hung the deer for a night or two before butchering, we would leave the tag attached until we were physically processing the deer. If we butchered the deer immediately after shooting it, the head would come off before the deer was hung neck-down for skinning. The CO did suggest that we keep the tagged ears (they were all antlerless) in the freezer with the cut and wrapped meat for the long trip home.
In your case, I would keep the head (and tag) attached if you plan to hang the deer for a few days before butchering it. If you're butchering them right after the kill, I would go ahead and remove the head before hanging it. As far as keeping the head and hide, I would only keep the ear or the antlers, whatever the tag is attached to. This may or may not be right according to internet law, but it was fine with the CO up north. It also might be going above and beyond, as you probably would be fine to hang the deer with the head and hide removed for a few days before butchering it, but the CO would have no way of knowing for sure if you were planning to butcher the deer yourselves or not. The way we went about it left no room for interpretation with the CO. Also, being my friend, I didn't want to put him in an awkward situation.
When it comes to this type of situation, ask yourself how things would look to a CO coming to check in on you. If there's room for them to speculate on what you may or may not be doing, they'll speculate. If you make it obvious that you're doing everything you can to be compliant but maybe you've overlooked a thing or two, they'll usually overlook that thing or two as well. Our moose gang once tagged the wrong quarter of the moose by accident (scrotal sac left on the untagged side). Because it was clear that we were trying to follow the rules and someone had just made an honest mistake, the CO gave it a pass.
There certainly is a difference between the "black & white" of the written law, the "intention of the law" and the "common sense" of the law. Unfortunately the only master of who is legal or not is the judge. Even some officers disagree with the interpretation of the law and therefore will enforce it differently under different circumstances. Agreed that a person should do what makes the most sense in trying to abide by the law but just because someone is charged with an offence does not mean they are guilty. That will be determined by the judge.