Deer Processing in Camp Changes to TPWD Law?

[lost cajun]

I’ve always wondered if Is it legal to debone the hind quarters? I thought I heard of a guy a getting a ticket for deboning them in camp. Anyone know?


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[sotol]

So tpwd worries about a guy shooting a deer and not tagging it. But if he kills enough to justify building a storage facility he must be ok.

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[BURTONboy]

I’ve always wondered if Is it legal to debone the hind quarters? I thought I heard of a guy a getting a ticket for deboning them in camp. Anyone know?


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Ya one the guys here got a ticket for a deboned deer on their way home. You have to keep the quarters whole.


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[Bruiser]

The only way around it is to have a 'cold storage' at deer camp and that cant be a cooler

Right from TPWD

Processing in Camp
A deer and pronghorn may be skinned and quartered (two forequarters, two hindquarters, and two backstraps) for transport, provided the quartered deer or pronghorn is tagged and proof of sex accompanies the deer or pronghorn. (See Cold Storage or Processing Facility for exceptions). The four quarters and two backstraps are the only parts of a deer required by law to be kept in edible condition.

Tagging and proof-of-sex requirements continue to apply until the wildlife resource reaches a final destination AND is quartered. Deer or pronghorn may only be processed beyond quarters at a location that qualifies as a final destination.

While in camp you may remove and prepare a part of a wildlife resource if the removal and preparation occur immediately before the part is cooked or consumed; however, all tagging and proof of sex regulations apply to remaining parts until the parts reach a final destination.

Final destination
The permanent residence of the hunter; the permanent residence of any other person receiving the animal/bird carcass part of an animal/bird carcass; or a cold storage or processing facility

A cold storage or processing facility may be established anywhere, including on property where hunting is conducted. It must be stationary and designed to process and/or store wild game. A vehicle, trailer, or other mobile storage or processing arrangement IS NOT lawful.

second line "for transport" you do all that if transporting are you transporting if you ar eating in camp theres your answer

[Quackerbox]

So it sounds as if you can process at camp if you have a walk in cooler or can process and store meat in a stationary cooler or freezer. At least that is what I got out of it.

I dont understand it either.

I have a buddy with a lease that has a walk in cooler. Their warden has told them they can bone out a deer, store it till they leave, then drive home with a boned out deer cause they have 'cold storage'. Makes no sense and Im sure 100 miles away another warden would cite them. Thats not an argument I want to have on the side of the road or in court.

I'll just continue to quarter my deer and haul it home same way I have for 40 years. My wife and I can generally bone out and cube a whitetail in about 30 minutes so its not saving me a ton of time by doing so at camp.

[doublearrow]

I’m Not being a wise guy here- Call a game warden and ask him to explain. I’ve done that a couple of times. He’s your best source.

Problem with that is they rarely have the same answer between them on laws written like this one.

[Deathrow Jethro]

This is the problem that I have with Texas Game Laws. Too much interpretation left to the INDIVIDUAL warden.

We have a walk in cooler at our camp, so I guess that means I can bone out a deer and leave the bones at the lease, instead of stinking up my trash can on trash day.

[Patton]

So it sounds as if you can process at camp if you have a walk in cooler or can process and store meat in a stationary cooler or freezer. At least that is what I got out of it.

Yes but there are some details regarding a cold storage facility, the harvest log, who has access to the cold storage facility, etc. From what I recall it outlines what a paying hunter can do at the cold storage, but leaves interpretation to if the landowner or landowners family can do the same.

[kmitchl]

This is one of those issues that if you ask six GW you get six different answers. On one lease we had a processors license for the lease so we could process past the quarters in camp. The processors license requires that you log each deer you process which we did. We had a GW come into camp and saw someone processing a deer tell us it was not legal even though we showed him the processors license and the log. As best I could tell we had followed the law explicitly.

[laredoarcher]

Photo documentation would seem to be enough for a GW. Dunno.

[BrandonA]

I believe Micheal and Casey got ticketed on their way home for this a few yrs back. Maybe they will chime in.

[Duane]

second line "for transport" you do all that if transporting are you transporting if you ar eating in camp theres your answer

THat’s just bad reading comprehension. What is says is you can quarter them for transport if you wish, so you don’t have to strap them across the hood of your sedan.

[Duane]

Ok, I’ve never done this but I thought that the law was you were allowed to process a deer beyond just the quarters if the deer meet was staying in deer camp.

During a conversation with a buddy this evening the topic was brought up. He said that TPWD now defines final destination as either a processing facility or your permanent residence. It specifically excludes deer camps from a place where a deer can be fully processed even if the meat is staying at that location.

Was I incorrect in thinking that the law used to allow further processing if the deer was going to be “camp” meat or has the law changed?


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I don’t think this is a change in law, seems to be the same language as in years past.

You can process and immediately eat a part of your deer, but the rest has to go home whole or in quarters. If you want camp meat, you’ll have to process and package it at home, then bring all you want back to camp.

[canny]

I don’t think this is a change in law, seems to be the same language as in years past.



You can process and immediately eat a part of your deer, but the rest has to go home whole or in quarters. If you want camp meat, you’ll have to process and package it at home, then bring all you want back to camp.

Ok. I wasn’t sure if the law used to read that way or not. I’ve always taken mine home to process.


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[Bisch]

I don’t think this is a change in law, seems to be the same language as in years past.



You can process and immediately eat a part of your deer, but the rest has to go home whole or in quarters. If you want camp meat, you’ll have to process and package it at home, then bring all you want back to camp.

This^^^^^^! It’s always been that way.

Bisch


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