Settle an argument...Can you debone hind quarters at camp?

[Artos]

If i missed I apologize but does MLD still follow the same rules for cold storage logs?

Our biologist says this year we have to fill out the cold storage log along with all the other mdl requirements...

[Bleu]

Do enlighten me then.

This is the method that was taught to me as a kid and this is the only way I have ever seen anyone clean a deer.

I stand corrected. Shoulders, hams and straps don't include loins, neck meat, and trim so I thought they were saying you had to keep the carcass for later trimming.

Actually, you may be doing it exactly right. I just found this in Chapter 4 - Field Care of Game in the Texas Hunter's Education Curriculum. They elaborate, and even encourage, what you are doing.

"Quartering is when you butcher the deer by removing the forequarters (shoulders), the hindquarters (hams) and the backstraps from the carcass. By Texas law, you may not process the deer beyond quartering until you reach your final destination. This means you may not ‘bone-out” the shoulders and hams. You may take trimmings from the neck and ribs. Don’t forget the tenders on the inside of the chest cavity that parallel the backstraps."

https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education/online-course/hunting-skills-1/field-care

[Killer]

Crud I thought I knew how to transport a whitetail legally but after this thread I am more confused now. Almost confused to the point of just killing it, strapping it to the hood of my truck and taking it straight to the processor's.

This is what I do (for the record I do not gut mine. I hang my deer by the back legs and just drop the guts down into the chest cavity.)

Remove back straps and tender loins, place in ice chest.
Remove the front shoulders, place in ice chest.
Remove the hindquarters, place in ice chest.
Remove neck meat if there is a substantial amount, place in ice chest.
Remove brisket or any other substantial meat, place in ice chest.

Cut the head off as proof of sex and place in a sack to transport back home with the cooler of meat.

Dispose of remaining carcass, guts and legs in the "GUT PILE"

Is this illegal?

Wish a GW would get on this thread and clarify for everyone.

This is what i do also! I think its legal but after reading this thread who knows!

[Smart]

Crud I thought I knew how to transport a whitetail legally but after this thread I am more confused now. Almost confused to the point of just killing it, strapping it to the hood of my truck and taking it straight to the processor's.



This is what I do (for the record I do not gut mine. I hang my deer by the back legs and just drop the guts down into the chest cavity.)



Remove back straps and tender loins, place in ice chest.

Remove the front shoulders, place in ice chest.

Remove the hindquarters, place in ice chest.

Remove neck meat if there is a substantial amount, place in ice chest.

Remove brisket or any other substantial meat, place in ice chest.



Cut the head off as proof of sex and place in a sack to transport back home with the cooler of meat.



Dispose of remaining carcass, guts and legs in the "GUT PILE"



Is this illegal?



Wish a GW would get on this thread and clarify for everyone.

You are fine...

[Livin'2hunt]

Right or wrong, I saw on 'Lone Star Law', one of the female GWs wrote some out-of-State hunters tickets for deboning deer meat in camp. Their meat was in coolers.

[Bleu]

You are fine...

Yep, did a little more digging and corrected myself.

Proof of Sex is still a little ambiguous. They say, "retained, accompanied, and attached", in 3 different areas.

[Artos]

You are fine...

...yeah, that whole head attached deal is weird. I've been checked like this before we had the cooler & never had a problem.

[Mesquite Archer]

This is what i do also! I think its legal but after reading this thread who knows!

Same here. I do not debone hind quarters, or shoulders but I do remove all other meat from the carcass and dispose of the bones. After I get home and soak the meat in ice water a few days I debone the quarters. I keep the head in a trash sack on the way home and this may be an issue because it is no longer attached.

[Kdog]

Stupid rule, but I guess I can see what they are trying to do. (Making it easy to identify how many deer you have.) I never really have time to de-bone my meat at camp anyway, too many other things to do. And If I eat some it will be backstraps and tenderloins anyway, not a front or rear quarter.

[Deathrow Jethro]

You are fine...

I thought so but after reading this thread I questioned myself.

[Dry Bones]

Whole new level of ***!! I guess Texas forgets that we tend to hunt in HOT weather during bow season, AND that a great way to preserve all available meat would be to cut and ice. I always thought it was okay to do all my cutting as long as I kept "proof" of sex usually being head with the meat. Definitely change the way I handle deer, and maybe even hunting all together.
Kinda ****** me off to say the least .
Thank you OP for the thread and for everyone that has first hand experience.
No need to challenge the "authority," just don't deal with them all together.

[Smart]

Whole new level of ***!! I guess Texas forgets that we tend to hunt in HOT weather during bow season, AND that a great way to preserve all available meat would be to cut and ice. I always thought it was okay to do all my cutting as long as I kept "proof" of sex usually being head with the meat. Definitely change the way I handle deer, and maybe even hunting all together.
Kinda ****** me off to say the least .
Thank you OP for the thread and for everyone that has first hand experience.
No need to challenge the "authority," just don't deal with them all together.

I guess I'm weird. In the heat or cold, I'd prefer to just throw the quarters and trimmings in the cooler fast(especially in the heat), get it iced down asap and do the fine de-boning/slicing/chunking and packaging at home after it has had a change to bleed out some..

[chillymac]

From what I know it’s illegal to debone at camp. The exception is if you have a walk in cooler at camp With a log book.

x2

[AntlerCollector]

I guess I'm weird. In the heat or cold, I'd prefer to just throw the quarters and trimmings in the cooler fast(especially in the heat), get it iced down asap and do the fine de-boning/slicing/chunking and packaging at home after it has had a change to bleed out some..

Yep you're weird, but that's irrelevant I do it the same way you do when I'm hunting away from home.

[Dry Bones]

Smart, I like to debone the WHOLE carcass. I leave nothing. It's takes a while but to me, and just my opinion, that's part of the deal. I feel much better about meat that has been completely de-boned and packed in the icechest/cooler as soon as possible. When i get done there is nothing more then a skeleton hanging. After sending a knife deep into the base of my thumb I learned it is much easier to De-bone hanging hindquarters and shoulders instead of cutting them off. Just cutting quarters, and straps does not begin my processing.
Again this is just what I like, not trying to criticize anyone for other practices.