Colorado meat recovery laws
Elk
In AK you almost have to pack out the eyebrows, while in MT you can leave 40# of neck meat rot on the ground,. What does Colorado require?
All edible portions, but it is not nearly as strict as AK. If you leave that portion between the ribs, I have not seen a CPW manager who would cite you for that. Liver, heart, etc are not considered edible portions.
Pg 17 of the Regs:
Its against the law to:
17. Fail to reasonably dress, care for and prepare edible wildlife meat for human consumption. At a minimum, the four quarters, tenderloins and backstraps are edible meat. Internal organs are not.
"reasonably" leaves a good bit of discretion. If meat was lost due to time needed to recover, etc. I would assume a person should take pics or have a partner witness it? GPS the spot if they want to see the site? Or do they expect you to pack out rotten meat?
In AK what do they do if say a grizz has claimed your moose? Can't shoot the grizz. What then?
per cnelk's post,
If you have four quarters, tenderloins and backstraps (plus evidence of sex) you will be fine. Boned out is also fine. I've never been checked, and only seen one friend checked once.
If you leave meat because its spoiled, bloodshot etc, you may run into wanton waste rules. Having something is better than nothing. I did have a friend loose all the meat on a big bear due to recovery time during archery season. He told the warden when he sealed the hide, since they asked if he salvaged it. Ended up with a $400 fine, but they said it could have been much worse if they would have found out without his confession.
In AK, once a bear claims it, it's the bears. Unless you have a bear tag.
You can't move horns or cape/hide from the kill site until all meat is gone. They must be last things to pickup site.
Looks like you can let the neck rot in CO. Not sure how that is not considered edible. Guess the thing to do is ask the warden in the hunt area.
Yeah, it's lame they don't make you take the neck here in CO, there's a lot of meat there. Don't forget evidence of sex naturally attached to carcass or one quarter...
HAHA.... Neck meat is for the birds.... I am fine with just the the 4 quarters straps and tenderloins.... I think the predators and scavengers also appreciate it.
I remember the first time I came across a deer carcass where the hunters had left the shanks behind. I was TICKED! Probably a good #8 or so.
JMO, "backstraps" run all the way up to the ears, but I suppose that's one of those things that get left to the officer's discretion....
I've always wondered, though.. In CO, if you're in a 4-point unit, what happens if you get checked after you've packed off your first load and you haven't brought down the rack? I guess you have to bring off a hindquarter first, with evidence of sex?
On the one hand, it seems like you ought to leave the rack 'til the last trip, but man... talk about damned-if-you-do....
If I get checked on the first trip out, I will suggest to him to come back to the kill site and help pack the rest out if he has an issue :)
Agree with cnelk, had a warden check on a deer I killed in Kansas. He met me at my truck and I said I was changing into gutting clothes. He walked back to the kill with me and helped a bit while I gutted it and then helped me drag it out. Scooby
I contacted the MT warden near my place. The previous year I packed the head, cape, trim, and camp to the truck. Then I went back for the boned quarters of a muley. I left the tag with the quarters.
It's a carcass tag, not an antler tag and must stay with the bulk of the meat. He said I did it right.
Have a friend who was cited in Alaska for trimmings he left on a moose carcass that weighed 14-16 lbs. And that was collected from all over the carcass, because no big chunks were left. He fought it in court and won, but spent some bucks to do it. He had the bucks and wasn't going to let them pin something like that on him. They figured a nonresident wasn't going to go to the trouble, but he did and the game warden involved was actually cited/written up after the trial.
It's a shame to leave an elk's neck in the field. That's good burger.
4 Quarters, Backstraps and Tenderloins. Trust me, I know.
How much those tenderloins go for Aaron? :)
Here's a challenge for you who throw the neck off a big bull or buck away.
Process it by removing the fat like you would on any good meat. Grind and make burger like you would normally do, but keep the neck and the other burger separate.
Have someone cook burgers the way you like from both batches. You can't be in the room and they keep you in the dark about what batch is the neck.
Do a blind taste test. I think you will probably like the neck burgers the best.
Brother and I cooked a Dall and a Bou backstrap for guides, clients and outfitter north of the Brooks one fall. Kept them separate and it took them 5 minutes of arguing before they figured out which was the sheep/bou.
Many of our likes/dislikes fall apart when given a blind taste test.
