Would not keeping goose legs be construed as wastage of game meat?
 

Was having a conversation with a few guys as to whether you would be guilty in the eyes of Fish and Wildlife of wastage of game meat for failing to keep the legs off waterfowl? I think that cooked properly, legs are the tastiest part of the goose, so don't understand why many don't keep them. However, I wasn't really sure of the answer to the legal aspect.

Do any of you know for certain?

I think this comes up every year. Probably would depend on the officer looking into it i imagine. There is a ton of meat on the thighs, unless it has shot in it i think it should be taken.

Not sure as to the legalities but would agree that the legs off waterfowl, and game birds like grouse for that matter are awesome and shouldn't be wasted. It's so easy to get them out, just skin down a little farther and use a pair of good scizzors. Takes seconds.

Not interested in opinion
 

Read my post. I'm not looking for opinion.:bad_boys_20:

Then don't ask on here.
Ask the authorities.

It's illegal to not take them. Its edible meat. Dont forget u need a wing on all birds in your freezer as well. A lot of guys dont know that as well

You do not have to keep a wing on them in the freezer.

From regs

In many areas of Canada, daily bag limits and possession limits vary by species. The fully feathered wing on the harvested bird makes it easy to identify the species to help game officers accurately apply daily bag or possession limits. The wing may be removed once the bird is prepared for immediate cooking or after the bird is taken to the owner's residence for preservation

Can you show where it says this in the regulations? Thanks

I'm guessing it would be up to the officer's discretion to go by the book if there is 100 drumsticks wasting in a pile after 6 hunters breast a days geese.

From the Alberta Wildlife act. And I quote:
"Prohibition against spoilage, etc., of skin and edible flesh
41(1) A person who has killed or is in possession of a game bird
or big game animal, other than a mountain lion or bear, shall not
(a) abandon any of its flesh that is fit for human consumption,
(b) destroy any such flesh, or
(c) allow any such flesh to become unfit for human consumption. "


I enjoy the drumsticks, wings and some innards of all game birds. Backs and necks make good stock.

If it were a deer.
 

Surprised to see this question. . Why allow our ethics be defined by the letter of the law. Why ask here? To someone with a high ethical standard, the laws are irrelevant. Even a legal opinion is an opinion.

Suppose you're explaining it to your 10 year old on her fist hunt?
Ask that question to a non hunting member of the general public... if you turn behaviour over to the law you are empowering that person to decide for you.

If they are 'legally' edible then why can't the powers that be simply spell it out in the regs. I've never understood why they need to leave do much up to interpretation. Just put it in black and white. 'Edible' could be defined as everything but the feathers, honk, and quack.....

If we are supposed to take legs put it in the regs and then there is no argument.

We’re fortunate in montana in that it is plainly written in our regs that if it is the size of a teal or smaller you only are required to keep the breast meat. Larger than a teal including geese you have to keep breast and thighs. Makes it a bit easier to interpret/understand.

Wrong! One the birds are taken to the usual residence, or are prepared for immediate cooking, no feathered wing is required.

Not rocket science
 

Pretty simple. Think how you carve your thanksgiving turkey. Ditto for wild game. All that is edible should be taken. If your not going to use it all don’t shoot it.....simple.

Hunters have been breasting out ducks and geese forever and I have never heard of any issue with F&W.

Breasting geese
 

I hate dressing out birds. It’s the reason I don’t hunt them. I couldn’t in good conscience throw that meat away. Regardless.

Moose and deer heart are my favourite part of the animal next to tenderloins.
I even keep the grouse hearts. Do you know how many hearts I have seen in gut piles over the years? Too many to count. Is that considered wastage? Heart is a muscle therefore a meat.
Chicken hearts are sold as an edible meat at Superstore where I shop. So.....

Yes that’s a tricky one. Rules say edible flesh. Heart, liver and such is organ meat. I to take the organs as edible.

You make the giant assumption that I didn't call my field office a few times only to get a voice message. In fact, I just tried two offices again and got voice messages.

My hope was to get a response from people who have asked that question, as it is a common one, specifically to an officer, or know of someone who may have ended up on the wrong side of the rule.

You saw in my post that I keep them. However, this is a question that came up, and myself and others want to know the answer. Are mods not allowed to ask questions? As you can see by the responses, it is hard to definitively interpret the letter of the law. I would think that you could be fined for wasting them, but I don't know if that is right. I was simply asking if anyone had a definitive answer.

The legs are the best part. Slow cooked in moose stock onions, carrots and turnips...absolutely superb!

Agreed.

The word "edible" is a bit vague. I find the legs of larger waterfowl particularly nice, and the thighs of most gamebirds are perfectly suitable table fare...but if you ask me to eat the drumstick of a pheasant, I might as well eat my guitar.
I generally keep the heart (and sometimes the liver) of all gamebirds, too.

Well for some of you that claim I am wrong you might be in for a big surprise. Kinda curious how an outfitter just got convicted of having 14 breasts in his freezer with no wing?
Also why are they proposing to change the law for next year as well about wings and storage? Isn't there something about that going on? I am not sure the details so I could be wrong

Did you not read any of the regulations that people went through the trouble of posting up for you?

Goose legs simmered in stock overnight in slow cooker. Tonight they will be made up like hot roast beef sandwiches.

Gonna call F&W again to find out for sure, but with what's been shared on this thread, throwing them away may get you on the wrong side of the law.
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That looks like a lot of perfectly good meat to me.

It is, but the question asked is certainly a pertinent one, as many people, if they are honest, only keep breasts. It's better to know things for certain than to deal in hypotheses.

But did he/you have them at his camp by alix or residence?

This^^^^^

If any of you hunters want to share a few goose legs, I'd be willing to take them off of your hands.

BW