illegal feathers?

[JackCrafty]

In Texas, if the deer are received by the processor's cold storage facility with proper tags, and the information entered into a log book, then he can do what he wishes with the "inedible" parts:  sell, trash, give away, or donate them.  As long as the facility is legal and is considered a "final destination", all inedible parts coming out of the facility are legal to posses in any amount without documentation.

Sale of Inedible Wildlife Parts: The following inedible wildlife parts may be purchased or sold provided the part was lawfully taken or possessed:

    Hair, hide, antlers, bones, horns, skull, hooves, or sinew from the following game animals: mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, desert bighorn sheep, gray or cat squirrels, fox squirrels or red squirrels, and collared peccary or javelina.

Possession Limit: For all wildlife resources taken for personal consumption and for which there is a possession limit, the possession limit shall not apply after the wildlife resource has reached the possessor's permanent residence and is finally processed.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/fish_hunt/hunt/general/
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/fish_hunt/general_law.phtml


Buckeye, if you cannot posses deer parts (without tags, etc) in your area, that's a bummer.     Check to make sure.  You should be able to posses parts that have been processed.

[vinemaplebows]

Remind me Never to hunt Texas, Jackcrafty.  My tolerance for government rules that make no sense at all, (when I am a law abiding citizen) is running dangerously low.    Main laws I agree with completely,  Don't shoot hens in the spring, no deer hunting in the spring and when young are still vulnerable....  but the vast majority of government laws are ridiculously typed from men in suits sitting behind desks. They may feel there is no need for perfectly good feathers, but who are they to make that decision.  The older I get I start supporting the Native American "We belong to the land" mentality and not the modern- "we own the land" ideal.    so much goes to waste in this country b\c fancy government officials have no sense of sustainability. meat, deer antlers, feathers, furs..all wasted each year because of heavily taxed automobiles.... heaven forbid, I "illegally" pick the deer up, eat it, tan it's skin for clothing and cut it's antlers up for knapping tools and knife handles.   what I would give to be a fly on the wall when the world does melt down and every asset is invaluable.... then have someone come take a deer meat out of one of those fancy "important" people's mouths and say "sorry, this deer was not killed by legal means...therefor we cannot eat it. It must rot to waste in a ditch while mouths are hungry..it's the law you know."
                        I am normally quite quiet on most internet topics and try not to stir the pot...but every now and then you gotta pull the pressure relief valve.  I mean come on.....molted feathers, we can't have them.....  how simply ridiculous when you break it down.  Next thing you know we won't be able to use dead trees for fire wood.....

The reason there are so many illegal feathers is because there used to be market for feathers and it almost caused many wading birds to go extinct.  The government has outlawed the possession of certain feathers because it could create a demand for them.  Even if most people are attaining them without harming the birds if people are buying them, then someone is bound to go out and start shooting the birds and selling the feathers illegally.  It's the same reason that you can't keep any native species of snake in Georgia as a pet.  They don't want collectors going out and selling native specimens.

PT is right.  The "feather" trade for hats got so ridiculous that women were sporting entire taxidermied GREAT BLUE HERONS and other birds on their heads!!!  To get them in their best plumage, they were shooting the birds off the nests to get the breeding plmage, fer cripes sakes.  Killing one bird was not the issue, it was the entire nest that then died.  And since it was most often the female on the nest, that took out a breeder from the population so subsequent nestings were also lost. 

Ultimately, there is no way to tell the difference between a molted feather in your hand from one pulled from a shotgunned bird.  And once that feather has been passed from the poacher to another person, proof is virtually impossible to obtain. 

I've got feathers, as mentioned by Atlatlista, on my Federal Special Use/Education Permit.  Trust me, even dumb old farm turkey feathers are better fletching than eagle/vulture/hawk/owl fletching.  The only difference is the mojo or "medicine" raptor feathers may be ascribed as possessing.  And that can't be measured by science.

I have to agree with twisted limbs....any legally obtained game bird should be exempt from these rules. I would go a step further and bring bear parts into the picture more specifically "gull bladders" I would not have a problem letting people who LEGALLY harvest bear/bird parts sell them with a stamp /permit whatever. Letting people utilize all parts for trophy, or financial gain is NO DIFFERENT than the state collecting fees from us, or a land owner selling the rights to his land specifically for the purpose of harvesting a game animal.

Bottom line for me.....just like marijuana, if you keep it illegal the price goes through the roof....legalize, and tax it the need for a illegal trade goes WAY down. You are not going to get the gull bladder trade/feather trade to go away till the people that want them no longer find the source usable (or in my opinion find the little blue pill).......so, control the trade give them enough, and save the resource from overzelous poachers trying to make a quick buck where we all loose.

As far as Texas.....I have no desire to step one foot in that zoo, too many rules I could never adhere too! My daughter lived down there for a while I refused to go there!

VMB

[Gus]

As far as Texas.....I have no desire to step one foot in that zoo, too many rules I could never adhere too! My daughter lived down there for a while I refused to go there!

VMB

Awe Come ON VMB...

You could always come down to Tejas to hunt the Elusive Straight Osage Tree.
Far as I know there is not Bag/Size/Possession limit on that odd critter...

And I have some Fine Aged Tequila that will make you shed your ill feelings for our fine state.
At least till the next morning...



-gus

[vyadha]

I was asked to help with some invasive plant removal in the CA Condor Preserve. We had to rappel down a cliff, cut/kill a bunch of tamarisk and then ascend the rap lines. The whole thing was video'd by the local paper.
The coordinator and I were ascending when I spotted a primary condor feather in a web. I asked him if it was legal to take it. He said because its molted. So I took it.
3 weeks later my phone rings, CA DFG. They saw the video and they were very interested in the part where I was putting the feather in my bag. They told me that if I can get the feather back to them by the end of the week that'd be fine. If I cant get it to them, $25k fine. I brought it in that afternoon.
Needless to say, all my fletchings are legally taken turkey.

[vinemaplebows]

Gus,

             What irratates me most about people that live in Texas is most of the land is privately owned, now that would not be bad EXCEPT the difference between the way we hunt and consider trespass is a whole lot different than the folks down there think. From what I have been repeatedly told ........ (an example) if I were hunting on public or private land and shot a animal that died on someones property and retrieved (without permission which I would do) it down there it would be considered poaching!! I have a serious issue with the definition of poaching down there. Poaching to me is to kill something out of season, spotlighting, no tag ect. Trespass to me is to go on someones land without permission...that is one crime...BUT THAT DOES NOT CONSITUTE POACHING, even if you kill a animal. Bet that made your eyes bug out.

             In a lot of the southern states TEXAS being the worst in my mind people will say......shooting a deer, or retreiving one that was legally shot is "poaching" We fundementally up here do NOT see that as poaching, it is trespass....yes, still a crime, but when I hear guys say.....you are stealing from me if you shoot a deer here.....uh excuse me stealing from who??? They are state animals NOT private stock. I also realize there are ranches down there that do have private stock.....I have often wondered how wild deer have become private stock for ranches, who the heck sold state animals to private ranches should be hanged with a sign that reads "I POACHED FROM THE PEOPLE."

Sorry for the rant, but it plain irratates me.....be glad to have a drink with you....meet you at the state line

VMB

[Arthur.s.Pankratz]

i always thought Texas was one of the least restrictive states

 

             In a lot of the southern states TEXAS being the worst in my mind people will say......shooting a deer, or retreiving one that was legally shot is "poaching" We fundementally up here do NOT see that as poaching, it is trespass....yes, still a crime, but when I hear guys say.....you are stealing from me if you shoot a deer here.....uh excuse me stealing from who??? They are state animals NOT private stock. I also realize there are ranches down there that do have private stock.....I have often wondered how wild deer have become private stock for ranches, who the heck sold state animals to private ranches should be hanged with a sign that reads "I POACHED FROM THE PEOPLE."

being a Texan i don't think that it should be considered being poaching and in my opinion there are probably many Texans that would agree on that point
it probably would a good idea to get permission from the owners of any property you plan to hunt on it is their land after all
but if you not hunting on their land then and a animal you shot wanders onto theirs then in in my opinion it should be fine because if i remember correctly you are obligated to pursue and retrieve that animal  to the best of your ability
as for the "game ranchers" if they have at least somewhat contained them and taken care of them for awhile then they should be count as their stock
also i think its a good thing that most of the land is privately owned down here

and i think that's all have to say right now because anything that comes to mind would be straying into politics and even religion somewhat too