# packing out a bear??



## Killer Kyle (Sep 19, 2012)

Is boning out and packing out a bear legal in Georgia?  Regs say at minimum, hide and skull must be submitted to DNR for recording purposes, but is it ok to bone out and pack out bear in Georgia?  That has been my plan this season, and I have never even thought of the legality of it until now.


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## deadend (Sep 19, 2012)

Yes it is. Make sure it's a legal bear before you shoot.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 20, 2012)

Thanks dead end.  I saw your post about the hog, and it got me thinking.  Thanks for the confirmation!


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## brandonsc (Sep 20, 2012)

There's an old thread on here where this topic was brought up last year


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## ranger374 (Sep 20, 2012)

you have to have at least 75lbs of weight when you check it in.  so if the bear is 75 or 100 lbs live weight -- which would be legal, and you pack it out without the guts and bone out the meat, you probabally ain't gonna have 75lbs and gonna get a ticket and the bear confiscated.  a lot of work for nothing.  but hey if it is a 300 lber, you would be ok.  still sucks to have to drag a 100 lber out from a mile or two.  i've done it with a deer and that was no fun either.


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## GA DAWG (Sep 20, 2012)

ranger374 said:


> you have to have at least 75lbs of weight when you check it in.  so if the bear is 75 or 100 lbs live weight -- which would be legal, and you pack it out without the guts and bone out the meat, you probabally ain't gonna have 75lbs and gonna get a ticket and the bear confiscated.  a lot of work for nothing.  but hey if it is a 300 lber, you would be ok.  still sucks to have to drag a 100 lber out from a mile or two.  i've done it with a deer and that was no fun either.


Only on a check in deer hunt does it have to be 75 and over. National forest land or private it does not matter what you bring out as long as you have the head and hide checked in 3 days.


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## ranger374 (Sep 20, 2012)

GA DAWG said:


> Only on a check in deer hunt does it have to be 75 and over. National forest land or private it does not matter what you bring out as long as you have the head and hide checked in 3 days.



no GA DAWG, check the hunting regs.

Restriction

Killing of females with cub(s) *or a cub under 75 pounds is prohibited.*


now i don't know how they define a cub vs a non cub -- but my experience on that is if it don't weigh 75 lbs, you are gonna get a ticket.

if you don't believe me, ask marlin444 -- the bear he killed was a couple of pounds less than 75 lbs, killed on national forest land outside of a WMA -- he got the ticket and bear confiscated.  The bear he killed was not a cub.  it was a older sow that was either sick, or maybe a cub had brought her down -- either way, he got his ticket right there on the spot.  Even though they take a tooth to age it, good luck trying to use that to get out of the "cub" age bracket--whatever that is.


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## ALPHAMAX (Sep 20, 2012)

ranger374 said:


> you have to have at least 75lbs of weight when you check it in.  so if the bear is 75 or 100 lbs live weight -- which would be legal, and you pack it out without the guts and bone out the meat, you probabally ain't gonna have 75lbs and gonna get a ticket and the bear confiscated.  a lot of work for nothing.  but hey if it is a 300 lber, you would be ok.  still sucks to have to drag a 100 lber out from a mile or two.  i've done it with a deer and that was no fun either.



I asked the game warden and this^ is what he said
and hide & skull


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## GA DAWG (Sep 20, 2012)

ranger374 said:


> no GA DAWG, check the hunting regs.
> 
> Restriction
> 
> ...


They dont weigh anything on hunts thats not a wma check in. Its up to you what you put down lol.. Plus this rule was not in effect when he killed his. Still though they gotta weigh 75lbs to shoot em. Im no poacher BUT they cant tell if a sow had cubs with it when you shot it or tell how much a head and hide weighed of a 3 day old bear kill. Aint my rules. They made em up.


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## deadend (Sep 20, 2012)

Asking 10 different game wardens results in 10 wholly different responses.


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## GA DAWG (Sep 20, 2012)

Ask coastie on here if he's checked any out without weighing them. I KNOW he has. Cause all you gotta carry him is a head and hide of a bear. Sometime within 3 days of the kill. Unless its a check in hunt. Still then I think you can estimate weight and pack the bear out.


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## T-N-T (Sep 20, 2012)

I have been planning on doing this.  Of coarse i may just luck up and have a bear run to the truck and die at the tail gate like he should...  But seriously, the multitude of responses here has me concerning "my understanding" of a minimum of head and hide being presented.  Good question KillerKyle.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 20, 2012)

Haha well, I saw the minimum in the regs as well, but I know some states prohibit boning out game.  I drug a deer UP the side of a ridge by myself last bow opener, and I swore to myself I would never, not ever, do that again.  It was physically the most taxing thing I have ever done.  My intent was to seek confirmation just to be sure.  There does seem to be some debate.  As for me, I hunt alone, and I hunt deep in.  I will be packing.  If a game warden says otherwise, I will point to the regs.  I believe the skull and hide is the minimum.  There isn't anything in the regs stating otherwise, so I will be packing out my game.  I didn't expect any confusion.  Apologies, gentlemen.


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## snook24 (Sep 21, 2012)

That's what I plan on doing kk and if I get grief I'll point it out in the book and if needed fight the ticket....it's funny how many people in law enforcement aren't clear on some of the important rules...I asked a police officer a few years back if when pulled over and I have a gun in the back do I need to let them know...he said "if I find anyone with a gun I'm locking them up" he had no idea people can have them in possession...


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 21, 2012)

Haaahaha that's awesome.  Well, if you ever need to fight a ticket like that, let me know.  My best friend since childhood is a practicing attorney, and a sportsman as well.  I'm sure he'd love to get his hands on a case lime that.


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## bearhunter39 (Sep 21, 2012)

It looks like Coastie is avoiding the question GA Dawg,That is if he has seen this thread.I think it is a shame that marlin 444 was given a ticket and his bear confiscated over a couple of lbs.I guess we all need to carry around a set of bathroom scales in the woods with us and convince the bears to weigh in before we shoot one,I know the GW don't make the laws,But their is such a thing as common sense , And treating the people who buy a hunting license with a little respect since we are the reason they have a job,they need to work for hunters and fisherman not against them.


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## snook24 (Sep 21, 2012)

Lol thanks kk that all being said I don't intend on shooting a bear that's even close to the legal limit  and most wardens I've meet have been nothing but really nice so knock on wood hopefully I never have an issue it would just be nice if the rule was very straight forward and all of them were on the same page. Good luck this weekend everyone hope to see some pics Monday!


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## K80 (Sep 21, 2012)

bearhunter39 said:


> It looks like Coastie is avoiding the question GA Dawg,That is if he has seen this thread.I think it is a shame that marlin 444 was given a ticket and his bear confiscated over a couple of lbs.I guess we all need to carry around a set of bathroom scales in the woods with us and convince the bears to weigh in before we shoot one,I know the GW don't make the laws,But their is such a thing as common sense , And treating the people who buy a hunting license with a little respect since we are the reason they have a job,they need to work for hunters and fisherman not against them.



Especially considering it wasn't a cub, which is why I sent him a little money for the cause. It's a shame his first experience shooting a bear is tainted.


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## bearhunter39 (Oct 26, 2012)

It looks like you are not going to get an answer to your question GA DAWG.


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## redman2006 (Oct 26, 2012)

I was curious and called DNR.  I got shuffled around a lot.  Finally, the guy I spoke with said it had to have enough on it to tell it was a  legal kill.  

He said that a gutted bear weighs about 16 to 20% less than live.  It depends on the size of live bear and the body condition.  He told me that this would be taken into account when the bear is weighed.  

He also said the only time that the bears were weighed would be one that is close to the lower limit or from a special hunt that you have to check out.  

He suggested quartering rather than boning and to keep the hide and head intact.  There are charts of chest girth and body length that they can use to determine live size if needed. 

He said it was all based on LIVE weight, not the weight you packed out.  He did say to be careful about waste.  That can get you in trouble if you leave a lot behind and get checked at your car on the way out.  I think he was refering to pulling the hams and straps and leaving the rest lay.

He seemed really nice and very knowledgable.  

Hope it helps.  I am sorry it is not straight from the horse's mouth.


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## Killer Kyle (Oct 31, 2012)

Thanks for taking the time to research that.  Seems that every person that has asked DNR has gotten a roundabout answer.  TopherandTick on this forum asked some rangers last Wednesday I believe, and they said the very same thing.  No straight answer really.  
   What I gather from the answers provided by everyone who has directly inquired of the DNR is basically 
....."pack it out or drag it out.  The law is open for interpretation, and your legal fate regarding you and the bear you killed are left to the discretion of the particular game warden/ranger on shift.  Better hope nobody peed in their cornflakes that day".


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## buckeroo (Oct 31, 2012)

I can tell you from firsthand experience when my friend got his bear on Nat For a few weeks ago, we had no choice but to pack it out. 

We came out with the hid and meat. When Bill went to Gainesville to check it with DNR, all he had was the head, hide and paws. It was perfectly legal that we packed his bear out on Nat For.


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## T-N-T (Oct 31, 2012)

Killer Kyle said:


> Thanks for taking the time to research that.  Seems that every person that has asked DNR has gotten a roundabout answer.  TopherandTick on this forum asked some rangers last Wednesday I believe, and they said the very same thing.  No straight answer really.
> What I gather from the answers provided by everyone who has directly inquired of the DNR is basically
> ....."pack it out or drag it out.  The law is open for interpretation, and your legal fate regarding you and the bear you killed are left to the discretion of the particular game warden/ranger on shift.  Better hope nobody peed in their cornflakes that day".



^^yep^^   Falls back to if your warden was born full of common sense or is still trying to learn it.


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## Marlin_444 (Nov 1, 2012)

And it was the best $375.00 I ever spent for any bow hunt up to it and since!

Just wish I could have kept the Hide and Skull...

*V*


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## Killer Kyle (Nov 11, 2012)

So Marlin, was your bear gutted at the time it was weighed?


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## Limbbaconeer (Nov 11, 2012)

I hunt solo for the most part, and I generally am at least 3 to 4 miles back in the woods in N. Ga.  I talked to one of the DNR guys about what to do if I got a bear.  I am in good shape, but I am a thin guy and there is no way I can carry out a full bear.  A minimum weight bear would even be a stretch for me.  He said if I explained my situation once I checked in that they would take this into consideration.  Basically, he made it sound like they could approx. the weight from the measurement of pieces I came out with.  Not sure if this helps, but it made me feel better about my situation if I got a bear. 

By the way, I saw bears almost everytime I was in the woods, but I could never get close enough.  The closest I got was about 50yards.  My bear hunting is over for this season, but I have some great spots for next year.  I can't wait!!


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## Coastie (Nov 16, 2012)

GA DAWG said:


> Ask coastie on here if he's checked any out without weighing them. I KNOW he has. Cause all you gotta carry him is a head and hide of a bear. Sometime within 3 days of the kill. Unless its a check in hunt. Still then I think you can estimate weight and pack the bear out.



Only one and that was the first year of that ridiculous regulation. That bear was in no way legal, but there was nothing anybody could do. When you can hold the head and hide of a bear in one hand and it is not even as wide as your outstretched hand it can't be a legal bear. I've been weighing bears for a long time now and I can judge pretty close what one is going to weigh just by looking at it to within 5-10 pounds usually so you can't really put one over on the folks at the check station simply by bringing in the head and hide, some body might actually tell you to go back and bring them 75 pounds of bear if you try that. If it is actually a legal bear and somebody brings in a head and hide, they will likely not be questioned too closely but don't press your luck, Judges have a very jaundiced sense of humor when it comes to some things.


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## Coastie (Nov 16, 2012)

bearhunter39 said:


> It looks like Coastie is avoiding the question GA Dawg,That is if he has seen this thread.I think it is a shame that marlin 444 was given a ticket and his bear confiscated over a couple of lbs.I guess we all need to carry around a set of bathroom scales in the woods with us and convince the bears to weigh in before we shoot one,I know the GW don't make the laws,But their is such a thing as common sense , And treating the people who buy a hunting license with a little respect since we are the reason they have a job,they need to work for hunters and fisherman not against them.



Coastie just didn't see the thread until a few minutes ago, Marlin was lucky it wasn't in Union County, the Judge there figures they are worth $650.00
Common sense dictates that if you have a question about the legality of an act, that you don't do that act. Common sense is really not all that common in todays world.
 Since we only have Marlins side of that story, we really don't know exactly how small that bear was. A couple of pounds is one thing, 15 or 20 is something entirely different. I wasn't there so I have no idea just what the actual circumstances were so I won't even attempt to pass judgement on what happened. I will say that if you bring in a head and hide that would fit a large Cocker Spaniel as opposed to a Bull Mastiff, you may well have some "Splainin" to do.


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