# Question about after harvesting a bear



## JerseyJim (Aug 14, 2014)

Is it legal to quarter a bear to bring it out of the woods?
I see in the regs that "At a minimum, the hide and skull must be taken to the Gainesville or Armuchee office within 3 business days of harvest for tagging. Harvested bears may also be checked at any WMA check station in the counties listed above that are open for a managed deer/bear/hog hunt between 8 a.m.–8 p.m. during the bear season."
 So i'm wondering if I get lucky and bag a big bruin can I quarter it without violating some law?
Maybe leave the male organ attached along with the hide and skull?
Thanks
Jim


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 14, 2014)

As long as you carry out 75 lbs or more, yes.  We dont hunt anywhere where it would be feasible to carry out any bear whole.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 18, 2014)

Long as you got the skin and head you shouldn't have any trouble. Last one I killed I took the hide to a check station the next day.


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## JerseyJim (Aug 19, 2014)

*Thanks for the info guys*

Thanks
So when i bag that 500 lb'er this season i don't have to worry about quartering!


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## dgmeadows (Aug 20, 2014)

I have seen a lot of people posting that you must carry out at least 75 pounds.  The legal minimum is 75 pounds.  If you field dress your bear and take it to check in and it weighs 74 pounds, your bear was obviously legal - the blood and entrails would have been far more than 1 pound.

When I checked in my bear, I just took the skull with hide attached & the skeleton.  We removed the meat and wrapped it the evening I shot the bear, so the meat was already in the freezer.  The GW did not bother to weigh what I brought, and mine was just over the legal size.  I offered to show him the pic of the bear on the scale showing ~ 80#, but he said he didn't need to see it.

I am sure some GWs can be more demanding, but the regs don't actually require you to bring 75# to the check station, just the skull & hide.  Based upon the size, they can determine if the bear was obviously over 75# or not.  If it is close, you'd best take it all or have some back up proof, but if it is a clearly bigger bear, the skull and hide should be enough.


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 20, 2014)

dgmeadows said:


> I have seen a lot of people posting that you must carry out at least 75 pounds.  The legal minimum is 75 pounds.  If you field dress your bear and take it to check in and it weighs 74 pounds, your bear was obviously legal - the blood and entrails would have been far more than 1 pound.
> 
> When I checked in my bear, I just took the skull with hide attached & the skeleton.  We removed the meat and wrapped it the evening I shot the bear, so the meat was already in the freezer.  The GW did not bother to weigh what I brought, and mine was just over the legal size.  I offered to show him the pic of the bear on the scale showing ~ 80#, but he said he didn't need to see it.
> 
> I am sure some GWs can be more demanding, but the regs don't actually require you to bring 75# to the check station, just the skull & hide.  Based upon the size, they can determine if the bear was obviously over 75# or not.  If it is close, you'd best take it all or have some back up proof, but if it is a clearly bigger bear, the skull and hide should be enough.




This is not correct. Every warden may be different but you have to bring out 75 lbs.  they wont likely weigh it but that is what you need. A member on here got a ticket for a 72 lb bear just a few years ago. That bear certainly could have lost three lbs in blood. I completely disagree with this rule at all because it is not based on biology, but it is what it is.


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## Bucky T (Aug 20, 2014)

Hammer Spank said:


> This is not correct. Every warden may be different but you have to bring out 75 lbs.  they wont likely weigh it but that is what you need. A member on here got a ticket for a 72 lb bear just a few years ago. That bear certainly could have lost three lbs in blood. I completely disagree with this rule at all because it is not based on biology, but it is what it is.



So a rule of thumb should be:

If you think it's going to shaving hairs on weight, bring the whole thing back, or sling the entrails in a bag and carry them out too.


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## dgmeadows (Aug 20, 2014)

Hammer Spank said:


> This is not correct. Every warden may be different but you have to bring out 75 lbs.  they wont likely weigh it but that is what you need. A member on here got a ticket for a 72 lb bear just a few years ago. That bear certainly could have lost three lbs in blood. I completely disagree with this rule at all because it is not based on biology, but it is what it is.




No sir, the regulation says that you may not harvest a bear that weighs less than 75 pounds.  There is no regulation that says you must bring 75 pounds to the check station.  The regulation says you must bring the skull and hide within 3 days.  The member that got a ticket for a 72 pound bear obviously had a jerk of a GW, and they should have contested the ticket.  A statement from a qualified party (game biologist, zoologist, veterinarian or other "expert") that blood and water loss would exceed 3 pounds would have probably been sufficient for the judge to throw out the ticket.

I agree with you that if you bring out at least 75 pounds of hair, skull and bone/meat, you are clearly covered, however the regulation does not require you to haul out 75 pounds, the regulation simply says you cannot kill a bear that weighs less than 75 pounds.  If you bring out a hide and skull that alone weighs 70 pounds (i.e., a big bear) it does not take a genius to figure out that the meat that filled out that 70 pounds of hide and skull would have been more than 5 pounds.


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## dgmeadows (Aug 20, 2014)

Bucky T said:


> So a rule of thumb should be:
> 
> If you think it's going to shaving hairs on weight, bring the whole thing back, or sling the entrails in a bag and carry them out too.



Exactly right.


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## JerseyJim (Aug 20, 2014)

*Interesting discussion*

Thanks for the input.
Jim


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## JWilson (Aug 20, 2014)

My uncle killed one last year and the GW never weighed it. He just opened the cooler looked at the head,pulled a tooth then tagged it.


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 20, 2014)

The warden that came to my house last year never weighed it either but he could tell by the head that it was a big bear.  When I asked him this exact question, he said:

"To be legal, you have to bring 75lbs of the animal out of the woods".  I'm just going to trust him and always be sure to do so.  And if you've never been to a court in northeast ga, let me tell you, it rarely matters who is or is not in the right.  

Besides the fact that I don't want to take a day off of work to go to court.


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## dgmeadows (Aug 20, 2014)

Hammer Spank said:


> The warden that came to my house last year never weighed it either but he could tell by the head that it was a big bear.  When I asked him this exact question, he said:
> 
> "To be legal, you have to bring 75lbs of the animal out of the woods".  I'm just going to trust him and always be sure to do so.  And if you've never been to a court in northeast ga, let me tell you, it rarely matters who is or is not in the right.
> 
> Besides the fact that I don't want to take a day off of work to go to court.



I don't doubt that a GW told you that, but that does not make it the law.  Hopefully that is just one officer's (mis) interpretation, since several others have checked bears without that "standard" being mentioned.

I've been to a few courthouses in various parts of Georgia, but somehow I have never witnessed the abuses of the law everyone else claims to have experienced. I guess I am just lucky.


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## NorthGaBowhunter (Aug 22, 2014)

When you weigh a bear on a managed deer & bear hunt that bear has to weigh 75 lbs. I have seen quiet a few weighed in. It's not a shooter if it does not weigh 75 lbs pretty simple. If you have to pack it out pack out 75 lbs.


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 22, 2014)

This is how it works. For any first timers out there, do not bring out less than 75lbs. You might get lucky with an agent but keep in mind, these are law enforcement officers. They chose that job for a reason.


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## Joe Brandon (Aug 27, 2014)

Was down in Fargo Ga last year and one of the fellas i was hunting with shot a bear and after blood loss and all the it was 68lbs. Guess what? Got a ticket and lost his bear to the warden. could have lost his truck, gun and licence. Follow the rules to be on the safe side. I have experence with this I saw it first hand. Poor guy ffelt horrible and it really ruined his weekend. He didnt mean to shoot a bear that small but its tough when its almost dark and your excited when you finally see one. Great luck to you!


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## Joe Brandon (Aug 27, 2014)

dgmeadows said:


> I don't doubt that a GW told you that, but that does not make it the law.  Hopefully that is just one officer's (mis) interpretation, since several others have checked bears without that "standard" being mentioned.
> 
> I've been to a few courthouses in various parts of Georgia, but somehow I have never witnessed the abuses of the law everyone else claims to have experienced. I guess I am just lucky.


And this kind man has volontered to pay your ticket and buy you a new truck and rifle for the wonderful advice he's giving...


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## dgmeadows (Aug 27, 2014)

Joe Brandon said:


> And this kind man has volontered to pay your ticket and buy you a new truck and rifle for the wonderful advice he's giving...



Wow.  To be clear, I never volunteered to pay anything for anybody.  The only advice I have given was that you should take the whole bear if the weight is going to be close on the 75# minimum.  Otherwise, I have merely pointed out what the law actually reads & suggested, based on the experience of myself and numerous others, that if you shoot a clearly big bear that the skull & hide is all that is technically required to be brought to the check station.

Now, you shared the experience of a guy who checked in a 65# bear & got a ticket.  You did not say, but I assume that was the weight of the entire carcass, less blood.  I don't know if the blood alone would have made up the remaining 10#.  I kinda doubt it, so that bear was likely just not legal.  And if he brought just the hide & skull, he probably would have gotten a ticket because it was small and could not demonstrate it was over 75#.

I think it is good for all of us to share our experiences so others can see how the laws are being interpreted on the ground.  My experience differed from yours.  I feel sorry for your friend. I also shot a bear that turned out smaller than I expected.  Thankfully, mine was still just over the legal limit and my GW at the check station was not a jerk.  Just luck of the draw I guess.

I know what the law is and I now know the varied experiences of other hunters.  I hope that any bear I shoot will die quickly and I will be able to get it out relatively easily. My intent will be to field dress and bring the rest out.  If it is a smaller bear, I will bring the whole thing to be sure I cover the 75# minimum in case I get a GW who wants to use the "check a minimum of 75#" standard.  If however I shoot a large bear (say 250#+) and say hypothetically it goes deep into a ravine and I don't find it for a day, I might  consider skinning it out and bringing just hide and skull back, rather than killing myself to pack out meat I won't be able to eat.  If the GW I check the skull & hide with does not believe I have shot a bear over 75#, I guess I will have to challenge it. 

That's just my thoughts on the interpretation and application of the law.  You can do want you want.  And no, I am not volunteering to pay any fines or buy anything for anyone except my kids.  Obama has me supporting enough other people as it is.  Good luck to everyone this bear season.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 27, 2014)

I'd say a 50 pounder would taste pretty good. No different than shooting a fawn.


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## Hammer Spank (Aug 27, 2014)

The law that says they have to be 75 lbs is nonsense but it is the law. 

I was always sort of sickened to see first year cubs killed in PA but it makes no difference biologically. I think it is silly but I dont want to kill a little one anyway and Im certainly not paying the fine for it.


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## bigelow (Aug 28, 2014)

Hide and head are sufficient.  No reason whatso ever to show up with 75lbs of meat. Unless it is a boarder line bear. I think the regs say at a minimum hide and head must be checked in. Says nothing about "making sure you bring at least 75lbs worth of the bear". 

They can tell if a bear is of weight or not. But that is good meat you'd be leaving in the woods.   

My suggestion would be when in doubt. Don't pull the trigger.


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## jigman29 (Sep 9, 2014)

It all boils down to the gw.If he wants to give you a ticket he will find a reason if not you will be fine.These wardens up here have mostly been pretty decent to deal with but I know guys that have had rough days with them.If you shot a bear that is real close to the 75 pound mark you would probably be better off bringing it out whole.But,if it was a few hundred pounds then anybody with any sense would know it was legal.


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## rigderunner (Sep 15, 2014)

Doesnt the law say 75 pound live weight


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