Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

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Southern Sportsman
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Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Southern Sportsman »

We're heading the Nebraska next week for a 3 day hunt. This is my first trip to hunt cornhusker turkeys so I was perusing their rules and regs. Noticed this:

Transportation:
Spring and Fall - The legs, thighs, and breast with keel (cartilage that runs in the middle of the breast) naturally attached must remain together until the bird is consumed or the bird arrives at the home of the processor.

Spring - The spurs or beard must be naturally attached to the legs or breast.

So, if I take that literally, I can't dress a turkey until I get him back to TN. I guess I could cut off the head and skin it, but the WHOLE breast section, thighs AND legs have to remain "naturally attached" until I get him home. I'm going to have to get a bigger cooler if I kill 3 turkeys.

I've always just breasted them out and cut off the beard and spurs. I know that is a waste of the leg meat, but I don't really like the dark leg meat. I've given the legs away when I had somebody that wanted them, but they just sit in my freezer forever if I keep them. But requiring people to keep the whole damn turkey in tact until they get it home is not very practical for a road trip with 3 people and one truck.

Any of yall ever dealt with this?
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Grumpy
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Grumpy »

Out here in Montana with our non-resident deer hunter, the hunter must leave proof of sex.

The Minnesota dudes just can't seem to get it right, they have been told time and time again it has nothing to do with a their condom hanging part way out of the deer.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by HuntnMa »

I may of been wrong, but I saved the feet with spurs ( no leg meat ) and the beard and the tail with the tag all in one container......I had no issues at the airport.......after looking at your copy and paste, I may of not done it right.... I really don't think you'll have any issues as long as you can prove that the meat was from the bird with the tag in it...........
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Southern Sportsman »

I called the Nebraska Game and Parks commission and he verified that you had to keep the WHOLE breast piece (i.e., like a dove breast. The whole section has to be kept in tact. You can't cut each breast out separately). And you do have to keep the leg meat. They considered people who just breast them out to be wasteful so they require you to keep the let meat with it. And you can remove the beard OR you can remove the legs/spurs -- but either the beard or the legs have to remain attached.

My guess is if you just breast them out and throw the breast section and the thighs in a cooler and keep the beard/legs together and have a valid kill tag, you won't have any problems. But if you're following following the letter of the law, you'd have a big awkward skinned and decapitated turkey in your cooler.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by guesswho »

Do like we did, eat it.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by TS »

Just go back to motel or camp and breast it out and keep beard spurs and tag in a bag after cleaning. Just clean it where you are staying and you will be fine.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Southern Sportsman »

guesswho wrote:Do like we did, eat it.
If all goes according to plan, we'll have 9 of em. Not sure we'd have enough room in the skillet. I guess we could take a grill and deep frier and set up a turkey nugget/hotdog stand by the nearest bar.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Gobbler »

I mean we follow the laws and eat turkey and give the rest away but we tag our spurs and beard in a zip lock for transport home.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Grumpy »

Sounds about like Montana, we have very few game wardens and most are real good guys. Hardly ever see any out in the field.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Grumpy wrote:Sounds about like Montana, we have very few game wardens and most are real good guys. Hardly ever see any out in the field.
We were in MT a few years back and actually gut and plucked the damn things.. Minute we hit the state line we ripped the breasts out and ate them.. Being on the road for 15-16 days and hunting 3-4 states there is simply no room for breast attached to carcass B.S.

Waterfowl is real real stringent and Federal..

I wonder per the OPs posting what "Home of the processor" is truly defined as or if it as many things are at the discretion of the particular C.O.. Home as in some states could mean the Hotel, Lodge, campsite etc..
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Gobblerstopper »

Gobbler wrote:I'll give you a Gobbler Nation T shirt and window decal if you see a game warden in Nebraska.
I mean we follow the laws and eat turkey and give the rest away but we tag our spurs and beard in a zip lock for transport home.
I saw one. And he was not very nice. :P
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by HuntnMa »

Gobblerstopper wrote:
Gobbler wrote:I'll give you a Gobbler Nation T shirt and window decal if you see a game warden in Nebraska.
I mean we follow the laws and eat turkey and give the rest away but we tag our spurs and beard in a zip lock for transport home.
I saw one. And he was not very nice. :P
I saw one too........still waiting on that prime rib dinner, lol......
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Gobbler »

How did you two get that quote I never said that? :mrgreen:
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by TS »

I think you are making more out of this than needed. When you get back to hotel or camp that in Nebraska when we called a few years ago that basically met the requirement of a place of home. Always seems with these idiotic rules that some states have that some wanna over anylize the issue.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Grumpy »

TS wrote:I think you are making more out of this than needed. When you get back to hotel or camp that in Nebraska when we called a few years ago that basically met the requirement of a place of home. Always seems with these idiotic rules that some states have that some wanna over anylize the issue.


Exactly, I believe it is for out in the field and being transported from the field to motel or camp. Take pictures of the shooter with the bird when it is taken, may help in court if some wanna be gamewarden makes an issue out of it. Can the turkey cops be bribed with donuts like the city flatfoots can?
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Southern Sportsman »

Not over analyzing, just looking at the rule as written. A hotel is not a "home" under any state's laws. I'm sure like most wardens, Nebraska's are reasonable so I'm not really worried about it. I was mainly just pointing out an oddity in their laws and wondering if anybody else had noticed it. But to Grumpy's point, I would be more concerned about having a court date 10 hours from home than I would be about proving my case.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by TS »

We all noticed it and we follow the laws but also we use common sense also. If it is bothering you call them up and explain your concerns as i called them many times and they are very nice. Believe me they do not expect you to keep it with breastbone after you get back to where you are staying.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Southern Sportsman »

TS wrote:We all noticed it and we follow the laws but also we use common sense also. If it is bothering you call them up and explain your concerns as i called them many times and they are very nice. Believe me they do not expect you to keep it with breastbone after you get back to where you are staying.
I get what you're saying, and I'm sure I will breast them out like I always do and I will even keep the leg meat which I rarely do, and I will take my chances and if I get checked I will hope the warden has some common sense. I will have all the meat together with beards and spurs and kill tag and if that's not good enough then I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. But I did call them when I read the regs and asked for some clarification. I was told that they had to be kept together as I described until I got it home (to TN). They suggested a big cooler and some frozen milk jugs and tried to rationalize the rule. Again, just pointing out an oddity -- don't expect it to be an issue.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Gobbler »

Thats good info on keeping the meat together Southern Sportsman.
This makes me want to clarify with Nebraska some questions I have. Because i usually Fly and rent a car. We like to eat fried turkey while staying out there and we have local friends that don't mind receiving some of the meat. So i am going to call out there also and go over those scenarios. Because we have been keeping a filled out tag in the bag with the spurs and beard for each turkey killed. The last thing I want to do is get in a pickle with a LEO out there.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by jasonb53 »

I think they will tell you to abide by the law as it is written,the leo has to abide by the same(they dont make the laws just enforce them, I have heard that one before).With that being said I think most of the LEOs can and do use common sense,depending on his attitude and yours. I wouldnt throw any meat away though.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by Grumpy »

I know that some of our local town pud (cops) and some of these Mont. Hiway Patrol love to write tickets to out of state and out of town people because they know they will just pay the fine and be on their way rather than have to come back and fight it in court. Never heard of the fish cops pulling that here but ya never know with some of these goofs with badges.
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Re: Nebraska Turkey Transportation Requirement?

Post by N2deer »

First year we were out there the LEO set and watched us breast some turkeys out. As we finished he told us the law.
He said he didn't care but wanted us to know the law and some other LEOs might care.

We could just leave about 9-12 rotting carcasses in the back of the truck for 3-4 days so they can check them.
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