><<...it is against the law for the [Calif State Dept of Fish and Wildlife]
>to give away meat because 'someone might get sick'>>

>That's a very weak excuse.  As long as the animal isn't diseased, proper
>cooking will kill all pathogens.

After a brief discussion with a few people with the California Department of Fish and Game, they believed that is was not illegal as far as they knew, but that department regulations don't allow for the collection of game by wardens, but all carcasses are destroyed. When asked if the regs were in place to keep people from getting sick and suing the state, and they seemed to think that most regulations of this sort are to limit liability. They said that the department doesn't have much interest in giving meat away. They also said that probably California's regs mirrored federal regs.

They also mentioned that some game types are heavily managed and regulated and restricted for hunt, like (in California) Big Horn Sheep, and anything on the endangered or threatened species lists. Other species are restricted far less, namely fish and deer. They said that the department is still full of "deer people", meaning that until recently, lands management revolved around increasing deer populations, usually at the expense of other species.

They added that deer populations are usually far overshooting habitat, leading to disease in herds.

Funny part: They were happy to burn carcasses, and that giving meat away would leave the state open to lawsuit. When I said that "As long as the animal isn't diseased, proper cooking will kill all pathogens," they replied that there were some people out there who actually ate raw game meat.

I don't think my faked face of horror came quick enough for them, so I had to add a tongue-sticking-out yucky face to throw them off the scent.


Michael

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