Limit/Regulation Clarification

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by BradleyPrejean87

Might want to double check this but I do believe once they game is processed into food meaning cleaned and in bags frozen they don't count toward your possession limits

I was googling around last night and found that different states define this differently. I actually found some arrests from MN where the game wardens got a search warrant, found fish in a guy's freezer, and slapped him with possession charges. Other states you're clear once the fish arrive at the "place of consumption" so the home freezer does not count as "possession."

I went back to the LA regs a couple of times to determine whether it was clear in LA whether the home freezer or filleted or whatever counted as possession, and it was ambiguous. The way the deer regs are written (as a possession limit rather than a seasonal or annual bag limit) suggests that at least in that case, Louisiana views deer in the freezer as still in possession, and I was also able to learn that migratory waterfowl are still counted in possession when they are cleaned and frozen.

I know that once fish are filleted, possessing "over the limit" would be very hard to prove. How can one distinguish redfish from drum fillets or spotted seatrout from sand seatrout without DNA tests? But a firmer statement that fillets in the freezer do not count against the possession limit would give a bit more confidence in stocking up.