A new Illinois law requiring hunters to use all edible parts of harvested animals could help fight poaching and provide meals to hungry families.
QUINCY, Ill. (AP) � State officials say a new Illinois law requiring hunters to use all edible parts of harvested animals could help fight poaching and provide meals to hungry families.

The legislation signed earlier this week by Gov. Pat Quinn makes it a misdemeanor to toss usable meat, including unspoiled breast meat of birds. It also prohibits dumping carcasses of animals killed by hunters on public property or on private property without the owner's permission.

It's still legal to discard any meat deemed infected or not safe for human consumption, as long as it's disposed of properly.

The Quincy Herald-Whig reports 18 percent of the calls last year to a state hotline for reporting poachers were for dumped carcasses.

�It does not follow our idea of fair chase and ethics,'' said Marc Miller, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. �We would like to put (the bill) in place so we can get at those folks who are doing that. It gives us another tool to fight poaching.''

The bill's sponsor, Sen. David Koehler, said the legislation encourages hunters to give unwanted meat to friends and family or to charity. The Peoria Democrat said the IDNR's Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger Program allows hunters to donate venison and other meat to food banks throughout Illinois. The program has provided about 3.5 million meals to needy families, he said.

�Most responsible hunters already make sure that the animals they kill don't go to waste - we just want to encourage everyone to do the same,'' Koehler said in a statement.

The new law takes effect Jan. 1.

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The bill is SB1620.

First - ya gotta define 'edible'... In some circles, only thing that may not digest well is the horns and hooves.. I.e., good way to 'bust' a hunter who leaves the entrails on the ground - much of those can be considered 'edible'..

My feeling is that it ain't gonna do schit to deter poachers. They're already breaking to law by firelighting deer and taking game on posted property - what's going to change that? Just something else to charge them with, I guess.

Foxes? Coyotes?

Brunswick Stew...

What a bunch of dumb azzes.
Illinois is getting ready to pass DC. in dumbazzery.
This is what the "lawmakers" are spending time and money on in Illinois?
Just when you think you've seen it all.

Edible could include the hooves... ever heard of 'pigfoot tea'!

Figure 'deerfoot tea' would be about the same.

agreed.

Poaching is already illegal.

I don't trust this bill.... Smells like anti hunting ambush to me.

(define edible)

Take all the traditional yields from the field and leave the rest for nature.

If law enforcement is instructed to suddenly disagree with what has always been acceptable, a lot of hunters may find themselves suddenly on the wrong side of the law for not cleaning the bones well enough out in the field.

Evil hunters with their evil....... guns.

This is a deer camp in S. Illinois last year the day after the first gun season ended.

Left a few steaks and hamburgers.

That aint good.

Coyotes and Buzzards have got to eat to

Ought to leave the "hunters" that way!

You have to salvage all the edible meat in Alaska, with a few exceptions (wolf, brown bear and black bear at certain times of the year)

Weren't a big deal there.

Do that mean that we gotta grind the 'harns' (as you Yankees say) up and use them as an aphrodisiac??

You left 1/4 oz of meat around the jowls on that one.

So you wont be able to shoot a crow, coyote, or woodchuck in IL w/o eating it? Basically setting the stage to phase out varmint hunting in Illinios.

I suppose the work-around is that every varmint will be "infected".

Those were Minnesota hunters down for the season.

My thinking exactly. I take the normally usable meat and leave the rest, which I return to layer and possibly find a coyote on. Then the coyote donates his body to the cause and so on.

Is the state next going to monitor our kitchen tables to ensure we all clean our plates when eating game meat and don't throw any away????

we don't need ANYMORE laws.

Why on earth would MN hunters go to Illinois to hunt? lol!

THIS

My dog won't care for the new law. I found this one on the way out one morning. It was probably still good for humans when I came across it, but I waited a day before taking loins, hams and shoulders for my dog.

It was visible for over 100yds in all directions on an open white oak ridge. Heart shot with good blood trail. My guess is not worth a $400.00 buck tag.