Question: Is there a place in the regulations that talks about what I've heard hunters call "want and waste"? Can you point me in the right direction for the regulations if such a regulation even exists? The question comes up because my hunting partners and I often argue about what is and is not considered edible on a deer. Could I get a ticket because I do not eat the lungs or the liver or heart? Some people I know feel the ribs are not even worth eating. What is the definition of waste? I've heard someone say 30 percent can be left in the field but I've never seen what the regs say about the specifics of what you could possibly get a ticket for not taking home to eat.

Answer: In California, hunters must make reasonable efforts to retrieve edible portions of game birds and game mammals. After a hunter has harvested an animal, the law requires that no portion of the flesh usually eaten by humans can be left, either through carelessness or neglect, to go needlessly to waste. Harvesting any deer and detaching or removing from the carcass only the head, hide, antlers or horns while leaving edible parts to needlessly go to waste, is deemed to be "wanton waste" and the hunter can be cited (Fish and Game Code, Section 4304). The intent of the law is to prevent trophy hunting and to stop people from taking animals just for mounts.