Crossing state lines with meat/head

[D_wit22]

So I’m being told by my outfitter that I am not allowed to bring spine or head of animal across state lines or else my animal will be confiscated. Is this true? What do you guys do to get around that rule if it is true?

 

[elkguide]

Bone out and freeze all of your meat. De-brain your head.

 

[MuleyFever]

Who is going to confiscate it? Are they stopping traffic at the state line? I have never seen it but I guess its possible.

No reason to bring the spine home. Quarter your animal and remove the brain, if you are worried about it, and you are fine.

 

[chizelhead]

I would check your state regs. The head and spine rules are based on CWD and they're different state to state. I would also confirm if transporting through a state applies versus where your meat and head end the trip.

 

[Tod osier]

Who is going to confiscate it? Are they stopping traffic at the state line? I have never seen it but I guess its possible.

No reason to bring the spine home. Quarter your animal and remove the brain, if you are worried about it, and you are fine.

There are states that put up roadblocks on the highway during the season.

 

[D_wit22]

Be going from Montana to Pa. But yes I was more concerned about the head. Spine will be staying in Montana. Good old pressure washer at the car wash to remove the brains?

 

[MuleyFever]

Be going from Montana to Pa. But yes I was more concerned about the head. Spine will be staying in Montana. Good old pressure washer at the car wash to remove the brains?

Yes

 

[180ls1]

There is also a spot you can cut out with a 3/4"ish hole saw or similar to make that access easier.

 

[MuleyFever]

There are states that put up roadblocks on the highway during the season.

Never seen one. Are they stopping every car and searching them? Or is it just a station on the side of the road you can drive past if you are feeling lucky?

 

[Bubblehide]

If you cur the skull to remove that antlers, simply peel the brains off and boil and dry. If you are taking the entire head, you will need to fully skin and cut a hole in the skull to remove the brains, boil, then fully dry. Either way, the inside of the skull needs to be fully dried.

If you are transporting a hide-cape... it should be fully fleshed, salted and dried. Per my state, this is required to import hides-capes... and suffices fir international import. However, there is also paperwork that needs to be completed. If you're flying, you only have the two states to check, if you're driving, you may want to check each state you will be traveling through so you don't run afoul.

 

[EdP]

Cap the skull with antlers intact and remove any brain tissue clinging to the cap. All that takes is a rag wipe out. That is all a taxidermist needs with the cape to do a head mount. If you want to do a european mount you have to do the car wash thing. I have never heard about drying anything and don't know where that idea comes from. It's better to freeze the hide in my opinion. No issue with CWD there. Most state lines are crossed on interstates. I have never seen interstate traffic stopped to check for game transport. In the few cases where I have crossed state lines on non-interstate routes there was no traffic stop there either. If you are attracting attention to yourself with huge antlers on top of your truck things may be different, otherwise just do what makes sense and roll on.

 

[D_wit22]

Thanks for the replies. Guess it’s really nothing that can’t be taken care of before heading home

 

[BRTreedogs]

I would check your state regs. The head and spine rules are based on CWD and they're different state to state. I would also confirm if transporting through a state applies versus where your meat and head end the trip.

There is not a single state in the west that I know of that allows vertebrae/spine or brains to cross state lines into there state.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Never seen one. Are they stopping every car and searching them? Or is it just a station on the side of the road you can drive past if you are feeling lucky?

In Oregon they have check stations and every one that is a hunter is required to stop, even if no animals.

I also know of a non hunter that was given an animal.
Someone turned him in and he received a fine of over 7k

Also seeing on some of the Warden shows they are sitting on overpasses looking in truck beds.
Take your deer and write a fine.

 

[92xj]

11 Idaho Leo vehicles were positioned right inside the state line waiting while officers were up on the hills glassing down onto 90, looking for vehicles with racks attached to the top of their vehicles and open truck beds that had hunting equipment. If they saw anything hunting related they radioed the vehicles and you were pulled over for inspection of game and cwd laws. I made it through without inspection but I have a canopy and everything is inside.

Bone out meat, skin skull the best you can, remove as much as possible including eyes. Use a screwdriver to pop both ear canals out, then pressure wash brain out the ear canal holes and back of skull, easy peasy.

 

[menhaden_man]

Be going from Montana to Pa. But yes I was more concerned about the head. Spine will be staying in Montana. Good old pressure washer at the car wash to remove the brains?

Boil it, I’ve seen a few confiscated.

 

[Erict]

Read the facts for yourself HERE. Part of the equation depends on the origin and final destination of the parts. Some states have exceptions for pass through. In general, it's a good idea to have the brain, spinal cord, lymph nodes and eyeballs removed before interstate transport, and know that some states don't even want you having "bones" or hides that have soft tissue on it. Like others, never heard of any state requiring skull or hides to be "dry".

 

[chizelhead]

There is not a single state in the west that I know of that allows vertebrae/spine or brains to cross state lines into there state.

The detail is in the rules. In Washington you can't import a skull/antlers with any soft tissue whatsoever which means velvet is not ok. Otherwise, in Oregon, it just needs to have the brain and meat removed which means velvet is ok. If you've worked on a skull, the amount of work is different. Meat needs to be deboned in either state. I live in Oregon and go through Washington, so I found it helpful to look at both states regulations. In Washington, it's up to a $5000 citation if you break the CWD rules. Also, in Oregon, you only have to stop at a check station if you have a harvest.

 

[Bubblehide]

... I have never heard about drying anything and don't know where that idea comes from.

It came from the importation regulations Ca had. It may or may not be relevant depending on where you are, where you're comming from, and or, where you're going. It's just one possible item a person could get knocked for, or promote the notion that if it's not dry, all the matter might not be out of it. Sometimes going above and beyond pays off. However, when I came through the border, I was required to declare my game items. I can tell you 3 different guys went through every game item I had with a fine tooth comb. The only reason I got everything through was because I was meticulous and exceeded their expectations. The guys were very nice, but 1000% professional. They openly expressed that if the heads and hides were not completely dry, I would not have left with them. I simply view it as why take any unecessary risk.

 

[Dave_S]

Read the facts for yourself HERE. Part of the equation depends on the origin and final destination of the parts. Some states have exceptions for pass through. In general, it's a good idea to have the brain, spinal cord, lymph nodes and eyeballs removed before interstate transport, and know that some states don't even want you having "bones" or hides that have soft tissue on it. Like others, never heard of any state requiring skull or hides to be "dry".

This is a pretty convenient resource. I wish I had known about this before I went through each state's regs individually last year. This squares with my own research, which was that I was basically fine to transport though the states I needed to and that I mostly needed to worry about following my home state's regs. If you plan a shoulder mount, as noted above, super easy, just cut the skull cap. If you want a euro, you'll need to get the brains out.
Side not: while I'm on board for doing my part to prevent cwd spread, and I'll do my best not to break any laws, I also have a hard bed cover to keep prying eyes out.