Evidence of sex in Colorado

[PredatoryProwler]

How does evidence of sex for an elk Carcass work? Is the head adequate when packing it out etc. or do we need quarters with evidence of sex attached?

I am reading the regulations of which it says
"C. Any of the following, which must be naturally attached to the carcass or a portion of the
carcass as described in paragraph A of this section, shall be considered evidence of sex:
1. Deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep
a. Male - head, including any antlers or horns, testicle, scrotum, or penis.
b. Female - head, udder (mammary), or vulva."

Followed by
"If a carcass is in more than one piece, evidence of sex need only be attached to one portion."

Does this mean that if I have my elk/deer quartered, and with it's cape attached to it's head that would count for evidence of sex as the carcass is in more than one piece. If you should attach evidence of sex to one of the quarters how do you guys go about that? Should one skin the quarter and leave the evidence of sex attached and unskinned? Also should the tag go on the head/antlers or the quarter with evidence of sex on it?

 

[hereinaz]

If the head is severed from the body, it is not attached to the carcass, so,
I understand it doesn’t count from the old guy I hunt with.

If you had the animal gutted only, then the head is on the carcass and counts.

We cut the head/cape off and leave the balls attached to a patch of skin still on a rear quarter and also tag the carcass, not the antlers.

He says CO is a “carcass” tag. The head, cape, and antlers are not part of the carcass.

So, that’s how I do it with him.

I’d be curious if othe Coloradans interpret it differently.

 

[ckleeves]

1. Heads detached from carcass are not adequate evidence of sex.
2. If a carcass is cut in pieces or deboned, evidence of sex needs to be attached to a quarter or another major part of carcass. All portions must be transported together

Straight from the regs. Just leave a skinned out testicle on one quarter with the tag on that quarter. It’s a carcass tag, not an antler tag and some wardens will ticket for not having it on the quarter. If it’s deboned then it has to be naturally attached to a piece of meat but the regs are somewhat loose on how big of a piece of meat. “A major part of the carcass” is how it reads. I have been checked and it’s never been an issue as long as it’s naturally attached to a larger piece of deboned meat.

 

[TreeWalking]

1. Heads detached from carcass are not adequate evidence of sex.
2. If a carcass is cut in pieces or deboned, evidence of sex needs to be attached to a quarter or another major part of carcass. All portions must be transported together

Straight from the regs. Just leave a skinned out testicle on one quarter with the tag on that quarter. It’s a carcass tag, not an antler tag and some wardens will ticket for not having it on the quarter. If it’s deboned then it has to be naturally attached to a piece of meat but the regs are somewhat loose on how big of a piece of meat. “A major part of the carcass” is how it reads. I have been checked and it’s never been an issue as long as it’s naturally attached to a larger piece of deboned meat.

That is how I do it. I usually leave one testicle with the entire scrotum on the first rear quarter I remove. Tag that quarter and put in a game bag and tie it closed with some para cord. If making several trips to hike out the meat then I take out that game bag on the first hike out and the last hike out is with the antlers and some shelter in case I need to spend the night with a twisted ankle. I am clumsy.

 

[taskswap]

I've talked to CPW officers about this a few times because I seem to get tag-checked about every other year. Bear in mind they're looking for poaching and so on. So their goal is to look for mix-and-match cases where you might be trying to sneak out a bull quarter on a cow tag. They generally know what they look like, but a 5yr old cow rear quarter looks a lot like a 2yr old bull so...

I think they have several videos on YouTube talking about this exact topic (not "influencers" - actual CPW officers) but what they told me was:

1. 1 testicle on each rear quarter OR penis on one and testicles on the other OR split the udder in half.
2. Cape OR antlers IF it was a bull
3. Tag on one of the rear quarters or the base of an antler (not required, but recommended).

In cases where you may have made a mistake (cutting the evidence off accidentally, etc) or just aren't sure, take several good photos with at least one with WITH YOU IN IT (so you aren't photographing someone else's kill). A year ago I took a calf that had very little udder development and I did this and they accepted the photos as part of evidence-of-sex to support what I claimed I took (I was on a cow tag) even though I had not packed out the head.

 

[Jethro]

1. 1 testicle on each rear quarter OR penis on one and testicles on the other OR split the udder in half.

EOS doesn’t need to be split so it’s on both hind quarters. Only needs to be on one side.

 

[Wrench]

I usually just skin the nuts and drop the attached skin (still attached but barely) in a ziploc bag and snug a zip tie on it and in the bag it goes.

I've been stopped in Washington with a boned out mule deer buck all in my pack along with camp and no proof of sex even though required.

The agents were more quizzical about how I took the whole show out in one load than the missing parts. One even commented something like "guys don't typically backpack in and poach a deer to stop at a game check ". They congratulated me and that was it.

 

[cnelk]

Pg 16 of the Regs since it seems many don’t read them

 

[MThoundhunter]

It's not a bad idea to get in the habit of leaving a ball on the hind quarters no matter where you are, make it part of your routine.

 

[06 SB]

I have helped and shot many elk in Colorado. You need to have evidence of sex as posted in the regulations. Whoever is doing the knife work needs to be closely watched when working in the pelvic region if they are not experienced. They will have a penchant for wanting to remove the evidence. Keeping it with the carcass is not an option if accidentally detached. The officers in SW Colorado at least do not fool around and love to write tickets. Do it right and know how to do it!

 

[Laelkhunter]

My question would be what to do if the testicles/penis don't stay attached while skinning them out and you end up with one ball in your hand instead of attached?? Other than say "Oh SH*T!!!" ? Then you start looking around to see if an army of Game Wardens are coming. Talk about a look of guilt.

edited: 06 SB was typing his reply while I was typing

 

[sndmn11]

Pg 16 of the Regs since it seems many don’t read them



View attachment 815431

For the folks who split the balls and leave one on each rear, notice the language:
"Needs to be attached to A quarter" -#4 (singular not plural)
"Leave the testicles attached to A portion of the carcass" tip 2 (singular not plural)

@PredatoryProwler we leave a strip of skin with the scrotum or udder on a rear quarter. We eat the testicles so I like to put them in a bag with tenderloins/heart/backstraps. I've never tried to leave a testicle, but it is cleaner.

Sign, date, detach and validate the carcass tag, then put it in a safe pocket in the hunter's backpack. Once that EOS rear quarter makes it to the truck or camp, the carcass tag gets attached to that quarter itself (not the bag).

 

[cnelk]

My question would be what to do if the testicles/penis don't stay attached while skinning them out and you end up with one ball in your hand instead of attached?? Other than say "Oh SH*T!!!" ? Then you start looking around to see if an army of Game Wardens are coming. Talk about a look of guilt.

edited: 06 SB was typing his reply while I was typing

I posted this not long ago on another elk thread discussing EoS


"
Several years ago a buddy of mine from the Midwest came out elk hunting.
He shot a bull and unbeknownst to him he cut off the nuts and gutted the elk before I got over to help.

So, to be legal, we left the head / neck attached to a front quarter with the tag tied to the antler. Since the antlers were considered the EoS and attached to a quarter.

Legal Beagle

Wasn’t the easiest to pack though"

 

[hereinaz]

I posted this not long ago on another elk thread discussing EoS


"
Several years ago a buddy of mine from the Midwest came out elk hunting.
He shot a bull and unbeknownst to him he cut off the nuts and gutted the elk before I got over to help.

So, to be legal, we left the head / neck attached to a front quarter with the tag tied to the antler. Since the antlers were considered the EoS and attached to a quarter.

Legal Beagle

Wasn’t the easiest to pack though"

I can see that. I packed out a front, skull and cape 700 yards to camp this year, but that's not something I would want to do from the backcountry.

I wonder how much meat would count as "carcass" if you boned off a large muscle group with the cape.

 

[cnelk]

I can see that. I packed out a front, skull and cape 700 yards to camp this year, but that's not something I would want to do from the backcountry.

I wonder how much meat would count as "carcass" if you boned off a large muscle group with the cape.

The minimum amount of carcass required to take are the 4 quarters, backstraps and tender loins.

Neck meat attached to the cape probably wouldnt suffice

 

[hereinaz]

The minimum amount of carcass required to take are the 4 quarters, backstraps and tender loins.

Neck meat attached to the cape probably wouldnt suffice

Yeah, neck meat wouldn't be enough. I was wondering if there would be enough from a front shoulder?

 

[Weldor]

Best story I heard was from a AZ game warden friend. They were working a unit watch in the 4 corners area. Someone showed up with a Bulls penis stapled to the rear quarter. I don't think staples count?

 

[Zeke6951]

Several years ago my son and I were in a otc unit in CO. Son kills a 5X5, we pack it out with eos attached to a rear quarter. All legal. Next day in camp we processed the meat into gallon ziplock bag portions. Five or six steak size portions left whole per bag, quarter mussels off the bone and cut to manageable size pieces, stew meat, roast everything packaged to be further processed at home. The eos still attached to a piece of mussel in a ziplock. Stopped at a campground on the way home to shower, get more ice etc. The ones in the group that finished showering went fishing in the nearby lake. CO stops by to check fishing liscense. Notices that my son's liscense was marked as having killed a bull. He went into a spiel about how was eos attached etc. We explained it was still naturally attached but on a smaller than quarter piece of meat. He smartly informed us that the eos had to remain attached to a MAJOR PORTION until processed for consumption. He did not ticket us but seems he thought he could have.

 

[Poser]

I always skin a testicle and leave it attached to a piece of meat. I've never been checked with a elk or deer, but I have checked in bears with a single skinned out testicle attached to the hide with no comment from the staff.

 

[sndmn11]

I wonder how much meat would count as "carcass" if you boned off a large muscle group with the cape.

Line #4 says a quarter or major part of carcass. So it needs to be the full front quarter or more. Major(ity) of anything is greater than 50%.