Is it illegal to pack deer out?

[Speaks]

Trying to figure this out myself. New to MN and have found a few good public spots that would be a nightmare to get an entire carcass out.

I read the above but had not seen anything about digital registration. I’ll call DNR today and follow up.

My possibly incorrect understanding is that you cannot leave any portion other than guts in the woods.

 

[BLJ]

My frustration is with the state of WV.
Not with anyone in this conversation.
Including @Q_Sertorius.
The bickering over dumb shit has reached new levels as of late and I don’t want to be a part of that. This morning I was.
My apologies to everyone in the thread. Again, including @Q_Sertorius.

I sent the picture from the refs that I posted here to a buddy who’s cousin works for the DNR. Just to get another angle.

The “gray” in the WV regs seems to be of epic proportions to me.

I’ll find some examples and share them with everyone to get some opinions.

 

[3855WIN]

In keeping with Wyoming CWD regulations for my hunt area, I was required to leave the bones where I killed the mule deer so as not to spread CWD.

 

[BLJ]

I read this as after a kill, I attach a properly filled out field tag before transporting.
Then I have 72 hours to obtain the 13 digit game check confirmation number.

 

[FlyD10]

In PA the rule reads like this (as of 2025-26 season):

Deer must be tagged before the carcass is moved.
The tag must remain attached to the ear until the animal
is processed for consumption or prepared for mounting.

So when I've packed out here I always take the head with tag attached to the ear, even for does.

 

[Boarmaster]

In some places its just the custom to field dress a deer and then drag it out and hang it. I used to hunt the federal forest in Ohio. We shot deer the dragged them out to the nearest road. I got learning about packing out deer and decided maybe I should give that a try in Ohio. I had a heck of a time finding out from other hunters and the Ohio DNR if that was legal and what I needed to do if it was legal to stay legal.
It took several emails and a month to get the answer.

I was concerned enough about the lack of knowledge on it that I printed the email I got from DNR confirming it was in fact legal and carried it with me. Heck I was worried a local game warden might not even know it was legal.

After all that I ended up shooting a big buck close to a road and he expired just about 100 yards from our truck and trailer outfit. So I never did ever cut up a deer and pack it out on an Ohio hunt. We started hunting on private soon after and was no longer an issue.