Transporting Game Across State Lines

[J_hol]

Hello,

Just wondering if there is anything I need to know about transporting an elk from MT to CO through WY. Obviously need carcass tag attached. Also, anything special I'll need for the taxidermist? Thanks!

 

[realunlucky]

You don't need anything but your tag and license

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[J_hol]

Thanks!


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[Netherman]

Bringing back an old thread with a twist. This fall I will be heading to CO to visit my brother and take him on his first deer hunt for a week followed by an elk hunt in MT. If he is successful I'll be taking a majority of the meat as he doesn't have much freezer space at his apartment. I'm trying to figure out if there is anything special I need to have with me.

I found a Transfer of Possession form on AK's website but couldn't find anything similar on the CO or MT website. I could see questions coming up at check stations or if we wind up talking to a warden. I'm planning on filling out the transfer of possession form and sending an email to the CO CPW and MT FWP to see what they want me to do. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with this and how they handled it.

I'll report back with the responses I get.

Nick

 

[Oregon]

I’ve done this a few times. My Rocky elk hunt starts in Oregon 2 days after my mule deer hunt in Idaho ends. Granted, it’s my own critter in the cooler, but.....I always hunt down a L/E type person. Usually a local cop in nearest town in Idaho. I have written a note that states where I’ve killed buck. Cop signs it “best of my knowledge” etc etc. Idaho tag on horns, meat in cooler. An Oregon trooper would have serious doubts of validity of buck kill if I didn’t have some sort of letter.
As long as note from brother has his license #, phone number, gifting to you and it couldn’t hurt to have cell pics with bro beaming over said dead critter.
I’m anal though. The last time I was checked in the field was 1997. Crazy. Wish I was checked more frequently.

 

[rayporter]

also check states that you travel through that do not allow bones or skulls from CWD states like Co.

 

[vanish]

Really hard to do this and be 100% legal. I believe the legal limit in Colorado is 20 pounds of meat with a signed note.

My dad lives 4 hours from me, and the place we met to deer hunt was 3 hours from both of our homes. I have the meat processing equipment at my house. If the hunt went long, he wanted to let me take the meat home instead of coming to my house. We asked CPW about it and they said the only way to legally transport the whole animal without the tag holder, if even for me just to take it back home to process it, was if I punched a tag, too.

 

[netman]

I would be more concerned about the skull going state to state as mentioned by rayporter. The CWD laws will crack your ass if your not in compliance. I know of a couple guys who returned home to Kentucky from out of state deer hunts that dropped their deer off at a taxidermist to have mr green jeans knocking on their door a few hours later.

 

[Netherman]

also check states that you travel through that do not allow bones or skulls from CWD states like Co.

Home is MI and you can't bring any brain or spinal bones, but I need to check the pass thru states to see if I have to fully de-bone.

I mount skull caps so removing the brain will be easy but getting to zero bone will take some time. Depending what my brother wants to do I might bring his skull home and mount it for him. Pending legality.

Either way we would process his deer at his house before I headed to MT since he has never done it before. I would really just have a cooler full of meat and potentially a skull that has been capped. Maybe this would be considered food rather than a game animal in that case.

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[Netherman]

I spoke with a CPW officer and was told that I could legally have 20lbs of unprocessed meat in my possession and that if I wanted to have more I would have to have the meat processed. Either way my brother will have to fill out a donation form (handwritten note with info). The law for this is on pg 15 of the big game brochure. below are the parts that I thought were relevant. I also asked for a definition of processed and he said I didn't need to go to a processor and that off the bone and in ziplock bags would qualify.

When I asked about bringing the antlers back he told me it was no issue and would be the same as a shed. I'm not really confident on this one and will be calling back to hopefully confirm with another office. It seems like this would be a big loophole for poachers.

Donation certificates are required for all game-meat donations. Certificates
must show names, addresses and telephone numbers of donor and recipient;
donor’s hunting license number; species and amounts donated; date of
kill; donor’s signature. The certificate can be a simple note; no special form
required. It must stay with the meat until completely consumed. Donor and
recipient are subject to bag and possession limits.

1. You can donate to someone WITH or WITHOUT a like license:
a. any amount of processed and packaged game meat, anywhere.
2. You can donate to someone WITHOUT a like license:
a. up to 20 pounds of unprocessed meat, anywhere.
b. more than 20 pounds of unprocessed meat, only at recipient’s home.
3. You can donate to someone WITH a like license:
a. up to 20 pounds of unprocessed meat, anywhere.
b. more than 20 pounds of unprocessed meat, anywhere, only if:
(1) recipient’s license is unfilled, and
(2) recipient’s carcass tag is on the meat. This establishes recipient’s
claim to his/her portion of meat and voids his/her license. Donor’s
tag must remain with his/her portion.
c. the entire carcass, if:
(1) recipient’s license is unfilled, and
(2) donor’s carcass tag and recipient’s like-license carcass tag is on the
meat, voiding both licenses.

 

[netman]

Something to think about. My cousins in Louisiana send me shrimp all the time by FedEx or UPS. They put shrimp in a stout styrofoam cooler along with dry ice and two or three day shipping. They always make sure someone will be home to verify cooler conditions. Everything is always perfect.
Why not look into shipping your meat home the same way?

 

[netman]

This is not specifically for the OP but others to think about.

 

[HunterJoeMI]

Boned meat with evidence of sex attached to ham (I got a warning from CO officer for meat I had processed my self that I had all wrapped and in a cooler- said I needed evidence of sex still naturally attached to a large meat portion) and clean skull plate. Tag with the meat.

 

[Netherman]

Boned meat with evidence of sex attached to ham (I got a warning from CO officer for meat I had processed my self that I had all wrapped and in a cooler- said I needed evidence of sex still naturally attached to a large meat portion) and clean skull plate. Tag with the meat.

After talking to the CPW office and reading the regs myself I think I'll be covered with my brothers meat if I "process it" and have the donation slip. In your case I don't think the officer was correct, or maybe there is a lot of room for interpretation on what constitutes processed. I'm guessing he wasn't considering your meat to be processed. In that case you would fall under the carcass rules which do require evidence of sex. With all the CWD concerns I'm sure you have to have a clean skull plate when transporting.

 

[Netherman]

Something to think about. My cousins in Louisiana send me shrimp all the time by FedEx or UPS. They put shrimp in a stout styrofoam cooler along with dry ice and two or three day shipping. They always make sure someone will be home to verify cooler conditions. Everything is always perfect.
Why not look into shipping your meat home the same way?

That's a good idea and I think I would if I were doing a fly out hunt, but since we will be driving and have room I'd rather save the money. Also, if I don't get my own deer I'll still have plenty of camp meat for my second week in MT .