CWD Regulations

[TOGIE]

Page 5 of the 2019 Antelope Deer and Elk Brochure: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations/Regulation-PDFs/REGULATIONS_CH5_BROCHURE.pdf

These aren't entirely new, yeah? Either way, the way it reads to me, is that you cannot transport the head of your animal, period. But obviously everyone is going to take their head and antlers home. Is everyone breaking the rules or is there some language in here I'm missing?

I assume it can't be that you have to clean the brain and meat off your head at your kill site if you want to transport it? Nobody would be able to clean it well enough to make it "safe" from a CWD standpoint.

We all want to get our heads home, are we all just going to break the rules? Or what am I missing?

Other than that, my plan would be to have a local taxidermist do my head so I'm not transporting brain matter across state lines. But it seems that even transporting my head to the taxidermist is not okay per these regs.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Yes, you can bring it to the local taxidermist. It states that under transporting guidelines. These are pretty standard rules. I bring a long spoon with me to scoop as much of the brain out as possible. Its worth going the extra mile to limit cwd.

 

[COEngineer]

subsection a) "...the head and all portions of the spinal column remain at the site of the kill or such parts are disposed of in any approved landfill or approved incinerator in Wyoming."

Seems like your best bet is to only remove the skull cap and antlers, scrape any brain material out of that and leave it at the kill site or take the whole head to a WY taxidermist who will dispose of everything appropriately.

 

[WapitiBob]

Page 5 of the 2019 Antelope Deer and Elk Brochure: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations/Regulation-PDFs/REGULATIONS_CH5_BROCHURE.pdf

These aren't entirely new, yeah? Either way, the way it reads to me, is that you cannot transport the head of your animal, period. But obviously everyone is going to take their head and antlers home. Is everyone breaking the rules or is there some language in here I'm missing?

I assume it can't be that you have to clean the brain and meat off your head at your kill site if you want to transport it? Nobody would be able to clean it well enough to make it "safe" from a CWD standpoint.

We all want to get our heads home, are we all just going to break the rules? Or what am I missing?

Other than that, my plan would be to have a local taxidermist do my head so I'm not transporting brain matter across state lines. But it seems that even transporting my head to the taxidermist is not okay per these regs.

The regulation changed in 2019 to add "skull"; sub section b to be specific. Perfectly legal to transport the head for a euro mount per Chief Game Warden Nesvik provided eyes and brain have been removed.

 

[TOGIE]

I thought I remember hearing there was that specific change for this year, and I knew these regulations have been in place in large part already. Surprised that the language seems to leave no room for taking your head to the taxidermist, unless of course it's scraped. Even then the language implies that it needs to be a "cleaned" skull. Not a scraped skull. A clean mounted skull. Ironically, how do you get a clean mounted skull without first transporting it?

Makes you wonder how many tickets are going to be written this fall.

Or on the flip, how strictly this will be enforced.

What are the guesses? 1-5% of male species harvests will have been scraped thoroughly enough and have the eyes popped out to be legally transported? Per the language, does scraping it even constitute legal? I'd say no. But apparently scraping means it won't be enforced?

Wyoming doesn't mess around. I could see this being a big ticket year.

I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna actually remove a brain in the field without ruining the skull...

 

[wytex]

You'll have to cape it out and break up the brains through the foramen and scoop them out. Use a long knife or something similar then they will fall out with a very strong shake. The brain cavity lining needs to be removed as well.
We've never had any issues with whole skulls during transport, have had many conversations with the local game warden and moving skulls has never even come up in the past.
A larger pair of cooking tweezers is what we have for removing brains .
GW will more worried about transporting skulls to areas within the state that have not had a positive CWD tested animal.

I'll send an email to our local GW and get his take on the regs as written. He should respond in a timely manner.
Your biggest concern may be when you get to your home state, make sure to check the regs about what can be brought in from CWD states.

 

[WapitiBob]

Nesvik was pretty clear.
"Brian, if I remove the eyes and brain from my Elk skull have I met the cwd regulations for transport"
"yes you have"

This was prior to the 2019 Elk season and before they added "skull" to the regulation.