Wyoming Man Arrested for Illegal Possession of Hundreds of Elk Antlers

Puzzled, 104 pounds of antlers from the article, but hundred of antlers. Does not equate. 2 or 3 antlers would weight 104.

Love that he was caught, but would like accurate reporting.
 
Good to see the law holding poachers accountable. The monetary/social recognition aspect of the horn hunt pushes people to do silly things and hurts our herds on the winter range.
 
Puzzled, 104 pounds of antlers from the article, but hundred of antlers. Does not equate. 2 or 3 antlers would weight 104.

Love that he was caught, but would like accurate reporting.

"Officers later collected antlers from the remaining cache sites, which weighed an additional 410 pounds. "
 
I still think it's interesting you guys can't sell game in the states, but selling antlers is fine.


Since most people don't eat them there's little danger of passing along something that's contaminated or infected. Pen raised deer and elk can be sold for food in some states.
 
Since most people don't eat them there's little danger of passing along something that's contaminated or infected. Pen raised deer and elk can be sold for food in some states.

I thought the laws were more in relation to market hunting and the ability to use animals for profit.
 
I thought the laws were more in relation to market hunting and the ability to use animals for profit.

I assumed in your post that you were referring to wild edible game which AFAIK can't be harvested and sold. With proper permits elk, deer, etc. can be raised and sold. I don't know if there's much difference between wild and pen raised deer tastewise. OTOH certain critters like mink, fox etc. can be trapped or shot and their pelts sold. Selling game isn't quite the same as selling inedible parts of it such as the antlers, hooves, hide, etc. The antlers are about the only thing that you can get without killing the animal. Sadly, many kill them just for the antlers.
 
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I thought the laws were more in relation to market hunting and the ability to use animals for profit.

I think that is the main intent as well. I also think that being able to sell antlers is a slippery slope to commercialization of the resource. An animal doesn't have to die to shed it's antlers and I guess that is the thought process on allowing the sale.

More interesting to me is that you can sell trophy mounts. That animal did have to die and a trophy mount can sell for many, many multiples of what you could sell the meat for. Not sure why that is allowed.

Some states have more strict rules where you have to utilize the antlers in some form of artwork to sell them but it seems like they are pretty easy to get around.

One thing that I wish we could figure out a way to utilize the resource better would be bear gall bladders. 99% of hunters never bother with them, however they are worth enough that others risk felony poaching convictions to acquire them. Maybe they could come up with something like the paddlefish roe where they setup collection stations for them and offer some type of service in exchange. Maybe they will skin your bear if you bring the gall bladder or something and the state can then turn around and sell them to the Chinese market. Just thinking outside the box on it.

Nathan
 
I still think it's interesting you guys can't sell game in the states, but selling antlers is fine.

You can sell domestic elk, deer, buffalo, etc. You can not sell wild game as defined in the statutes. However, it's expensive. I buy elk when I am out whenever I go to Denver to visit my mom. Pricey but I love my elk.
 

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