New law on importation of "High risk....
Pennsylvania
If one enjoys seeing and hunting deer locally, you'd think they'd support measures that are in place to help stop the spread of this disease. I think they're being pretty lenient and we could do more.
There are two fenced in game farms/hunting/killing operations locally that keep deer, stags, pigs, sheep, and such captive that have had MANY animals escape within the last several months. Some have been seen running around on State Game Lands, but we're not allowed to kill them. I don't care for how the game commission addresses such breakouts. Shooting these invasives has been banned by the PGC in my county since Jan.
The repercussions of bringing in bones could be spreading CWD in our Pennsylvania deer. It's not only risky at the least, it's reprehensible in my opinion, and shows a disdain for the health of our whitetail deer populations.
I understand you were venting a bit, but whether you "want know what the penalties are if you bring the deer back without following the "guidelines" of the law?" or "just want to know what to do and how", I'm guessing you'd be best served by contacting the appropriate authorities in MD and PA.
That's just what I tend to do nowadays, go to the source.... whether I'm helping, asking, telling, venting, etc and call THEM first. PGC, DCNR, PFBC, whomever. Good luck getting your answers, Justin.
I'm confused, what is the issue with deboning a deer in the woods where it falls? you mention above that this isn't acceptable, but why?
Western hunters leave carcass remains in the woods?
Thanks
The spine and head need to be disposed of because that's where the prions that cause CWD live. Since it can be transmitted from the after the deer is deboned the carcass must be discarded in a safe location.
what do they do for elk in CWD areas out west?
what about natural deer deaths in a CWD area?
Wyoming says to leave the head, neck and spine at the site or bag it and dispose of it. Other states, especially eastern states all have different rules.
I imported some osage from Ohio Thursday and split it this morning because I have CWD... Chronic Whittlin Disorder :^)
Can you debone a deer in PA and leave the bones? I've asked this question to a former deputy warden and he didn't know. I can't find anything in the book.
i do not see any laws against doing what PMcGee has asked in PA or in MD.
Only law is that it must be tagged prior to being moved
I did a quick read of the book and couldn't find it but I know for a fact it is illegal to debone a deer and leave the carcass lay. You are required to take the carcass to a designated dumpster. There are very clear signs posted at parking lots of SGLs in DMAs.
Page 38 talks about importation and there is an executive order about CWD on the PGC site but it isn't easy to find in the booklet, if it's even there.
phil, i assume you are speaking of CWD areas only? What about non CWD areas? Not sure what DMA stands for?
I did this last year in MD with success and would like to continue to do so if it is not illegal
thanks
Right. CWD areas only. DMA stands for Disease Management Areas. That is the three multi-county areas of the state where CWD is present.
Maybe someone can explain this to me...........if I drive to Wyoming, get a buck or bull elk, and want to do a european mount, I can't unless it is totally cleaned before leaving Wyoming and driving back to PA? What defines totally cleaned? Must I cap the skull and clean the plate completely? I am heading to WY this fall and hope to kill a mule deer and an elk and don't have room for an elk mount and am planning on a european. Do I have to leave it with a taxidermist to have it cleaned and then shipped? I would think if I spent a day picking every drop of meat off and cleaning the brain cavity, I would be OK but how I read this it seems not. Any input would be appreciated.
IA has had ONE deer in history test positive for CWD, so it's on the list.
No one knows the penalty, and taxidermists don't know how to deal with it.
Not that it makes any difference as far as you're concerned, but the statewide thing sounds like they're just trying to make it easier to enforce, harder to cheat.
I agree, Justin...a statewide CWD ban just makes more sense.
I live in York (WMU 5B) right along Route 30. Above the north side is a CWD DMA...the south side is not. Deer cross the highway all the time...they cannot see invisible boundary lines, whether they be WMU's, DMA's, counties, or states. However, enforcing and regulating this would seem easier to do at the border of our state, instead of dividing up sections inside our state.
I can watch a deer cross the highway to me, shoot it, and take it home to process. If I were to hunt the other side (in the CWD DMA), I would have to debone the meat in the field, then drive miles to find a "CWD dumpster" to dispose of the carcass. The other option would be to take it to a deer processor and pay them to do the butchering...but at that point, I'll just buy beef.
I sure hope all the deer I see getting hit along Route 30 are being tested for having CWD.
I'm all about doing what is right for the future of PA's deer herd, but there has to be a simpler way to do it, and a simpler way for hunters to help without being so inconvenienced.
Who enforces this law, and what is the penalty?
So........if I want to bring an elk or deer home from any CWD area in Wyoming to do a European with, I have to boil or beetle it out there? Is that right? How long does an elk skull need to be in beetles before it is fully clean? I had better save more vacation time!!
Other than to help raise public awareness (which is good), I don't see the point of this law. It is not enforced and who knows what the penalty is?
Does anyone really think a local taxidermist is going to refuse business because of this? I know a taxidermist, and he said he has not been made aware of any new regulations by the state.
