Bringing skulls back from Canada
Mountain Goat
What are the current rules for bringing skulls and hides back from Canada? How clean do the skulls need to be ( euro mount)? The hide will be frozen but not tanned?
I've brought 2 back and they never even cared to check. One was fleshed and frozen, the other was still in the hide/rug.
We drove in with 4 Caribou, hides, skulls, meat... This was a couple years ago though.
I’ve brought 12 hides and skulls partially fleshed and never a problem. You have to indicate what you’re bringing back ie: hide, skull, meat etc.
Eyes and brain needs to be out.
Deerslayer, I assume this depends on what CBP agent you get. The ones I've encountered never bothered to look or check. They only asked what I had and sent me on my way. Both skulls had eyes and brains intact.
Same here bowjangles neither were removed on all of mine.
In my experience just depends on APHIS inspector at the crossing point. CBP are just passport police but the inspector can jamb you up. Had a bad experience crossing in on I95 to Idaho but good experience crossing at Sweetgrass MT.
I’d go eyes and brain removed and skull covered in borax based on my experience.
Thanks for responding, I should have added I’d be flying and I don’t think the regulations should be different but the agents maybe tougher?
Both of my experiences were with airports. They seemed like they couldn't care less when I told them I had a bear in my luggage. Lol!
Hey easy on the passport police comment. I'm a CBPO at the Sweetgrass Port! LOL..... Now I know to look for you, TMac, and BowJangles! "Somebody get me the rubber gloves" ;) just kiddin
Most times we'll just ask, but if they're not out we'll send you back to clean them. Had a a group come through once with 5 buffalo heads that still had hide on, eyes, brains, etc. Sent them around to clean them, and when they came back after power washing them, it was quite a mess!
You are right that a lot depends on the officer, but that certainly isn't a chance I would take, especially at an airport. Kind of hard to go back to Canada and clean them in that environment.
Deerslayer, I usually cross at Sweetgrass. You're not a youngish, fairly skookum, black lady are you? "And what are we doing in Wyoming?" "Oh and what are we hunting?"
After about the tenth "we" I was tempted to say "well you better get your camo and get in or "we" will never get there!"
Lol..... I hate it when officers use “we”! One of my major pet peeves, funny to hear a traveler say the same. I actually train rookies not to say that! We aren’t going anywhere!
No I’m the white guy that backs up traffic because I want to know what you shot, if you had a good hunt, what bow and broad head combo you used, etc.... (My co-workers pet peeve with me! Ha!) If you tell me high fence the conversation pretty much comes to an abrupt end.... lol..... met some pretty cool people coming back from their hunts over the years.
Justin, hopefully I’d be bringing back a frozen Musk Ox skull. I called customs and was told I could go thru with a VS16-78 form given to me by customs. Do you have any info on that?
The only time I’ve ever had a “problem” and by problem I mean coolers and bags went through looking for penis bones and gall bladders. That was done by US fish and wildlife services. Not the border agents. That’s literally more than 30 trips across the border and that was the only instance. Even then frozen skulls , frozen meat and frozen hides were just let right in although they did take some fruit away from us that we were eating when we crossed back into the US... ( really)
Whatever you do, make sure you have a plan to bring it home yourself rather than relying on an outfitter to ship it. In my case I thought we had a plan worked out, but nearly 2 years later I’m still without my animal...
I would do whatever you had to do to bring back your critters on the plane. It took me one year to get my goat skull and cape back from BC
Yeah, don’t trust the outfitters. I’ve seen the fish and wildlife officer seize more than one trophy coming in because the outfitter didn’t do the proper paperwork.
Lee, i’m pretty sure there’s nothing different about muskox than any other animal, but I will doublecheck and get back to you on that.
I would do whatever you had to do to bring back your critters on the plane. It took me one year to get my goat skull and cape back from BC
More importantly these days is what your state accepts....many states have outlawed the ENTRY of certain animals, from certain areas.
Strange how no one has come forward with what Canada`s policy is on this issue....usually someone on here comes up with the goods. "I got away with it" isn`t alot of help...lol
