Ask a conservation officer:

[Lee Borgersen]

 Ask a conservation officer:


 New rules restrict import of animal carcasses from out of state.

By Matthew S. Miller   Today at 1:00 a.m. 



Q: I’ve heard about disease concerns in white-tailed deer. If I hunt out of state and shoot a trophy deer or elk, can I still bring the carcass back to have it mounted?


 





A: No. New this year are import restrictions on the carcass of a deer, elk, moose or caribou harvested anywhere in North America. To minimize the risk of spreading chronic wasting disease further into Minnesota, hunters returning from out of state are limited to bringing back only the following items:

* Meat that is boned out.

* Meat that is cut and wrapped.






* Quarters or other portions with no parts of the spine or head attached.

* Hide and teeth.

* Antlers, or clean skull plate with antlers attached and all brain tissue removed (skull plate only, not full skull).


* Finished taxidermy mounts.

These restrictions are designed to prevent the importation of the proteins that spread CWD among cervids. If you wish to have a trophy mounted, you will need to find a taxidermist in the state in which you were hunting to complete the mount for you before bringing it back to Minnesota. For further information, see the DNR website at dnr.state.mn.us/deerimports/index.html or page 62 of the 2016 Hunting Regulation Synopsis.

Matthew S. Miller is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer with the Lake Superior Marine Unit.