Importing Deer and Elk into Arizona

[.270]

I don't give a dam what they say. I'm not taking my meat or head to a 'licensed' guy. Been taking care of it myself over 50 years. Nobody is more qualified or experienced than I am. Lark

[Jawa512]

Is the bigger threat from carcasses transported by hunters? Seems there might be a lot of animals capable of crossing back and forth between N. Mexico and Arizona.

[Red Sparky]

Yes but the only know case of CWD I know of in our state is down in the Lincoln Nat. Forest down in unit 34 and 36. It also might be naturally occurring in nature and the just detected it and put a name to it. I know our G&F has regs for that area of the state but since I don't hunt down there I have not really paid attention. I know part of it is/was you can voluntarily have your animal tested and for an incentive to do so you get put into a drawing for an elk hunt.

[.270]

What I find as pure bs is that if you are forced to pay a 'licensed' taxi or butcher it magically makes cwd go away. Just like global warming, organic food, taxes, etc., the more you have to pay, the safer it is, according to the gov't and lobbiests. And folks that have been taking care of themselves since birth are suddenly unqualified. Sounds to me like taxidermists and meat processors cut a fat hog on this one. Lark.

[swwildlife]

You are wrong on that one Lark, at least not the Arizona taxidermists and meat processors. the hunters that are going out of state are leaving their trophy to be mounted and meat being processed in the state they are hunting, and paying big money for shipping of completed trophies and over night delivery of the meat. That is what is wrong with this requirement.that isn't a requirement. they just want you to think that. I do agree with everything else you said.

[.270]

Where am I wrong? I hunt out of Az every year. I never take the meat or head to anyone where I shot it. Always take care of it myself. And tell me why cwd is magically eliminated if you take it to someone with a license? If it has cwd, it has cwd. Period. Taking it to a licensed person doesn't change that. Then if it does have it, there is a chance of all the meat its hanging next to getting contaminated. Butchers don't clean saws and grinders and knives between every animal. The excuse for the law is to stop cwd in the herd. This isn't going to help that one bit. Cwd can just occur. It's amazing how little is known about it. But now if one has cwd and gets mixed in with everyone else's meat you can end up with contaminated meat that wasn't to start with. This law is pure bull$h!t. Cwd isn't new. It's been around forever. Anyone with even a little smarts is qualified to take care of their own stuff and do a good, clean sanitary job. It's much easier for a guy to end up with a better product doing it himself than by hanging your meat with who-knows-what in a locker. Cwd is in the brain and spinal column. Pretty easy to work around. Don't need a license for that. Lark

[swwildlife]

the only thing you are wrong about is "the taxidermist and meat processors cut a fat hog on this one." I have LOST business to this law. customers have told me they left their heads in another state to be mounted because it is illegal to bring them back. You are right with everything else. You should be mad at this law because you are breaking the law by bringing back your meat and trophy back into Arizona. This whole law stinks on multiple levels.

The G&F are pulling the wool over our eyes in regards to CWD. The reason for them stating that you need to bring it back to a licensed Taxidermist or processor is they know that the scraps will end up in an approved landfill not in the desert or woods.(their words) so my point is why don't they just tell us that ? No they have to come up with some bogus law to control what we do.

[Red Sparky]

Here is how NM handled it. Maybe AZ should reconsider writing their law. Here you have to do the following before you leave the unit and it deals with .270's viewpoint.

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Rules Apply to Units 19, 28 and 34

It is unlawful to transport dead deer, elk or their parts taken from any chronic wasting disease

(CWD) control area designated by the Director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

The exceptions are:

• Meat that is cut and wrapped either privately or commercially within the control area.

• Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the head or spinal column attached.

• Meat that has been boned out.

• Hides with no heads attached.

• Clean skull plates with antlers attached.

• Antlers with no meat or tissue attached.

• Finished heads mounted by a taxidermist within the control area.

You may not remove the whole head and spinal column. You must keep proof of sex with all game

species until transported where it will be consumed or placed in cold storage.

[654321]

Here is how NM handled it. Maybe AZ should reconsider writing their law. Here you have to do the following before you leave the unit and it deals with .270's viewpoint.

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Rules Apply to Units 19, 28 and 34[/size]

It is unlawful to transport dead deer, elk or their parts taken from any chronic wasting disease

(CWD) control area designated by the Director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

The exceptions are:

• Meat that is cut and wrapped either privately or commercially within the control area.

• Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the head or spinal column attached.

• Meat that has been boned out.

• Hides with no heads attached.

• Clean skull plates with antlers attached.

• Antlers with no meat or tissue attached.

• Finished heads mounted by a taxidermist within the control area.

You may not remove the whole head and spinal column. You must keep proof of sex with all game

species until transported where it will be consumed or placed in cold storage.

This is exactly what AZ has written minus the quarters or other portions of meat part of rule

[swwildlife]

red sparky, 654321 is right, that is exactly what the law says and IMO is wrong. you should be able to process you own animal any way you see fit. that is bringing in back in any form and either taking or not taking to a licensed taxidermist or processor. I think this borders on a violation of the interstate commerce law. and will not stop the spread of CWD.

[ctafoya]

Someone better tell those critters near the state line to not cross over. They might get shot and ruin all of our game here in AZ.

[6AYoteHunter]

My problem with it is 2 fold, 1st, is that they, the G&F make it sound like it is illegal when in reality it is not. thus hurting businesses in Arizona. and 2nd, chronic wasting will never be in Arizona because our deer population is way too low and not concentrated enough. and as it pertains to this issue, the contaminated bones and spinal column left in the desert by the self butcher will never transfer the disease to a living deer. deer are vegetarians, they do not eat the flesh of other deer.

Even though deer are vegetarians they will eat skulls for minerals. I have multiple videos of a mule deer doe this summer eating elk skulls. She ended up eating a total of 4 cow elk skulls in about a month. The 10+ people that have seen the videos were amazed.

 

I understand some of the AZGFD concerns because of this, but I think they went about this seriously wrong. I am a diy type person and will now be packing a ton of extra gear to process my animals while on out of state hunts. Doing europeans mounts in the bush and wasting an extra day will now be common place for me.

[6AYoteHunter]

By the way all 4 elk skulls were from kills in AZ

[Red Sparky]

What I am trying to point out is NM let's you process your own deer. They let you clean the skull cap. As long as no spinal tissue or brain matter is taken out of the unit. You could kill a monster deer, clean the skull cap and take the hide to your taxidermist of choice. You can take the quarters home and process them yourself. The exceptions allow you to take the hide,meat, and cleaned skull cap out of the unit, just no brain tissue/matter or any part of the spinal cord. As I stated maybe AZ needs to rewrite their law closer to NM's. Maybe I didn't state that? No I just checked and that is exactly what I said.

[ThomC]

Az rules are for any other state or country. No problem unless you are going to do a euro mount, then you would have to boil it in the state or country of origin. No Brainer. No spine.