New CWD rules

[LastLookTaxidermy]

Not sure if this has been covered already. But in the big game regulations the fish and wildlife commission have adopted new CWD rules. This will affect taxidermists and the skull guys the most. All states must be treated as if they have cwd wether or not they have had a positive case. I’m disappointed, no more velvet caribou mounts or early season velvet Sitka blacktails. Or early season velvet archery bucks out of state. That also means that hunters out of state better get good at caping  or pay a taxidermist to cape their deer and clean the skull cap.

[NRA4LIFE]

This is terrible.  I read through this a while ago and it is really going to hurt WA taxidermists.  What percentage of hunters out of state from WA could even cape a head and make the cape usable?  My experience? Maybe 1 in 10 at best.  So those 90% will be taking it to a taxi in that state and pay to have it shipped.  I'm hunting in 2 and possibly 3 states other than WA this year. Yes, I can cape a taxidermy ready head/hide and clean the skull plate, but I may not.

[fishngamereaper]

Some of the wording in that is typical wdfw and makes no sense at all..
You can't have bone in meat, but you can have skulls and antlers, but if you have a hide the head can't be attached....am I reading it wrong...

So if I retain the head as my evidence of sex I need to stop at the State line and remove the skull from the hide.,..

[finnman]

We hunt out of state. We always have a bone saw and cut the antlers of the head and clean what’s left of the tissue and lining off. Sorry but the skull stays in WY.
We have been using the gutless method for years now so we have to go the extra step of removing the leg bones, a pain but it’s not the end of the world.
I ran out of room for more mounts, plus the cost of good taxidermy is outrageous, so I have a strict policy now that unless it’s a personal best it’s not getting a shoulder mount. Makes life easy for now.

[millerwheeler]

What if you boiled it before you left and was pressure washed off ?

[jrebel]

The way it was explained to me....not saying it is right or wrong....but it did come from the US fish and wildlife officers at the border.   No bone can be left in the meat and the meat.  The skull needs to have the eyes, tongue, brain and most of the meat removed.  They were more concerned about the brain cavity being void of any brain and even the lining in the brain cavity.  We pressure washed our skulls with a heated pressure washer and they said that was perfect. 

Because it is becoming such a big issue....I will plan on boiling my skulls from now on before re-entering the state or US. 

[millerwheeler]

The way it was explained to me....not saying it is right or wrong....but it did come from the US fish and wildlife officers at the border.   No bone can be left in the meat and the meat.  The skull needs to have the eyes, tongue, brain and most of the meat removed.  They were more concerned about the brain cavity being void of any brain and even the lining in the brain cavity.  We pressure washed our skulls with a heated pressure washer and they said that was perfect. 

Because it is becoming such a big issue....I will plan on boiling my skulls from now on before re-entering the state or US.

 I know guys that do there euros during down time at camp but seams like the way too go

[bkaech]

Just to be clear, boiling does not affect the prions that cause CWD, boiling helps to remove the soft tissue where the prions are. The temperature needed to denature prions is over 900F for several hours.

The key to bringing home the skull or skull plates with antlers is to get every bit of soft tissue removed, however you can do that you should be good.

Bringing home a head, boiling at home and dumping out the contents with brain matter in your backyard is a good recipe for spreading CWD. And to be certian CWD is everywhere, it just hasn't been detected everywhere yet. I think it is good for us to do what we can to not help it spread and be even more prevalent.

[millerwheeler]

Just to be clear, boiling does not affect the prions that cause CWD, boiling helps to remove the soft tissue where the prions are. The temperature needed to denature prions is over 900F for several hours.

The key to bringing home the skull or skull plates with antlers is to get every bit of soft tissue removed, however you can do that you should be good.

Bringing home a head, boiling at home and dumping out the contents with brain matter in your backyard is a good recipe for spreading CWD. And to be certian CWD is everywhere, it just hasn't been detected everywhere yet. I think it is good for us to do what we can to not help it spread and be even more prevalent.

Thanks for sharing. interesting

[NRA4LIFE]

Heavy bleaching will kill the prions on knives and saws, found this:

The DNR recommends soaking equipment in a 50/50 solution of bleach and water for an hour. But the federal study suggests that a five-minute soak in a 40 percent bleach solution will kill prions on stainless steel.

I carry a jug of bleach on all hunts just for doing this.

[millerwheeler]

Heavy bleaching will kill the prions on knives and saws, found this:

The DNR recommends soaking equipment in a 50/50 solution of bleach and water for an hour. But the federal study suggests that a five-minute soak in a 40 percent bleach solution will kill prions on stainless steel.

I carry a jug of bleach on all hunts just for doing this.

Super helpful thanks

[spin05]

It says you can have skulls.  Says nothing about removing tongue,eyes,brains etc etc

[jrebel]

It says you can have skulls.  Says nothing about removing tongue,eyes,brains etc etc

I know a taxidermist that took in a moose skull that was not clean.  Wdfw allowed the hunter to keep his the moose antlers but they had to cut them off at the base of the skull.  Then wdfw confiscated the entire skull.  Apparently this was because the skull had brains, eyes and tongue still attached.   Now instead of a euro, the hunter has two separate moose antlers.   

Now, maybe the taxidermist is lying……I can’t image why but maybe.  If you have questions call wdfw and get them clarified before you get bound up for doing the wrong thing. 

[92xj]

It says you can have skulls.  Says nothing about removing tongue,eyes,brains etc etc

Keep reading past the comma.  The key to the sentence is the ending that says “from which all soft issue has been removed”.

Skulls and antlers from which all soft tissue has been removed.
Antlers attached to skull plate from which all soft tissue has been removed.
Upper canine teeth from which all soft tissue has been removed.   

[spin05]

It says you can have skulls.  Says nothing about removing tongue,eyes,brains etc etc

Keep reading past the comma.  The key to the sentence is the ending that says “from which all soft issue has been removed”.

Skulls and antlers from which all soft tissue has been removed.
Antlers attached to skull plate from which all soft tissue has been removed.
Upper canine teeth from which all soft tissue has been removed.

hhhmm yea i thought they where talking about the teeth.  But yea it does seem to apply to skull too.  I guess that makes sense