Advice/Tips/whatever on getting skull "transoprt legal"

Joined
Sep 5, 2016
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90
Location
Western NC
NC just passed some new rules about bringing meat and antlers back into the state. No bones on the meat (everything must be de-boned) and for antlers, no brain matter or tissue on the skull. So they optimal way to get it back is to cape the head, cut the skull cap out and roll.... However, Im that guy...
I would rather have a Euro done, and I know it will be more labor intensive. I had planned on talking with the "team" and seeing about hauling a turkey fryer out and boiling the heads, or, taking a drill and configuring some tip to get all the stuff out of the canals and cavities and then putting it in some hydrogen peroxide..... Or I could just call and see what the taxidermist in the area would charge to get it "transport legal".....

Have any of yall done anything like what I am suggesting or have any experience with this?
 

Trial153

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NY has had that law for a couple years now. My advise is ...NO.
Here all it takes is stop by the wrong Encon officer and your ..ucked. Even if you go through all that and it totally accomplishes what the law intended you can still end up in a situation where your stuck trying to prove you complied. New thing you know your elk meat in a town dump and antlers are in a Encon office for three years till you see them again .. if your lucky.
 

muddydogs

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NY has had that law for a couple years now. My advise is ...NO.
Here all it takes is stop by the wrong Encon officer and your ..ucked. Even if you go through all that and it totally accomplishes what the law intended you can still end up in a situation where your stuck trying to prove you complied. New thing you know your elk meat in a town dump and antlers are in a Encon office for three years till you see them again .. if your lucky.

Any proof of what you say or is it just your opinion? From what I gather looking into this if the meat is deboned your good and a boiled skull is good.
 

Trial153

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Any proof of what you say or is it just your opinion? From what I gather looking into this if the meat is deboned your good and a boiled skull is good.
Yep, friend of mine had a mule deer taken out near buffalo on his way back from Montana. Took him several trips to court and an Attorney to have it dismissed.
 

muddydogs

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Yep, friend of mine had a mule deer taken out near buffalo on his way back from Montana. Took him several trips to court and an Attorney to have it dismissed.

So what the whole story? Was it deboned? Brains in skull?
 

Trial153

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So what the whole story? Was it deboned? Brains in skull?
NY state states: allowed parts

meat without a back bone.
Cleaned hide and Cape
Skull plate and/ or antlers cleaned of all meat and brain tissue
Upper canine teeth
Finished taxidermy mounts and tanned hide.

Prohibited parts:
Head
Brain
Tonsils
Eyes
Lymph nodes in the neck
Spinal cord/backbone
Spleen
Intestinal track

He claimed that the hinds and shoulders were still on the bone. The loins were boned out as was the neck. He stated the skull was cleaned of all the necessary parts.
Supposedly the encon officer sited him for the skull and the non boned out hinds and shoulders, claiming that the antlers need to on a plate and detached from the skull to be fully cleaned for it to be legal
My friend said another encon officer showed up along with NYSP. Even though it seemed the other officer wasnt fully in agreement my friend still ended up sited, the meat and skull were taken.
By the time he got everything dismissed the only thing he recieved back was the antlers cut off the skull.

My point is make it the least subjective as possible. Dont assume they know the law or can even interpret it correctly. So coming at it from that stand point I am cutting the plate and making sure its idiot proof for them.
 
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OP
trickytross
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Western NC
Interesting. I appreciate the response. Spoke with our local warden and will be speaking with our Captain about what they need to see. More concerned over the skull than the meat. I don't foresee an issue with deboning the meat, but curious on what others have done in the field
 
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Ca has had the same regulations for years. I've come through the Ca Mexico border several times in the past with dried and salted hides (life size) and boiled and dried skulls. I have had several agencies inspect them (border patrol, agriculture and F&W). I have had my import paperwork in order and have never had a problem. However, during inspection, the concern of some inspecting the skulls was if the boiling process was complete. The fact that mine were also dried seemed to help in their decision making process. If I were to do it again, I think I would carry one of those tiny flexible inspection cameras that connect to a cell phone (I happen to have two, so that it could be inserted into the cavities for a complete inspection. Obviously with this method an inspection could be done prior, and be offered to an inspector.
 

Lawnboi

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Remember it's not only your state. But the ones your driving through. There's a few good resources on the rules.

If I want a euro my plan this year is to leave it at a local taxi and pick it up in my next trip out or have it shipped. It's unfortunate but it's looking like that's what it's coming to
 

WolfpackNOgun

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Oct 25, 2017
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NC just passed some new rules about bringing meat and antlers back into the state. No bones on the meat (everything must be de-boned) and for antlers, no brain matter or tissue on the skull. So they optimal way to get it back is to cape the head, cut the skull cap out and roll.... However, Im that guy...
I would rather have a Euro done, and I know it will be more labor intensive. I had planned on talking with the "team" and seeing about hauling a turkey fryer out and boiling the heads, or, taking a drill and configuring some tip to get all the stuff out of the canals and cavities and then putting it in some hydrogen peroxide..... Or I could just call and see what the taxidermist in the area would charge to get it "transport legal".....

Have any of yall done anything like what I am suggesting or have any experience with this?

Tricky,
Can you site where you found this information. I will be traveling back from Wyoming in October to NC.
 

wapitibob

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I suggest you call a person with authority to correctly answer your question, in each of the states you are traveling thru. You do not need to cut the skull plate off to meet the CWD requirement in WY, per the Chief Game Warden for WGF.
 

WolfpackNOgun

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I suggest you call a person with authority to correctly answer your question, in each of the states you are traveling thru. You do not need to cut the skull plate off to meet the CWD requirement in WY, per the Chief Game Warden for WGF.

Thanks Bob
 
OP
trickytross
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Western NC
OP
trickytross
Joined
Sep 5, 2016
Messages
90
Location
Western NC
I suggest you call a person with authority to correctly answer your question, in each of the states you are traveling thru. You do not need to cut the skull plate off to meet the CWD requirement in WY, per the Chief Game Warden for WGF.
Here is what Wyoming has communicated to NC on their rules and what not. It can be found here N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission > Hunting > Cervid Carcass Regulations
pretty neat little tool to keep you legal, believe some other states have a similar page on their sites. Anywho,


Importation of Animal Parts:

No deer, elk or moose taken from any other state, province or country within areas designated by the appropriate jurisdictional agency as positive for CWD in either deer, elk or moose shall be imported into Wyoming. The Department requires that deer and elk hunters transport only the following items from areas where CWD is known to exist:

Cut and wrapped meat;

Boned meat;

Animal quarters or other pieces with no portion of the spinal column or head attached;

Hides without the heads;

Cleaned (no meat or other tissue attached) skull plates with antlers attached; and

Antlers with no meat or other tissue attached.

The head, spine and other nervous tissue shall be left at the site of the kill or bagged and disposed of in an approved landfill. NOTE: Nothing in these requirements allows hunters to remove evidence of sex, species or horn or antler development as required in the regulations. For more information, visit Proper Carcass Disposal and Transport.



Exportation of Animal Parts (Within the CWD Hunt Areas):
No deer, elk or moose taken or possessed from any hunt area shall be transported to any other hunt area within Wyoming or to any other state, province or country. Deer, elk and moose carcasses harvested from any hunt area in Wyoming may be transported within Wyoming to a camp, a private residence for processing, a taxidermist, a processor, or a CWD sample collection site in Wyoming, provided the head and all portions of the spinal column remain at the site of the kill or such parts are disposed of in any approved landfill in Wyoming. Only the following parts of any deer, elk or moose harvested from any hunt area in Wyoming may be transported to any other hunt area in Wyoming:

Edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached;

Cleaned hide without the head;

Skull plate or antlers that have been cleaned of all meat and brain tissue;

Teeth; or

Finished taxidermy mounts.

Only the following parts of any deer, elk or moose harvested from any hunt areas in Wyoming may be transported to other states, provinces or countries:

Edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached;

Cleaned hide without the head or skull plate;

Antlers that have been cleaned of all meat and brain tissue;

Teeth; or

Finished taxidermy mounts.

Whole deer, elk and moose carcasses harvested from any area shall not be transported out of Wyoming. NOTE: Nothing in these requirements allows hunters to remove evidence of sex, species or horn or antler development as required in the regulations. For more information, visit Proper Carcass Disposal and Transport.
 

DerkPerk

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Jun 21, 2018
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Remember it's not only your state. But the ones your driving through. There's a few good resources on the rules.

If I want a euro my plan this year is to leave it at a local taxi and pick it up in my next trip out or have it shipped. It's unfortunate but it's looking like that's what it's coming to

Winner winner


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
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Tallahassee, FL
Buddy of mine killed a 5x5 bull in CO this year. Euro by a taxidermist out there with shipping to FL ran him $650.

If you want the cheap option, you can get a cow elk skull for $25-$35 from here and mount your antlers on it. It would probably require some plaster work to make the bases look right, and not be authentic, but it’s a fraction of the cost.

Elk Skulls for sale by www.hideandfur.com
 

tntrker

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Aug 7, 2018
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Upstate SC
Well, I knew this was serious but wasn't planning on having an issue by taking my boiler and tank to euro mine before leaving MT back to SC. Now I'm a little concerned, but the whole point of driving was to save the shipping charges on meat and any antlers. I plan on having the meat processed there. I was even looking at hitting a car wash to pressure wash it instead of the boiler option...Following for more suggestions..
 
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KHNC

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I live in NC as well. I hunt sc alot and will have to bone out all the meat. As for the skulls, i never do Euros anymore. I buy the Mountain Mikes skull kits. Super easy and very authentic. Cant really tell the difference from any of my euros once they are on the wall. I think they sell elk heads too.
 

KHNC

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Canada bear hunters are going to have issues. Gonna suck to have to boil a bear head now before bringing it back to the states.
 
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