The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently put into place regulations governing the importation of cervid carcasses.
Cervid is any member of the deer family, including elk, moose and caribou.
The regulation was passed by the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission last fall with the start date of March 1 this year. It’s aim is to prevent the introduction of chronic wasting disease into the state’s white-tailed deer population.
There have been no cases reported in Louisiana, but it has been documented in 23 other states, including Texas and Arkansas.
The regulations are lengthy and could have an impact on hunters bringing in deer to have mounted by local taxidermists.
To that course, local taxidermists Steve German and son Josh have come up with a solution.
“We’re opening a drop-off station in Orange (Texas),” German said. “We expect to be open in a couple of weeks since there are lot (of hunters) hunting exotics now.”
German said hunters will need to take the meat off the deer and bring the parts of the deer that they wanted mounted, just as if the hunter were bringing it to him at his Westlake office.
“We will skin it and follow all the regulations to bring it back into the state,” he said.
German said he was getting a “ton” of good feedback and noted that if he didn’t do something to help the hunters get the prospective mounts back into the state that it could force his company to personnel layoffs as well as the loss of substantial business.
German said the station is strictly a drop-off for the hunters.
“All they have to do is fill out an invoice when they bring the deer in and we will take care of the rest,” he said. “We want to make it easy for them to drop off their trophies.”
German also added that he has had a video made that hunters can watch to find out how to skin a deer. These videos can be seen on his website (stevegerman.com) and on facebook (stevegermantaxidermistart).
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As for the newly installed regulations, a release from the LDWF reads: “No person shall import, transport or possess any cervid carcass or part of a cervid carcass originating outside of Louisiana, except: for meat that is cut and wrapped, meat that has been boned out, quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached; antlers, clean skull plates with antlers, cleaned skulls without tissue attached, capes, tanned hides, finished taxidermy mounts and cleaned cervid teeth. Any and all bones shall be disposed of in a manner where its final destination is at an approved landfill or equivalent.”
The release noted: “the ban is strictly for the purpose of reducing the likelihood that CWD will enter Louisiana through carcass importation. Approved parts and meat from other states must contain a possession tag with the hunter’s name, out-of-state license number (if required), address, species, date and location (county and state) of harvest.”
It added: “CWD is a neurodegbenerative disease found in most deer species, including moose, elk and mule deer as well as white-tailed deer. It is infectious and always fatal … and is similar to BSE (mad cow disease).”
More information can be obtained from Johnathan Bordelon at the department (jbordelon@wlf.la.gov or 225-7865-2344).
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