Oregonians Cited For Taking Home CWD-Positive Wyoming Bucks… and how you can make sure you’re in the clear

Photo credit: Wirestock_Envato

After checking in their Cody Region mule deer at a Wyoming Game and Fish check station, three happy Oregonian hunters returned home to discover two of their bounty were positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s press release and additional reporting suggest the hunters contacted state wildlife officials after learning they were carting around disease-carrying deer in one of the last western states to be void of the always fatal ailment in cervids like deer, elk, and moose.

In Oregon, out-of-state hunters cannot bring heads into the state without having first cleaned them of all brain tissue and meat. These fellows had not cleaned up their deer properly and were cited for violations of the parts ban in Oregon. 

The parts ban only allows the following to be brought into the state: 

• Meat that is cut and wrapped commercially or privately;
• Meat that has been boned out;
• Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached;
• Hides and/or capes with no head attached;
• Skull plates with antlers attached that have been cleaned of all meat and brain tissue;
• Entire skulls that have been processed to remove all meat and brain tissue.
• Antlers (including velvet antlers) with no brain tissue attached;
• Upper canine teeth (i.e. buglers, whistlers, ivories);
• Finished taxidermy heads and finished European-style skull mounts.

For mule deer in the Beaver State, it was likely a close call with possible spread of the disease. While mule deer populations are less than half of the 2024 reported management objectives, the concern would be for any of the two positive carcasses to spread on the landscape in a way that impacts areas of Oregon that have concentrations of deer. I think of town bucks, and areas with good numbers of deer on agricultural ground especially in this case. 

As a Do-It-Yourself European skull guy, it is easy to see how the messy business of boiling and pressure-washing skulls in my backyard would be easy fodder for deer to come in direct contact with. The brain matter from these projects usually ends up in nearby trees and rose bushes, generally spread all over the yard as a whole. That brain matter is where the chronic wasting disease prions are most densely packed in and can be easily picked up by the casual yard deer. 

How Do I Do It Right? 

It’s situations like these that have led to most states having restrictions on what materials you may or may not bring home from another state. Whether or not your state has strong restrictions, it’s best to familiarize yourself with getting your harvest cleaned up for legal travel to and through states that have restrictions. 

If you want to have your trophy taxidermied in your house and do not have a guide or well-practiced friend hunting with you, it’s worth researching how to cape out your next elk or deer head. Then, you may skull cap your trophy (if that’s how your taxidermist prefers it), and give it a quick pressure wash in town to make sure it’s cleaned up for travel. 

Folks who euro-mount their skulls do not have to concern themselves with the whole caping process, which can be tedious and time-consuming, but instead should take extra time to clean up the meat and brain tissue before leaving the hunting area. 

Even in small town USA, usually there are outdoor car wash areas where you can pressure wash your skull after the meat has been picked over with a sharp knife. Just be sure to clean up your mess after getting brain matter over the floor mat holder and dials the next patron will use to wash their Camry. 

If you would rather not concern yourself with the process, there are replica European skulls available to buy. These allow you to skull cap your trophy and mount it in all of its glory in the living room while saving you time, a little money, and likely some stench along the way. 

When you take any of these approaches, you make sure you can get your out-of-state deer home with no problem from authorities. Plus, you can rest assured you did not create patient-zero in your town, region, or state that may or may not have Chronic Wasting Disease. 

While the jury is still out for the best way to manage CWD in already-infected herds of deer, an easy way to make sure the deer you have left do not get it is with a little extra care traveling home from places with it.