CWD Disposal & Transport

Minimizing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is especially important this time of year as hunters fill their hunting licenses.
Since 1997, the Wyoming Game and Fish has monitored the distribution and prevalence of chronic wasting disease, or CWD to get a close read on how the disease affects deer, elk and moose populations, as the disease has been identified in most deer hunt areas across Wyoming. One area of focus is the transport and disposal of carcasses of deer, elk or moose from the field as the disease can be transmitted from CWD-positive carcasses of animals that aren’t properly transported or disposed of.
Hunters should note that most CWD-positive animals harvested appear completely normal and healthy, so they may be unaware that healthy-looking deer, elk or moose can transmit CWD. To minimize the possibility of transmission, Wyoming’s regulations permit deer, elk and moose hunters to transport only the following items within Wyoming:
Edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached; cleaned hide without the head; skull, skull plate or antlers cleaned of all meat and brain tissue; teeth; or, finished taxidermy mounts. The same rules apply to the transport of carcasses out of state, with the addition that whole carcasses of deer, elk and moose are not allowed to be transported out of Wyoming.
Deer, elk and moose taken 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, but… the head and all portions of the spinal column must remain at the site of the kill or disposed of in an approved landfill or approved incinerator in Wyoming.
Deer, elk or moose taken from other states, provinces or countries can only be imported into Wyoming if carcasses are transported directly to a private residence for processing, to a taxidermist, to a processor or to a CWD sample collection site provided the head and all portions of the spinal column are disposed of in an approved landfill or incinerator.
A solid carcass disposal and transport resource is available on the Game and Fish website. A list of disposal sites is also included.