In an effort to lower the risk of the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease ( CWD ) across the state, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission held its May meeting to approve statewide deer carcass disposal regulations. These new laws do not affect how much of the majority of hunting care for their deer after harvest.
” Proper removal of all possible viral materials is essential for reducing the risk of disease transmission”, said Blaise Korzekwa, TPWD White- tailed Deer Program Leader. ” These new regulations give hunters more options when it comes to processing their animal to lessen that chance,” says the author. The effects of CWD on Texas ‘ multibillion-dollar farming, searching, wildlife management, and real property markets may be substantial if efforts are not made to stop it from spreading and are not managed.
( Photo: Larry Weishuhn )
The new rules, which will become effective during the upcoming shooting season, may allow hunters to debone a carcass until the warrior reaches the ultimate destination, provided evidence of sex and tags are kept up. The chance of spreading CWD to other parts of the state is significantly reduced by leaving the unused parts there during the harvest. Meat from each deboned carcass must remain in whole muscle groups ( i. e. not chopped, sliced or ground ) and maintained in a separate bag, package or container until reaching the final destination.
These disposal restrictions only apply to unused carcass parts from native deer that have been transported from the property of harvest ( i .e., white-tailed deer and mule deer ). These carcass disposal regulations may not apply if carcass parts from local animal species were not transported from the farm’s property.
Since many hunters transport their produce to a professional processor, the processor will be responsible for correctly disposing of the unoccupied parts for them. For hunting processing elk at home, waste in a business trash service is preferred, but additional options are available.
Appropriate removal options include:
- Directly or indirectly disposing of the bones at a garbage that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has authorized to collect these remains,
- burying the corpse at a level of no less than three feet below the ground’s natural floor and covering it with at least three feet of earth material, or
- returned to the house where the dog was taken.
For more information visit the CWD website or contact a wildlife researcher.
