Transporting meat

[Beekeeper]

My question involves CWD and transporting game. In the past we sent the animals to a butcher for processing and checked it in as luggage for the plane ride home.

This is the first time driving out west to hunt. We have plans to construct a foam box in the truck for the drive home and then process the animal ourselves. We'll be going through about 8-10 states (New England to Colorado) and I haven't done much research about transporting game over state lines. Is there anything we need to know???

[CrazyElkHunter]

To keep from spreading CWD, most states require that no sculls intact that has brain matter or any part of the spine of big game animals be transported over state lines. You can not transport any heads or a full carcass of any big game animal into Calif., so I would presume a lot of other states are doing the same. To be on the safe side, bone out or have the animal processed and packaged, and cut the horns off of the scull. I cross 4 state lines. I also have to declare the meat to the Calif. Dept of Fish and Game within 24 hours after entering the state. We have the meat processed before we leave Colorado and transport it in a freezer run by a inverter. No hassle when we return home from a long drive, and just transfer it to our larger freezers at home. Large ice chests with dry ice is the most popular way to transport meat. As a reminder, do not forget to leave evidence of sex naturally attached until meat is processed in Colorado.