Importing deer from CWD states

My taxidermist came by the house yesterday.
He lives & operates his business in TN.
Quite a few of his customers hunt in KY.
He said the way he understands the new law nobody can bring a deer for him to mount unless it is de-boned and the skull cap has been cleaned.
In terms of skull mounts, he said basically unless he went to them and cleaned them for them that would be the only way he could do those at all.

So I was wondering, is that pretty much accurate?

He can receive a whole deer from anywhere in TN but that's accurate for deer coming from out of state.


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Wow, living that close to the KY line that is gonna probably cut his business in half.

Just curious, what are the dangers of a dead deer spreading the disease?
I guess I ain't smart enough to understand it all but I don't see how a deer riding in a truck to a taxidermist shop can be dangerous.

RUGER":2mv513ya said:

Wow, living that close to the KY line that is gonna probably cut his business in half.

Just curious, what are the dangers of a dead deer spreading the disease?
I guess I ain't smart enough to understand it all but I don't see how a deer riding in a truck to a taxidermist shop can be dangerous.

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One of the main dangers is how the bones and other items are disposed of after the taxidermist or processor does their job. If they were to be dumped in a sink hole, like has been a common practice over the years, then if there were any CWD prions present, they are going into the soil.

It definitely affects taxidermists, processors, and even hunters that live close to the state line and routinely hunt in other states. But, if the new regs can keep cwd out of TN, IMO, it is well worth the new restrictions. CWD will cost the state millions, and would require, unless they have changed the plan, trying to totally eradicate ALL deer within the CWD zone.

Dang that is crazy. (The part about it getting into the soil)

So with all that being said....

I also don't really see the need in killing all the deer like they have done in the past in other states.
Why not let it run it's course, then let nature recover?
Seems like killing so many deer that aren't infected is a waste as many of them would probably never get it?

RUGER":5qgprlms said:

Dang that is crazy. (The part about it getting into the soil)

So with all that being said....

I also don't really see the need in killing all the deer like they have done in the past in other states.
Why not let it run it's course, then let nature recover?
Seems like killing so many deer that aren't infected is a waste as many of them would probably never get it?

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CWD is 100% fatal and the prions persist in the environment for decades. Herd reduction is damage control to prevent it from expanding into new areas.


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I would suggest all hunters learn how to process their own deer at least how to debone and learn how to skin out the skull on a buck for the taxidermist. I've learned this and it's not that difficult and saves freezer space and eliminates the urgency to rush out to the taxidermist or processor. I'm frankly surprised at the hunters who have no clue.

fairchaser":2nl4k7v3 said:

I would suggest all hunters learn how to process their own deer at least how to debone and learn how to skin out the skull on a buck for the taxidermist. I've learned this and it's not that difficult and saves freezer space and eliminates the urgency to rush out to the taxidermist or processor. I'm frankly surprised at the hunters who have no clue.

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He said he was thinking about offering to come to them (in KY) and skin the skull out for them just so he could still get the business.
You are right though, there are an awful lot of people that know nothing about cutting a deer up, much less getting one ready for the taxidermist.
The last two euro mounts I took him I had them already skinned out and ready to go when I got there with them.
He was tickled.

At least they're taking CWD seriously. Can't imagine the actual affect it would have in TN and lack of opportunity...

My taxidermist is in MS and is scared about the loss of business. He told me that he would come to my house and skin the cape off of the skull.

RUGER":3qx31h3b said:

fairchaser":3qx31h3b said:

I would suggest all hunters learn how to process their own deer at least how to debone and learn how to skin out the skull on a buck for the taxidermist. I've learned this and it's not that difficult and saves freezer space and eliminates the urgency to rush out to the taxidermist or processor. I'm frankly surprised at the hunters who have no clue.

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He said he was thinking about offering to come to them (in KY) and skin the skull out for them just so he could still get the business.
You are right though, there are an awful lot of people that know nothing about cutting a deer up, much less getting one ready for the taxidermist.
The last two euro mounts I took him I had them already skinned out and ready to go when I got there with them.
He was tickled.

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The way the regs are written, caping the deer up in KY and bringing the raw cape back wouldn't be legal. A hide or cape has to be tanned before it enters the state. And, it would also be illegal to bring back the skull without it being boiled out and totally clean. He could cut off the skull cap and clean it and bring the antlers in that way.

I literally live on the KY/TN state line, the tree line behind my new house is KY.
Ft Campbell is a good part of my taxidermy business. So think about that...are those deer killed at Ft Campbell TN or KY deer?

I truly get the CWD issues but this law is nothing more than a tissue on a compound fracture.
Education is the key but evidently laws are easier to create and generate more revenue.

Think about out of state hunters that kill in the last minute of the last day...do you really think that after a couple hours of tracking that they are going to get ahold of a processor/taxidermist at 10pm? Normal circumstances they load the deer up and pack ice in the chest and head home...now what? Spend the rest of the night boning it out? Does that even follow the state law they are hunting in?
This has the potential to penalize hunters who are faced with a moral/ethical dilemma with borderline wanton waste charges if they get ignorantly careless.






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As for "tanned" and "green" capes. Does TWRA, or whomever wrote this, realize how many skins are traded back and forth amongst taxidermist?

How does a green (raw) skin prove more dangerous than a piece of flesh concerning CWD?

Even more, about 1/2 of the Taxidermist's use dry preserve, therefore 1/2 the skins are not even tanned.
Specifically, I can think of 2 Taxidermist's in Christian County that mount hundreds of deer and those skins are not tanned. More than a few of those mounts come back to TN.

This "tanning" part is truly confusing to me. Honestly, I didn't know this part existed so I need to research it more. "Tanning" has about a dozen meanings in the taxidermy world, not to mention the countless number of skins transported across state lines via postal carries to and from tanneries/taxidermist.

Besides, if formaldehyde doesn't kill the prions how would "tanning" be effective?


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AT Hiker":28u1v4fm said:

As for "tanned" and "green" capes. Does TWRA, or whomever wrote this, realize how many skins are traded back and forth amongst taxidermist?

How does a green (raw) skin prove more dangerous than a piece of flesh concerning CWD?

Even more, about 1/2 of the Taxidermist's use dry preserve, therefore 1/2 the skins are not even tanned.
Specifically, I can think of 2 Taxidermist's in Christian County that mount hundreds of deer and those skins are not tanned. More than a few of those mounts come back to TN.


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The regs allow for finished products, so the dry preserve should be OK. The way I read the regs the raw capes coming from another state would be illegal, but you can confirm with the TWRA LE Div at 615-781-6580.

Thanks for that number SCN! I will be contacting my piers and talking to them about this skin/cape issue and see if they have heard anything. I missed the business meeting at out state taxidermy conference, so maybe it was addressed there by the TWRA contact whom sometimes speaks.




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I have a question I wish someone could answer? if cwd is such a devastating disease to a states deer herd....why do the states that have had it in there herd for decades.. still produce most of the trophy size and record book animals year after year... for instance Kansas, Iowa,Ohio Illinois and I am sure there is many more

Jones taxidermy":e2a1q2gr said:

I have a question I wish someone could answer? if cwd is such a devastating disease to a states deer herd....why do the states that have had it in there herd for decades.. still produce most of the trophy size and record book animals year after year... for instance Kansas, Iowa,Ohio Illinois and I am sure there is many more

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The issue isn't that it is such a devastating disease to the DEER HERD. It doesn't seem to spread like wildfire across the state, and, unfortunately, doesn't kill every deer within the CWD area.

The issue is that there may be links to VERY SERIOUS human diseases from eating CWD infected deer meat. And, without testing, it is impossible to determine if the meat is safe to eat. So, if all you care about is big antlers and no eating of the meat, maybe it isn't that big of a deal. But, for the majority of the hunters, eating the deer is a major part of their kill. And, it is VERY costly to set up a testing program to certify meat is safe to eat. That hits both the hunter's and the state/agency's pocket.

In addition, the initial response to finding CWD has been to draw a concentric zone around the site for X number of miles and try to eradicate EVERY deer within that zone. Again, on a statewide basis, that might be a minor deal to most hunters. But, if your farm (or major portion of your taxidermy business) is in that zone, it becomes a major issue.

There are no doubt hardships and issues with CWD regs. Some folks have been dealing with them for years. But, for me, anything that can be done to keep it out of TN is worth the effort.

I didn't realize eating affected meat could make humans sick ....i would be interested to know if there are any verified cases in cwd zones where people got sick from eating the meat

Jones taxidermy":pg22pyh0 said:

I didn't realize eating affected meat could make humans sick ....i would be interested to know if there are any verified cases in cwd zones where people got sick from eating the meat

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CWD has not been transmitted to humans yet, but has been found in monkeys fed infected venison in a research lab.


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Jones taxidermy":jioidhwg said:

I didn't realize eating affected meat could make humans sick ....i would be interested to know if there are any verified cases in cwd zones where people got sick from eating the meat

Click to expand...

CWD has not been transmitted to humans yet, but has been found in monkeys fed infected venison in a research lab.


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