Ask Fish and Game: Tagging and transporting game

Q: I plan to hunt whitetails for the first time in northern Idaho next week. What are the rules for transporting harvested deer within Idaho? A: All big game animals need to be tagged and evidence of sex left naturally attached to the animal until it reaches the final place of storage or personal consumption, or a commercial meat processing facility. The validated tag must remain attached to the largest portion of edible meat to be retained. Antlers or horns removed from the head must be left naturally attached to the skull plate where point or brow-tine restrictions apply. In addition, in seasons restricted to mule deer only or white-tailed deer only, if the head is removed, the fully-haired tail must be left naturally attached to the carcass. If transporting for another person, you must have a written proxy statement signed by the taker that includes the takers name, license number, tag number, address, unit of harvest, date of harvest, species type and sex, and phone number. A blank proxy statement and tagging and transporting game information can be found on page 100 of the 2016-2016 Big Game Seasons and Rules booklet.