Dispose of Animal Carcasses Properly

With hunting seasons in full swing, now is the busiest time of year for Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers. But much of their limited and valuable time continues to be wasted by inconsiderate hunters. At issue is the inappropriate dumping of fleshed out deer and elk carcasses. Conservation Officer Matt O'Connell recently devoted several hours to such a circumstance. A "suspected poaching" call was relayed to O'Connell who investigated. Rather than a poaching case, he found two butchered deer carcasses dumped in a subdivision vacant lot, immediately adjacent to occupied homes. "Anytime a dumped carcass call comes in, it needs to be investigated," O'Connell said. "And occasionally it is a case of wasted game, but more often than not, it's simply the remains of butchered animals left by an inconsiderate person for someone else to clean up." Dumping fleshed out game carcasses is not only illegal (littering), it is also inconsiderate of nearby residents and reflects poorly on all hunters. The practice also distracts already short-handed conservation officers from real poaching cases. After a thorough job of butchering an animal, hunters should follow through by taking care of what remains. Plan ahead to butcher the carcass a day or so before trash pickup. Double-bag the carcass before placing it in the garbage can; doing so will reduce odors. And lastly, do not use a vacant lot as a dumping ground.