At its July 26 meeting in Idaho Falls, Fish and Game Commission approved several new rules to prevent chronic wasting disease from entering Idaho, or managing the disease if it ever is found in Idaho.
New rules include:
- Ban the import into Idaho of the carcass or any part of a wild deer, elk, or moose from another state, province of Canada, or country (other than Canada) with any documented case of CWD. This rule immediately takes effect.
Exceptions to the carcass ban include:
- Meat that is cut and wrapped;
- Quarters or deboned meat that does not include brain or spinal tissue;
- Edible organs that do not include brains;
- Hides without heads;
- Upper canine teeth (ivories, buglers, or whistlers);
- Finished taxidermy;
- Dried antlers; or
- Cleaned and dried skulls or skull caps.
- Ban the use of natural cervid (deer, elk, moose, etc.) urine for hunting big game. This rule will immediately take effect.
- Integrating Fish and Game’s chronic wasting disease risk strategy as a consideration and criteria into winter feeding decisions. This rule is pending legislative approval.
- Restricting public from winter feeding deer and elk in designated CWD management zones in the event that CWD is discovered in Idaho. This rule is pending legislative approval.
- Ban the importation of live mule deer, white-tailed deer and moose with the exception of allowing existing rehabilitation facilities with approved permits to possess live mule deer, white-tailed deer and moose in Idaho. This rule is pending legislative approval.
Hunters should be aware if they are hunting out of state, and here's a map of states and provinces in North America where CWD has been found. In addition, it has also been found in Norway, Finland and South Korea.