Important chronic wasting disease information (CWD) for hunters

Mandatory reporting of CWD-positive test results from other states or countries

If you are notified by another state or province that the animal you have harvested has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, you have 24 hours to notify WDFW. Failure to do so is an infraction (RCW 77.15.160). WDFW will assist with proper disposal of any meat you do not wish to consume. For questions, contact WDFW's Wildlife Program at 360-902-2515 or email CWD@dfw.wa.gov.

Importation rules for Region 1 and out-of-state hunters

If you hunt deer, elk, moose, or caribou outside of Washington, there are rules (WAC 220-413-030) regulating how you can bring your meat and trophies home. You cannot bring whole carcasses into Washington. These rules also apply to people harvesting or salvaging deer, elk, and moose within the 100 series GMUs in WDFW’s Region 1 and wishing to transport carcasses to other areas of Washington. Only the following items may be imported into Washington and to areas outside of the 100 series GMUs:

Packages of de-boned deer meat
Bare deer skull with antlers
Deer hide without head
Person looking through a microscope at tissue sample
Taxidermy mount of deer head and antlers
  1. Meat that has been de-boned in the state or province where it was harvested and is imported as boned-out meat
  2. Skulls and antlers (with velvet removed), antlers attached to the skull plate, or upper canine teeth (bugler, whistlers, ivories) from which all soft tissue has been removed
  3. Hides or capes without heads attached
  4. Tissue imported for use by a diagnostic or research laboratory
  5. Finished taxidermy mounts

Violation of this rule is a gross misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine or one year in jail (RCW 77.15.290).

Proof of sex

To leave proof of sex on a harvested carcass without a head, see Page 88 of the Washington Big Game Regulations and disregard the remarks about the head:

  • Male: Head with antlers or horns attached, or penis or testes, any of which must be naturally attached to at least one quarter of the carcass or to the largest portion of meat.
  • Female: The head or udder must be naturally attached to at least one quarter of the carcass or to the largest portion of meat.

Ban on baiting and the use of scents for hunting 

In GMUs 124, 127, and 130, it is unlawful to hunt deer, elk or moose using:

  1. Any type of bait placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, scattered, or otherwise used for the purpose of attracting deer. moose, or elk with the intent to hunt them.
  2. Natural or synthetic scents that contain or are derived from cervid urine and glandular extracts.

Carcass disposal

To prevent spreading prions that cause CWD, avoid disposing of carcass parts on the landscape in a different location from where the animal was harvested. WDFW recommends either field dressing and leaving all inedible parts of your harvested animal at the kill site or disposing of inedible parts at an approved landfill. See the webmap in the Testing for chronic wasting disease section for approved landfills. Please call first to confirm hours of operation and disposal fees.