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Hunters urged to dispose of carcasses
responsibly |
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November 15, 2016 |
By Jennifer Bruns
IDFG Regional Conservation Educator
Hunters who are successful at harvesting a big
game animal are required by law to remove and
care for all of the edible meat. This includes
the meat from hind quarters as far down as the
hock, meat of the front quarters as far down as
the knee, and meat along the backbone, which is
the loin and tenderloin.
“A successful hunt is doing things right from
start to finish, said Regional Conservation
Officer Mark Carson.
Once a successful hunter has removed the edible
meat, the unusable parts need to be disposed of
properly as a courtesy to others.
The waste should be double-bagged, securely
tied, and put in your garbage container for
collection. If your residence does not have
garbage collection services, the remains may be
taken to the county transfer station. These
facilities will accept the inedible parts of big
game for no charge from residents who live
within that county.
Dumping a fleshed out game carcass along the
roadside or on someone else’s property is
considered littering, which is a violation of
Idaho law.
“Some hunters do not know that the proper and
easiest way to dispose of a carcass is along
with your normal garbage,” Carson said.
Nearly all hunters will dispose of the unwanted
portions properly. Others will take the fleshed
out carcass and dump them in poorly selected
locations. Unwanted big game carcasses that end
up on the side of the road or in ‘vacant lots’
become eyesores and public health issues.
They can even become roadway hazards because
they attract dogs and scavenging birds (ravens,
magpies, and bald eagles). The scavengers then
become dangers to drivers who swerve to avoid
hitting them.
Dumping unwanted remains is also inconsiderate
of nearby residents. It reflects poorly on all
hunters and damages the image of hunters among
those people who do not hunt. It does not take
many improperly dumped and highly visible
carcasses to generate strong negative reactions.
Calls come in to Idaho Fish and Game offices
every fall about “poached” animals along
roadsides. Most end up being improperly
discarded remains of legally harvested animals.
But it takes the valuable time of a Conservation
Officer to check each one out.
Contact the IDFG regional office for more
information at (208) 799-5010. |
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