WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18, 2003) – Hunters planning trips this fall to Canada can download the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s policy that outlines how to bring back the cape/hide and skull plate of big game they shoot to ensure wildlife diseases aren’t transported into the United States.

The guidelines note that the new restrictions apply only to cervids — which includes deer, elk, moose, caribou, sheep, bison, pronghorns, musk ox and mountain goat. U.S. hunters cannot bring back meat from cervids, but they will be allowed to import up to two sets of antlers, two skull plates and two capes/hides. These restrictions do not apply to bears, wolves and mountain lions.

The guidelines also detail what hunters can do to ensure they have no trouble bringing home the animal’s allowable parts. To read or download the one-page document, go to www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse_hunting.pdf on your Internet browser, and print off the file. The document can also be obtained by calling (301) 734-3277 or faxing (301) 734-8226. You can also receive the document by writing to the USDA’s National Center for Import and Export, 4700 River Road, Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737.

In late May, in response to the discovery of mad cow disease in an Alberta cow, the USDA banned all imports of ruminant animals from Canada, as well as all parts of ruminant animals. Mad cow disease is cattle’s version of chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.

Jay McAninch, president and CEO of the Bowhunting Preservation Alliance and Archery Trade Association, recommends hunters take along a copy of the USDA guidelines and discuss them with Customs agents before entering Canada.

“Discuss the policy with the USDA inspector and anyone else who might be involved in your return inspection,” McAninch said. “It might even pay to visit with someone in Canadian customs to avoid any misunderstandings when you return. An ounce of prevention on the way in could be worth several pounds of cure on the way back. If you ask first, you’ll ensure agents at that specific Customs office are well-informed on the new policy. If you encounter an agent who isn’t informed, make a copy of the guidelines and leave it with them.”

McAninch said the USDA continues to study its ban on meat from cervids. Prions —mutated proteins thought to cause CWD and mad cow disease — have never been found in the blood or tissue of beef or venison, even in animals that carried the diseases. Even so, the USDA advises hunters to clean as much tissue as possible from the cape/hide and skull plate. Customs border inspectors will examine trophy parts to ensure little or no meat, blood and other tissue remains. Any part with excessive tissue can be refused entry into the United States.

McAninch urges hunters not to take any chances with this policy when going through Customs. “Make the inspection a non-issue,” he said. “Don’t leave any room for a judgment call by a Customs inspector. The last thing you’d want is to have the trophy parts confiscated because they were poorly cleaned or handled.”

He also urges hunters to cooperate with the new import policy. In fact, he said these new restrictions at the U.S.-Canadian border might be a precursor to stricter interstate and intrastate transportation of animal parts. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see tighter regulations and more restrictions within and between states,” McAninch said. “Outfitters and wildlife agencies might want to know the health status of all animal parts before they’re moved from the area where they were taken.”

Given the alternatives, McAninch encouraged hunters to demonstrate they understand the seriousness of CWD and other wildlife diseases. “In the big picture, an inspection at the border is a minor inconvenience,” McAninch said. “The inspections will help reduce the chances of spreading CWD, which helps ensure we don’t see reduced bag limits or closed hunting seasons down the road.”