# deer kill tags after butchering



## Ken (Dec 6, 2000)

I asked a similar question about this last year, but I need a refresher on this: I butcher my own deer at deer camp (especially when the weather is warm). I then usually throw the carcass, guts, bones, etc. out in the woods for the predators and vultures or burn them so they don't stink. My question is- Does the tag need to stay with the carcass, with the meat, or if it is a buck, with the antlers? I freeze the meat at camp before transporting it home. Do I need the kill tag to transport the meat home? Do I need a tag on the antlers of a buck if I am transporting the antlers from a hunting area? If I take a buck to a taxidermist I do need to have a kill tag on that, correct? Thanks for the clarification.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

The deer needs to be tagged until it is processed (butchered). After the deer is processed it no longer has to be tagged. As far as the head and antlers to a taxidermist, many taxidermists will not accept it unless the tag is with it. Taxidermist are required to keep records and taxidermy is a private business so to avoid hassles, since you butcher your own anyway and will have the tag, I would keep it for that simple reason. I always keep my tag even after the venison is long gone. It becomes a item to talk about around the camp table (the deer camp lies).


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## Ken (Dec 6, 2000)

Thanks Boehr for the clarification of that. I was assuming in the past that I should leave the tag on the carcass of the deer if I dispose of it in the woods (private land) but apparently not according to your answer. I also like to keep the tags as a memory from the hunt.


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## fishctchr (Dec 3, 2000)

I have been told that the tag is supposed to stay with the meat.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

No law requires the tag to stay with the meat once the deer is processed.


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