Thank you for your email dated September 7, 2013, regarding evidence of ### and species of harvested wildlife. Your enquiry has been forwarded to me for response.
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It is legal to transport deboned and wrapped game from the kill location to one’s home. However, there are certain requirements that must be met if you are planning to transport game this way. Below are the legal requirements for transporting harvested wildlife:
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Division#5#—#Possession of Carcass
Possession of carcass
15 ###### (1)# In subsection (2), "deer" means mule (black-tailed) deer, white-tailed deer and fallow deer.
(2)# For the purpose of section 36 of the Act, a person who possesses the whole carcass or part of a carcass of an elk, moose or deer must leave naturally attached to the carcass or one part of the carcass in the person's possession
(a)#if the animal was male, either
(i)# that portion of the head that bears the antlers, or
(ii)# both
(A)# a testicle or part of the #####, and
(B)# the animal's tail or another readily identifiable part of the hide not less than 6 cm2, and
(b)#if the animal was female, either
(i)# that portion of the head that in males normally bears antlers, or
(ii)# both
(A)# a portion of the udder or teats, and
(B)# the animal's tail or another readily identifiable part of the hide not less than 6 cm2.
(3)# For the purpose of section 36 of the Act, a person who possesses the whole carcass or part of a carcass of a caribou must leave naturally attached to the carcass or one part of the carcass in the person's possession
(a)#if the animal was male,
(i)# a testicle or part of the #####, and
(ii)# the animal's tail, another readily identifiable part of the hide not less than 6 cm² or that portion of the head that bears the antlers, and
(b)#if the animal was female,
(i)# a portion of the udder or teats, and
(ii)# the animal's tail, another readily identifiable part of the hide not less than 6 cm2 or that portion of the head that normally bears the antlers.
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###########As you can see from above, there are different requirements for different species. Hunters have to be able to prove that the game in their possession was legally harvested. This means that the hunter must be able to prove the ### and the species of the harvested animal. If you are de-boning/butchering the animal, you must leave, naturally attached to a part of the carcass, proof of ### (testicle, udder, etc as described above), and a minimum 6 cm2 patch of hide or the tail. A detached head accompanying de-boned meat is not sufficient for proof of ### and species. The head needs to be left naturally attached to the carcass if it is used to prove ### and species of a harvested animal.
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########### Note that section 35 and 36 of the Wildlife Act state that:
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Retrieval of wildlife killed
35# ##### (1)#In this section, "dwelling place" does not include a temporary or seasonal camp.
(2)#A person commits an offence if the person hunts wildlife and kills or injures that wildlife and fails to make every reasonable effort to
(a)#retrieve the wildlife, and if it is alive to kill it and include it in his or her bag limit, and
(b)#remove the edible portions of the carcass of game to the person's normal dwelling place or to a meatcutter or the owner or operator of a cold storage plant,
unless exempted by regulation.
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Possession of carcass
36####### (1)#A person who possesses the carcass of any wildlife, whether or not the carcass has been divided, without leaving attached the parts required by regulation to be left attached, commits an offence.
(2)#Subsection (1) only applies until the earlier of the following:
(a)#the carcass is given to a meatcutter or the owner or operator of a cold storage plant to be recorded in accordance with section 71,
(b)#the carcass arrives at the person's normal dwelling place and is butchered and stored there for consumption on the premises, or
(c)#the carcass is presented to an employee of the ministry for which the minister is responsible or other person specified by the Lieutenant Governor in Council for inspection.
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########### Note that if a species is subject to Compulsory Inspection there are additional requirements that must be met. More information on Compulsory Inspection requirements are available on page 21 of the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis.
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Regards,
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Stephen MacIver|Policy & Regulations Analyst|Fish, Wildlife and Habitat Management Branch|Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations|Phone (250) 387-9767|Email:
stephen.maciver@gov.bc.ca
