California CWD Regulations

Due to the regular amending of regulations in California, it is recommended that before hunting you check these CWD regulations, as well as those of any other states or provinces in which you will be hunting or traveling through while transporting cervid carcasses. The contact information for California can be seen below:

Last update was October 2021

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[accordion tag=h3][accordion-item title="Agency & Contacts" id=Agency-Contacts]Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) has authority over all captive cervids and issues the permits required for possession. Department of Food & Agriculture (DFA) becomes the lead over captive cervids only if a disease outbreak occurs which could impact livestock (TB and brucellosis). Contact: Brandon Munk (CDFW), (916) 358-
1194.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="Standard Regulations" id=Standard-Regulations]All cervids are considered "detrimental species" under California's restricted species laws (CA Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 671) and permitting requirements are strictly regulated by the CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife following prior written approval from the Wildlife Investigations Lab. Native deer farms are prohibited. Fallow deer are striclty regulated under a fallow deer farming permit. All cervids permitted for importation require specific pre-entry disease testing and/or herd testing/certification.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="CWD Regulations for Captive Cervids and Wildlife"]No cervids allowed for import that originate from CWD positive states, or have a history of contact with captive elk, or any other potential risk.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="New CWD Regulations in Development"]Regulation banning the import of hunter-harvested cervids adopted in June 2003 (CA Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 712). Citations are being issued to hunters not compliant with this regulation, and meat processors are not allowed to accept out-of-state whole cervid carcasses not compliant with regulation.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="CWD Testing Program For Captive Cervids"]CWD is listed by the CA Department of Food & Agriculture as a reportable disease. A slaughter surveillance program for farmed fallow deer has been developed.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="CWD Testing Program For Wildlife"]Developed surveillance in 1999 for hunter killed, road kill and mortalities investigated by the Wildlife Investigations Laboratory. Approximately 5,000 deer and elk have been tested. Currently, California is developing a risk-based surveillance strategy and increasing surveillance sampling statewide. [/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="Baiting Banned?"]CA Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 251.3, effective 09/01/79: Prohibition against taking resident game birds and mammals by the aid of bait.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="Feeding Banned?"]CA Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 251.3, effective 07/01/96: Prohibition against feeding big game mammals.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="Ban On Movement of Animal Parts?"]CA Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 712, effective 6/05/03: Ban on importation of hunter harvested deer and elk carcasses. Except, portions of meat with no part of spinal column or head attached; hides or capes with no spinal column, brain tissue, or head attached; clean skull plates, no brain tissue may be present; antlers with no meat or tissue attached; finished taxidermy mounts with no meat or tissue attached; and upper canines.[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="CWD Found in Captive Cervids?"]No[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title="CWD Found In Free Ranging Cervids?"]No[/accordion-item] [/accordion]

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