Chapter 7: Shot Placement & Recovery Techniques
Moving a Big Game Animal

Cover game when placing it in a vehicle.

Once an animal is in the vehicle, properly cooled, and hidden from sight, proceed immediately to your final destination or a licensed meat processing facility. Your responsibility for taking care of your animal ends only after the meat is preserved for personal use or is donated.

Donating Game Meat

"Hunters for the Hungry" and many local donation programs are available to bowhunters who want to donate their animal to a worthy cause.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a neurological disease found only in elk and deer. The disease is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as “mad cow” disease.

Although there is no scientific evidence that CWD can be contracted by eating animals infected with the disease, health officials recommend that hunters take precautions with game harvested in areas known to be infected with CWD.

• Avoid eating body parts where CWD accumulates: brain, eyes, spinal cord, lymph nodes, tonsils, and spleen.
• When butchering, bone out the meat—cuts that leave meat on the bone have a higher likelihood of contamination.

For the latest information on CWD, go to Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance and USDA - Animal Health online.