Florida police patrolling Georgia line for hunters with deer

Cover photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by LucenteDesigns | Flickr

According to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) press release, officers are patrolling the Florida-Georgia line for hunters possessing deer unlawfully, as well as deer meat deemed high-risk.

The weekly law enforcement report covers one instance where Officer Shope was working traffic at the Georgia line targeting hunters bringing deer meat containing high-risk parts, such as bone, into the Sunshine State.

During the traffic stop, Officer Shope uncovered meat from a deer harvested outside of Florida that had been transported into the state. The bones were seized and destroyed through incineration and the subject was charged with the violation.

The FWC states that possessing or importing deer, elk, moose or caribou carcasses or high-risk parts from anywhere outside of Florida is prohibited to reduce the risk of chronic wasting disease.

What is high-risk deer meat?

After the alarming confirmation of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has implemented rules to prevent the spread of CWD in the state. These rules prohibit the importation or possession of whole carcasses or high-risk parts of deer, elk, moose, caribou, and other species of the deer family from outside Florida. The regulations, effective since July 2021, replaced the previous FWC Executive Order 19-41.

If individuals plan to hunt outside of Florida, they should be aware of these rules. However, certain items can still be imported into Florida under these regulations, including de-boned meat, finished taxidermy mounts, clean hides and antlers, skulls, skull caps, and teeth if all soft tissue has been removed. There is an exception for deer harvested from properties in Georgia or Alabama that are bisected by the Florida state line and under the same ownership.

It is important to note that these rules do not include the permit option allowed under the previous FWC Executive Order 19-41, which permitted the importation of whole deer or high-risk parts from properties in Georgia or Alabama, provided specific requirements were met. The purpose of these rules is to protect Florida's deer populations by reducing the risk of chronic wasting disease spreading into the state.
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More about CWD can be found here.
Article by Rachael Volpe