CWD Regulations

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks has regulations for the transportation and disposal of deer and elk carcasses from other states and from the county of harvest within South Dakota. Below is a summary of these regulations and what they mean for you as a hunter.  The South Dakota Administrative Rules pertaining to the new regulations can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Carcass transportation and disposal regulations

• Hunters are recommended to leave as much of the unusable carcass as possible at the location of the harvest in a discrete location on both public and private lands. Make arrangements with landowner on property where permission has been granted.   
• Regulations do not prohibit a hunter from transporting a deer or elk carcass from the harvest location to anywhere in the state.
• If any portion of the carcass is removed from the location of harvest and transported from the county of harvest, regulations require the hunter to dispose of all carcass remains with a waste management provider, if an allowable trash item, or with a permitted landfill. Game processors and taxidermists, regardless of the location of harvest, are required to dispose of all carcass remains with a waste management provider, if an allowable trash item, or with a permitted landfill.
• If you are not moving a deer or elk carcass from the county of harvest, the regulations do not apply unless the carcass is delivered to a game processor or a taxidermist. Returning carcass remains to public lands and using road ditches to dispose of carcass remains is illegal.  Make sure permission is granted if disposing on private land.
• Deer or elk carcasses from another state brought back into South Dakota must be disposed of with a waste management provider or landfill that accepts carcass parts.
• Cervid carcasses passing through the State of South Dakota are exempt from any regulations.

SOUTH DAKOTA ADMINISTRATIVE RULES

41:06:03:16.  Interstate cervid carcass transportation and disposal requirement. Unless delivered to a licensed taxidermist or game processor, anyone transporting whole or partial cervid carcasses from another state into South Dakota shall dispose of all remaining cervid carcass parts with a waste management provider or a permitted landfill. Whole or partial cervid carcasses being transported through the state are exempt from this section.

41:06:03:18.  Intrastate cervid carcass transportation and disposal requirement. Unless delivered to a licensed taxidermist or game processor, anyone transporting whole or partial cervid carcasses from the county of harvest shall dispose of all remaining cervid carcass parts with a waste management provider or a permitted landfill.

41:06:03:19.  Carcass disposal for wildlife processing facilities. Wildlife processing facilities, as defined by § 41:06:03:10, shall dispose of all remaining cervid carcass parts with a waste management provider or permitted landfill. Game processers licensed by another state or federal entity shall dispose of carcasses as required by the conditions associated with their license.

41:09:11:07.  Cervid carcass disposal for taxidermist. A taxidermist shall dispose of all remaining cervid carcass parts with a waste management provider or permitted landfill.