Keeping skulls?

[hntngirl]

Does anyone know what the regulations are on keeping old big game skulls you find when you're hunting/hiking around up in the hills? This question came up on another board. I called ODFW and the person who answered the phone had no idea. She said she thought you had to have a permit! She looked at the info she had available and couldn't find anything, so she took my name and number and was supposed to call back. That was two weeks ago. Anybody know for sure? :smile:

[chummer]

Only shed antlers may be legally kept, skulls with antlers attached may not be kept unless authorized by ODFW. I suppose if i were to find a real nice rack from a buck or bull which had not been gnawed on by the rodents, i'd stash it somewhere and go looking for a biologist or game cop to get a permit.

[Bait O' Eggs]

If you break the skull and seperate the antlers it is legal

or you can do like everybody else, and just take them.

[TAILOUT]

My brother kept a bleached out skull and antlers from a spike type buck that had like 3 spikes coming out of each side of its head (really unusual) thats why we kept it. When the state popos came by later that evening they really gave a ration over it and confinscated it from us. I was really suprised by the way they acted and will never even have anything like that around my camp again no matter how unique it is. The head and horns were easily 1 year old no meat or skin or anything attached its to bad because these horns were really killer looking once in a lifetime.

[Gun Rod Bow]

I once found a full curl bighorn skull with the horns nearby while Chukar hunting in the Owyhee. I just picked it up, reassembled it and set it on a rock.

Would look cool in my shop, but I know I'd be the guy they'd make an example of.

BTW, if you know a tribal member with a BIA card, they can "addorn it" and sell it to you.

[Abalone]

Wait a minute: Where does it say anywhere that you can't keep a Skull with antler's on it ?

That's silly ! Somebody just made that up. I know a certain Retired game guy that does it all the time.

What law and what regulation says it ? Show me.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Abalone - I dont know ORS numbers but have inquired with game officers after the topic came up on this forum last year, and was told it is illegal to harvest antlers when in tact on a skull.

[2LEYS]

Direct from the regs.

Page 11 middle colum 5th bullet.

No person Shall "Possess the horns of bighorn sheep that were not taken legally during an
authorized season."


And page 11 right column 3rd bullet

"No person shall possess or transport
any game mammal or part thereof,
which has been illegally killed, found
or killed for humane reasons, except
shed antlers, unless they have noti-fied
and received permission from
personnel of the Oregon State Police"

My interpretation is that unless it is shed, you can't take it.

[ 08-18-2003, 08:16 AM: Message edited by: 2LEYS ]

[Old Coot]

Year before last there was a huge disturbance at a nearby Ochoco deer camp over a found 6-point elk skull and rack. Washington hunter had stumbled across a dead elk that had been hit by a bowhunter and lost about 10 days before deer opener. Hunter hauled head back to camp, ODFW agent on routine meat-pole count observed it, politely told the guy it was illegal and confiscated it, did not cite. A retired policeman in the next camp decided to play lawyer and called the State Police in Prineville and reported the confiscated rack as theft of game. A Trooper made the 90+ mile run to the campsite, found out the real story and cited the retired guy for false report. Things sort of blew up at that point and it ended up with a shift commander from OSP,the Trooper,and two game agents in the camp. Later I asked one of the OSP Troopers just what the big deal was, and was told that there is tremendous demand from the Wall Street types for trophy mounts, that a poached bull may end up as a finished mount selling for up to $30k on the east coast, all so some rich executive type can point to the wall and say, "Yeah, that's my Oregon elk" It IS his, he bought it!

The Troop explained further that the rule against possession of skulls and racks is an attempt to stem the very quiet and very profitable poaching biz.

That's my experience in the matter. Last I heard there was still a court action pending over wheter the state could righfully confiscate the skull.

[Abalone]

Interesting, never seen that one before but it might make sense with reqard to Bighorns as they
moniter them very closely and I can understand that while they are out in the field counting sheep
a Skull might prove useful. However: I don't think this applies to dear and elk ? and I thought that was what the Original post was referring to.

[Martin85]

What do the OSP guys do with all the racks they take? Are they auctioned off or are they hanging in their houses.

I found a beaver skull whole fishing one time. HAd it in my truck and was pulled over by a trooper. Turn signel stuck on. He then saw the skull on the dash and took it saying it was illegal to posses the skull. I always thought it was because he found no reason to give me a ticket for faulty lights

[Uglygreen]

Back when I used to work for the USDA Forest Service in the biology end of things, they nailed a guy who had many large "winterkill" and "found" racks adorning his home. Real trophy stuff.

Turns out, he would go out and shoot a big Buck / Bull or whatever out of season, usually in the winter when the game animals were easy to spot and track in the snow and confined to low elevations on winter range. He would mark the spot on a map, and then go "find" the rack in the spring. He was just a head hunter, and he had several animals in the record book(s) as I recall, which were decertified. This happened in the John Day / Praire City area and made the papers and magazines at the time like 1989 or 1990 if I remember correctly. Some of the big racks / mounts are now on display at various ODFW offices statewide I think.

Probably a good reason for such a rule.

UG

[Old Coot]

It applies to deer and elk. The issue I cited in my post was an elk. I saw it, had a conversation with the bio involved and a Trooper.