road kill bucks

huntdux · Nov 4, 2009

So i work for an emergency road service provider in western Nevada and was just wondering if there is a law writin or not about taking the antlers off of road killed bucks. i know people do it because i see it all the time but i do not want to unless theres nothing wrong with it. i have an a in the past two weeks i have been called out to 5 deer hits and out of the 5 three of the bucks were very nice sets. nothing broken. i would never mount any of these animals since i did not harvest them my self.

just trying to see what some of the members think before i make a total a$$ out myself in calling a NDOW official

BIGJOHNT · Nov 4, 2009

It is differnt in each state . Sometimes you will get told differnt thing depending on who you talk to. As I understand it for arizona you can take the antlers on road kills. In utah I believe it is illegal to pick up road kill bucks or have any horns in your possession with the skull plate attached to them . Not sure about nevada ?
I am sure someone on here knows .

NVPete · Nov 4, 2009

I don't think it is legal to possess fresh antlers such as a deadhead or roadkill in Nevada,part of the problem is that an officer would question how the animal died...i.e. was it a deliberate kill...a poaching or attempted poaching. I'm not sure, but I don't think they would have a problem with an old bleached out skull, but you better not have in your possession a fresh set of antlers without having a tag or a transportation permit for the antlers. I don't think there are any restrictions on possessing shed antlers. In Lincoln Co. last season, there was some sort of Brouhaha over the "Modena Ghosts", where two big mature mule deer bucks were reportedly hit by a truck, a road maint. crew found the bucks, and the NDOW were hot on the trail to confiscate the deer heads. I know of a guy who had found an elk carcass in midwinter, pretty decayed. He was sure it had died from a hunter's arrow. He thought it would be a cool mount, the head with the arrow shaft below. So he worked the horns, kept the arrow and packed it in. NDOW found out about it, confiscated deadhead and arrow for evidence in an"open investigation". Someone else might post more legal ramifications.