I am located in Wisconsin and have become confused by the taxidermy regulations. I perform taxidermy for myself, as a hobby, so obviously not for consideration. Thus, I don't need to apply for a taxidermy permit. I have been keeping some records on these animals: date, species name, where harvested. For taxidermy done for myself, do I still need all this stuff. If so, are there "official" tags and record books? Do the federal laws add to these regulations?
I have never done migratory gamebirds, but I have interest in doing so. If I do those for myself, do I not need a federal migratory game bird taxidermy permit? What if I do them for someone else but not for consideration. I know you need one if you do it for money. Then do I need to tag them and so on? Are there official tags ,etc.
What I am looking for is some general statements on the taxidermy regulations in Wisconsin and the Federal ones as well. Consider specific migratory gamebird laws, tagging laws, if it is for consideration or not, your own or someone else's animal.
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I am also interested in Fish taxidermy. Any special laws, tagging requirements, or permits there. For Consideration? For Yourself? For Someone else with no consideration? Transportation?
Most states require you to have a license to possess wildlife whether you mount it or not.This is especially true for Migratory birds. There are USFWS forms and tags to be used for Migratory birds, plus you must keep a log of all traffic in or out of your shop.
As a general rule,you can only possess wildlife allowed by your hunting license taken legally by you, if you do not have the necessary permits from your local Game and Fish Dept.
Correct me if I'm wrong. It is illegal to sell shot/hunted migratory gamebirds, turkey parts, etc. For thing illegal to sell, may they be given away? If so, may the receipent pay the shipping? It is also my understanding that if one mounts a specimen for another for no consideration, the taxidermist must even pay for all costs of materials: it is not just a gift of labor, but a gift of the cost of materials. Right? Please correct me if wrong, or indicate if I'm right.
When you say "most states require you to have.. a license to obtain the animal..mount it..or not" do you mean hunting/fishing licenses, etc.. I have been assuming one has all those, because I do.
E-mail me. I too am in wisconsin. and am pretty good with the taxidermy laws. Joe
The following links will probably tell you all you need to know
about licenses.
Copy and paste these links:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cs/licenses.htm ----Wisconsin
http://www.fws.gov/permits/federalregister/federalregister.shtml -- Federal
Hi New, Hopefully I can answer some of your questions. If you are mounting solely for yourself, you do not need a WI Taxidermy Permit. You are required to have the proper hunting/fishing license to possess any species that you plan to mount. You must also follow all the possession laws while the species you are planning to mount is in your freezer.You are not required to tag and maintain records of what you have, but I would highly recommend that you do, just in cased you are checked and you can easily verify where you obtained everything.
If you go to the website that Bill has listed, you will find the majority of the Wisconsin taxidermy laws. I highly recommend that you copy them, read them thoroughly and follow them exactly. Just remember, that many of the laws are not listed there or fully explained.
A " consideration " doesn't mean just money, but anything you receive for mounting for someone else ( this could be a trade or barter, or even a six-pack of soda).This means that if you mount for a friend without a taxidermy permit, you even pay for the supplies of mounting. You can not be reimbursed for your costs.I highly recommend that you do not mount for friends unless you have a taxidermy permit, as it could get you into trouble.
It is illegal to sell any waterfowl, unless from a game farm with the proper migratory permits. In Wisconsin it is illegal to sell wild turkeys skins or parts. Turkeys from private game farms can be bought and sold. Wild turkey skins can be given to you, but then again, you must be able to prove from where you aquired the bird if you are questions.
I highly recommend that you join the Wisconsin Taxidermists Assc., where we keep members informed of the taxidermy laws here in Wisconsin. We also have a warden from the DNR whom assists us with the taxidermy laws. We also have a Legislative Committee which deals with the state on taxidermy laws hoping to keep taxidermists from violating any laws and also changing laws that are old and outdated.
Taxidermy is a lot of fun, but there are laws that you are required to follow and it is no fun if you get caught violating, even if you were unaware of the law. It is your responability to know the taxidermy laws.
If you have more questions, please feel free to contact me. Hope this helps.
Good job,Len.Clear and concise. Needs help needs to follow your advice.
Thanks, I emailed you with some followup questions
My email is not working properly it turns out, so instead I was wondering if you could clarify my questions on this forum. I have decided to ask all my questions as yes or no questions in a logical order to make things easier. Some of these questions I think I already know the answer to, but just want to make sure on. First I will type statements I understand to be true. Correct these statements if not true.
STATEMENTS
---assume one has the necessary hunt./fish. licenses to possess their own specimens in the beginning
---assume free means: no consideration
1. One may do taxidermy for his/herself without a WI taxidermy permit.
2. One may do taxidermy for another without a " " as long as they don't do it for consideration.
3. When doing taxidermy for oneself, tags and logs are not legally needed.
4. One may not sell or barter hunted waterfowl. But they may be given away for free as long as shipping is paid by the person giving.
5. Wild Turkey skins may be given to you, but need the proper paper work.- what is this paper work?
6. Once mounted, a specimen in your house does not contribute to your possession limit.
QUESTIONS
1. Does one still not need any special permits(federal too) to mount migratory game birds for themselves? fish? Upland birds?
2. (NOT YES OR NO)
How Do I join the WI Taxi. Association?
3. Does one still not need any special permits to mount migratory gamebirds or fish for another, assuming they do not do it for consideration? Upland birds?
4. Do fish, upland birds, and migratory birds need tags and records?- if done for yourself
5. -if done for no consideration but for another?
6. If yes, do they need to be "official" ?- (special federal documents)
7. If yes, where does one receive these?
8. May one receive wild caught fish from another if they are given for free?
9. May one be given another's coyote, coon, etc. if they have the necessary hunting licenses (assuming free of charge)?
10. May fish and waterfowl be shipped by anybody as long as the outside of the box is marked with its contents?
Here goes, As you may know, a "yes or no" answer will answer your questions,but there is generally more to the answer than just a yes or no answer, as I showed in the above reply. The answer can be yes, but only if you do it a certain way. To each answer there are exceptions and additions, but I could be here all day trying to explain them. The laws listed under the WI. DNR website are the general laws and the fine print laws have to be researched. But here goes.
Statement:1)True 2)True( highly recommend not doing for others) 3)True (highly recommend tagging & recording)4)True (unsure of the shipping part but I believe that to be true)5) By paperwork, you need to have all the hunter info from the the person giving you the turkey along with the turkey tag to prove that it was legally taken.6)True. Once skinned, the species is no longer part of your bag limit, but if you are keeping the carcass to consume at a later date, then that carcass is still part of your possesion limit. If you do not have a permit, I highly recommend not keeping skins over the normal bag limit unless they are mounted)
Questions: Not if you have a hunting/fishing license and everything is legally obtained.You still have to follow all the hunting/fishing laws.
To join the WTA, look up above under Assoc.'s, go to WI and everything you need to join is there. I highly recommend joining, even being new to taxidermy, as I can guarantee you will have a lot of fun. You will learn from the best taxidermists in Wisconsin and stay on top of what is happening in the taxidermy field. 3) This was answered above. I still highly recommend not mounting for others without a taxidery permit. Trust me, I have seen many people get in trouble by doing this for friends for free, even though not intentional. Once you start mounting, friends will be knocking at your door.Just mount for yourself at this time until you learn more about the laws. 4) was answered above 5) ? 6)? 7)? 8)answered above 9)answered above 10) Any body shipping a species must have legally obtained the species, must be legal in WI or in their state to legally ship the species to another state, and in WI we are required to label the outside of the shipping carton with what is inside.IN order to obtain certain species of mammals, you need a Class A fur buyers permit which is included in your taxidermy permit. Buying or selling from other states opens up a whole other can of worms, as you have to learn that state laws and federal laws from that state. Each state has their own taxidermy laws and game laws which are different than Wisconsin. Many people here on the forums are unintenionally buying and selling species illegally as they are not checking each state/federal laws.
Even though I have answered your questions the best to my knowledge, there are more indepth answers to each one.It's like ,yes you can do this, but only if you do it this way. I highly recommend you contact your local game warden before you start mounting. He can assist you in leading you in the right direction so you don't get into trouble.People jump into taxidermy too fast at times and lose track of following the laws. You appear to be trying to do it correctly, but it doesn't take much now a days to be violating a law without knowing it.If you plan on mounting something, do one species at a time and learn the laws on that species, then go on to the next one.
If you want, call me at 262-534-9011 and it will be easier to explain some of the laws. I deal with the WI taxidermy laws on just about a weekly basis, and even I find new little quirks to the laws that I didn't know and then deal with the DNR to answer them. Even the DNR has a hard time interpretating them, so it can be very confusing understanding the taxidermy laws.I hope this helps.
Thanks for all the valuable info, I have gone the website mentioned, but some things are not very clear.
Call Mike Green, He is the game warden in south central WI he can answre all of your questions! His # is (608) 697-1667. I can also say if you plan on doing taxidermy for moneys in the future you should get your permit NOW as it takes about two months from start to finish. You must get a sellers permit first. Joe