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Why can antlers be sold but not meat?

I

IaCraig

New Member
The posts about antler values has prompted me to ask a question I have always wondered.

I have always been told that selling meat from wild game is against Iowa Law, even when legally harvested. Can anyone verify this? If it is true, do you know why it is OK to sell everything but the meat? antlers, feathers, hide.....

Personally I have no intention of selling or buying any antlers or meat, but I can not make any sense out of this discrepency. (with the exception of furbearing animals that are commonly trapped.)

IaCraig
 
Judging from the overwhelming response to your question I would say no one knows. I just hope that they never do make it legal. There wouldn't be nearly enough wardens if you could sell antlers and meat.
 
Just a guess but I would say that it is illegal because you are selling food. With all the contamination that is possible with meat, it sounds like safety issue to me. Doesn't meat that is to be sold have to be inspected? It wouldn't be worth the trouble, not to mention the lawsuit if the deer you sold made somebody sick.
 
Good point with your idea on inspection laws smallmunster, maybe meat inspection laws are the only thing making it illegal but I doubt it. I thought there were actual DNR laws against selling meat or even live fish(without a commercial fishing license.)

My guess was closer to bowmakers comment though, I wondered if it wasn't to deter poaching by eliminating a chance for monetary gain. IF this is so, I wonder if it is only a mater of time before selling antlers in Iowa is made illegal too?

How about you people in Minnesota or Wisconsin with bears. Is illegal to sell the gall bladder of legally harvested bears in your states?

IaCraig
 
I wondered about inspection also. But if a locker can sell beef, pork etc to the public, doesn't that have to be inspected? So I think lockers "inspect" their stuff, which means the venison would be inspected.

The 'Bonker
 
I'd settle for a program like Farmers & Hunters feeding the hungry. Is the hang-up on this the inspection process? There are plenty of hungry folks in Iowa & many hunters willing to shoot more does if they had a place for the meat. We are still handing out food stamps, what's the difference if we (Iowa) put some money into inspection fees? Sounds simple, I've been accused of being simple though.
 
Showing and selling antlers creates both resident and NR interest which in turn increases demand and DNR revenues. I doubt selling meat would have the same effect so no need to legalize. A sad reminder of this is all the posts we've read on here of deer with racks cut off and carcasses left to rot. I haven't had any antlerloaf or antler chops lately so I'll continue to enjoy the meat.
 
Speaking of enjoying the meat. I saw a bill proposed this week that issues 100 free antlerless tags to all State institutions (like the prisons) which would allow them to kill & process 100 does for consumption. I assume this would be on their (State's) property. Finally a common sense bill concerning deer! Maggs.
 
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