With hunting seasons underway in our region, we would like to remind hunters of the big game carcass disposal regulation and offer some options in our area for properly disposing of carcasses. Regulation of carcass disposal is meant to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) and prevent dumping of carcasses on public and private land which can reflect poorly on hunters to members of the public who do not hunt.
One option is to leave carcasses in the field at the site of the kill once all edible portions of meat have been removed and evidence of gender and species (if required) has been retained. If you transport the carcass from the site of the kill to your home, a taxidermist, meat processor or other location, you are responsible for ensuring that the carcass is disposed of in an approved landfill. Click here for a statewide map of landfills that may accept carcasses.
According to Chapter 2, Section 15 of WGFD regulations:
(a) No deer, elk or moose taken or possessed from any hunt area shall be transported to any other hunt area within Wyoming or to any other state, province or country except as provided in this section.
(b) Deer, elk and moose carcasses harvested from any hunt area in Wyoming may be transported within Wyoming to a camp, a private residence for processing, a taxidermist, a processor, or a CWD sample collection site in Wyoming, provided the head and all portions of the spinal column remain at the site of the kill or such parts are disposed of in any approved landfill in Wyoming.
(c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, only the following parts of any deer, elk or moose harvested from any hunt area in Wyoming may be transported to any other hunt area in Wyoming: edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached; cleaned hide without the head; skull plate or antlers that have been cleaned of all meat and brain tissue; teeth; or, finished taxidermy mounts.
(d) Only the following parts of any deer, elk or moose harvested from any hunt area in Wyoming may be transported to other states, provinces or countries: edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached; cleaned hide without the head or skull plate; antlers that have been cleaned of all meat and brain tissue; teeth; or, finished taxidermy mounts. Whole deer, elk and moose carcasses harvested from any hunt area shall not be transported out of Wyoming.
(e) Nothing in this section shall allow for the removal of evidence of sex or species required by Section 6 of this regulation.
(f) Nothing in this section shall apply to the transportation or disposal of deer, elk and moose carcasses by any governmental agency or educational institution.
The landfills listed below will accept big game carcasses. Please note that the information provided was current as of September 2018.
Buffalo
Johnson County Solid Waste
307-684-2541
284 TW Road
Open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Saturday. Closed Sundays and holidays.
Cost is $3 minimum for up to 80 pounds and $.0375 per pound after that or $75 per ton.
Gillette
Campbell County North Landfill
307-682-1153
4 N. Landfill Road
Open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays
County residents get 12 free dumps per year and cost is $10 per truckload after that. Out-of-county individuals are charged $10 per truckload.
Moorcroft
Moorcroft Landfill
307-756-3526
Located approximately 5 miles east of Moorcroft off I-90 on the Wind Creek Exit, then one mile north.
Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and the second Saturday of the month.
Available only to town residents with a water bill.
Newcastle
Newcastle City Landfill
307-746-4677
355 Old Hwy. 85
Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Saturday. Closed on Sundays and holidays.
Cost is 6 cents per pound
Sheridan
City of Sheridan Landfill
307-674-8461
83 East Ridge Road
Open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Saturday. Open Sundays 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of October.
Cost is free between September 1 and December 31.
Sundance
Sundance Transfer Station
307-283-3451
511 Industrial Avenue
Open Noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Saturdays winter hours are 8 a.m. to noon.
Cost is five cents per pound.
Landfills in the following municipalities are unable to accept big game carcasses – Hulett, Kaycee, Midwest-Edgerton and Osage.