White tail antler?

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Dec 4, 2001
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I have a couple of racks of white tail antler and was wondering about the legalities of useing it in Mississippi. I am about out of elk and I don't realy care for red dear, and havn't been able to find much axis.

I have heard that it is illegal to use in some states, but haven't heard yea or nay about MS.

Would welcome all comments,

Thanks,

William
 
Why? Do you want to buy some???:) In Texas, you may sell any portion of a deer that is inedible. Items such as hide, antlers, sinew, etc. However, in Mississippi this is what is stated:

SELLING OF ANIMALS NATIVE TO MISSISSIPPI
Person cannot buy or sell or offer for sale, or exchange for merchandise or other consideration, any game animal, game bird or game fish (regardless of whether it was taken in or out of Mississippi), except as follows: the skins and sinew of legally taken deer may be bought or sold at any time and the carcasses of raccoons and muskrats may be sold for food during the open trapping season, and raccoon carcasses may be sold during the open gun season on raccoons. It is also illegal to buy or sell any non-game wildlife native to the State of Mississippi.

http://www.mdwfp.com/hunting_regs.asp#SELLING OF ANIMALS NATIVE TO MISSISSIPPI

The best advice that I may give is to check with the Mississippi wildlife folks. On the website, I couldn't find any reference at all to the sale or use of antlers.

C Wilkins
 
Will,This is a touchy situation.In the state of MS. Weare not really supposed to sell any part of the deer and that means the antlers.They had a big story in the local paper a couple of years ago about a guy that was carving whitetail antlers and the state said NO....
I have heard some bad stories about the fish and game department taking things from people,I personally haven't had any problems.
You can put a customers antler on a knife for him as you are not selling him the antler...To be honest we are not supposed to be using Elk either.
Just use it and sell the knife and the handle is free;)
I have seen guys do this at flee markets where if you buy a .50 cent toy for a few dollars they will give you the set of antlers for free..
Ask the local Game warden if you are not sure?Most of those guys don't know the difference between whitetail and Axis or Sambar stag once it is on a knife anyway..Just sell it as stag and say you ordered it and you should be fine..This sucks I know,you can't even eat the antlers..
Bruce
 
Thanks, I have a good set of white tail crowns that I was thinking of makeing Scagel style knives for the MKA show in may.

Last show I was at I had a white tailed bowie that someone tried to talk me down on price by mentioning that white tail is illegal. I told him it's a good thing that it was mule deer!
 
Hey Will,Don't let them try and pull that kind of stuff on ya...Tell them if it is illegal then the knife just doubled in price like everything else illegal does :D
Just don't take it to NY shows,Really the government can confiscate the knife with any illegal handle material on it no matter what you are charging.
Most people don't think of STAG handles as illegal.
This is one reason why I dye mine and just call it all STAG...Remember that word STAG----STAG----It is all STAG Handles
Then they can all just guess at what kind of STAG it is;)
Bruce
 
Bruce is right! It varies so much from state to state!
As stated from my post above, this is from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/hunt/regs/02_regs/general_info2.htm

Sale of Deer Antlers and Other Parts
The law prohibits the sale of any game animal, game bird, or protected bird or any part thereof EXCEPT for DEER: ANTLERS, HIDES, BONES, SINEW, and OTHER INEDIBLE PARTS may be sold.

Pssst! Hey buddy! Wanna buy some, uh, STAG?

C Wilkins
 
In MS the only legal part is the hide from a deer to sell.
They had to do this to cut down as much as possiable on potching.Also so the general public didn't start cutting into the commercialy licensed people like fishermen and them loosing some of the revenues from the high priced licenses and things like that..
Like i said STAG...It is legal that way.
Bruce
 
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