Importing game meat from USA

Anybody ever done it ? Looking at bringing a fully butchered Nilgai into Canada from Texas possibly a hog . Butchered wrapped but not frozen . I’ve been on the phone with the government today total run around . They sent me a link but I just cannot get a straight answer . Last thing I want is to show up and have them deny it . Anybody tried it before ? Is the head gonna be allowed in with brains in it . Nilgai do not ,cannot carry cwd. I’ve brought turkey meat back in no problem but this is gonna be 150-200 lbs of meat . Driving it back myself , so no freight company involved . I’m hunting Oscillated turkey in a few weeks , that was a straight forward NO WAY IN HELL from the government , because of Newcastle disease.

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Originally Posted by darrellf

Anybody ever done it ? Looking at bringing a fully butchered Nilgai into Canada from Texas possibly a hog . Butchered wrapped but not frozen . I’ve been on the phone with the government today total run around . They sent me a link but I just cannot get a straight answer . Last thing I want is to show up and have them deny it . Anybody tried it before ? Is the head gonna be allowed in with brains in it . Nilgai do not ,cannot carry cwd. I’ve brought turkey meat back in no problem but this is gonna be 150-200 lbs of meat . Driving it back myself , so no freight company involved . I’m hunting Oscillated turkey in a few weeks , that was a straight forward NO WAY IN HELL from the government , because of Newcastle disease.

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The last I heard from friends hunting Antelope in Wyoming,nothing is allowed back into Canada at this time. That was in September '22. What government agency did you speak with? I would check with CBSA because they're our first contact coming back. It's they who determine admissability from the get-go. This is an excellent question,so,please keep us posted.

About 9 or 10 years ago i brought 4 wild boars, a black buck and 2 goats across. Was not a big deal than. They were field dressed (brains in), frozen and on ice in the box of my truck and were from a 5 day hunting trip in Texas. The key at that time was the hides had to be on and no more than field dressed. Butchered would have been a problem unless inspected. The other important factor was none of the animals i was transporting were native to Ontario so less chance of bringing a disease across that would be transmissible to our native species.

As i said that was 9 or 10 years ago so likely been some changes since than. For us it was as simple as declaring the critters at the border. Border guard never even lifted the tarp or got out of his booth - he just made a quick phone call and said have a nice day.

Good luck on the Nilgai - on my list to hunt one of those beasts with the Whelen on the King Ranch. They have a reputation of being tough buggers.

My youngest son (14 than - 24 now) at the time with his boar:

https://live.staticflickr.com/4625/2...570ce5a2_c.jpg

We smoked all the hams out of those hogs and while drier than typical ham those were damn fine eating.

About 11 years ago, I brought deer meat in from PA, already processed and wrapped and frozen. I also brought the tag that was used for the deer and all info of my cousin who harvested it. I declared it at the boarder and they didn't even check and let me in. This was then so who knows now.

3-4 years ago i brought venison across to Ontario from Michigan. No head or spine, meat de-boned. If you want to bring a trophy head home you had to have the taxidermy done before importing it back.

I went hog hunting in Florida in March 2022. I brought back the quarters and back straps with zero issues. The CBSA officer asked if I had the entire hog or firearms. I explained I just had the meat and archery gear and he said "have a nice day".

Just be honest with them and you will be fine. I wouldn't bring back any spinal matter, Brain matter or hides. If you do you are wide open to being turned around or confiscation of your meat.

From an MNRF perspective:
“It is an offence to possess wildlife that was killed, captured, taken, possessed, transported, bought, sold or removed from another jurisdiction contrary to the laws of that jurisdiction. It is an offence to sell wildlife from another jurisdiction if the sale is not permitted in the jurisdiction from which it was originally exported.

To prevent the introduction of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), Ontario has amended its regulations restricting the import and possession of parts from all members of the deer family (including white-tailed deer, American elk, moose and caribou) harvested in other jurisdictions. See ontario.ca/cwd for more information.”

From an MNRF perspective:
“It is an offence to possess wildlife that was killed, captured, taken, possessed, transported, bought, sold or removed from another jurisdiction contrary to the laws of that jurisdiction. It is an offence to sell wildlife from another jurisdiction if the sale is not permitted in the jurisdiction from which it was originally exported.

To prevent the introduction of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), Ontario has amended its regulations restricting the import and possession of parts from all members of the deer family (including white-tailed deer, American elk, moose and caribou) harvested in other jurisdictions. See ontario.ca/cwd for more information.”

You might find some info here? https://inspection.canada.ca/eng/129.../1297965645317
Let us know...

Here is the official rules for Ontario.

New regulations came into effect January 1, 2021 to help reduce the risk of CWD coming into Ontario through imported cervid body parts hunted in other provinces, states or territories.

If you hunt cervids out of province, you can only bring back to Ontario:

butchered, deboned and packaged meat
a cleaned skull plate and antlers
tanned hides and capes
finished taxidermy mounts
It’s illegal to bring any other body parts from deer species into Ontario. These rules apply to all members of the deer family, or cervids, which comprise more than 37 species.

All imported parts must be clean of all other tissue and labelled with the:

species name
name and address of the owner
location where the imported parts came from
Any unwanted parts must be disposed of at a facility authorized to receive animal waste/animal parts.

Hunters who have any part of a cervid that was transported into Ontario, and has also tested positive for CWD, must:

let us know by calling or emailing your local ministry district office
dispose of the parts according to our direction

A friend and I flew back with a couple of hogs each, butchered and frozen, no problems at all.

Stick to butchered meat and you should have no problem.

As soon as you get into blood, guts, brains, spinal column you are asking for trouble.

I have brought several hundred pounds of venison, ducks and pheasant meat back over the last 10 years without an issue.

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Originally Posted by darrellf

Anybody ever done it ? Looking at bringing a fully butchered Nilgai into Canada from Texas possibly a hog . Butchered wrapped but not frozen . I’ve been on the phone with the government today total run around . They sent me a link but I just cannot get a straight answer . Last thing I want is to show up and have them deny it . Anybody tried it before ? Is the head gonna be allowed in with brains in it . Nilgai do not ,cannot carry cwd. I’ve brought turkey meat back in no problem but this is gonna be 150-200 lbs of meat . Driving it back myself , so no freight company involved . I’m hunting Oscillated turkey in a few weeks , that was a straight forward NO WAY IN HELL from the government , because of Newcastle disease.

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My guess is that the MNR will consider nilgai a cervid, so no brain, guts, spine, etc.

Finally got an answer , you can bring back as long as butchered and for personal consumption. No head for nilgai or hogs . No fur or hooves

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Originally Posted by darrellf

Finally got an answer , you can bring back as long as butchered and for personal consumption. No head for nilgai or hogs . No fur or hooves

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Basically the same as cervid. Makes sense.

Thanks.

Any idea what you’d have to do with an animal you intend to do a shoulder mount with ?

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Originally Posted by C.F.

Any idea what you’d have to do with an animal you intend to do a shoulder mount with ?

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I think no tissue on the skull,like zero.
Or-taxidermist mount completed in the country of harvest-then shipped to Canada .

Check the regulations though...armchair lawyer's advice placed more then one person in the wrong spot.

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Originally Posted by C.F.

Any idea what you’d have to do with an animal you intend to do a shoulder mount with ?

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Get it done in the US.