Origin → Destination
Bringing a carcass from California to Texas
Origin · California
Destination · Texas
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.
What you can bring into Texas
- Cut quarters with all brain and spinal cord tissue removed
- Deboned/boned-out meat
- Caped hides with no skull attached
- Skull plate with antlers attached, cleaned of all soft tissue
- Finished taxidermy products
What's restricted in Texas
- Whole carcasses
- Any carcass parts with brain or spinal cord tissue attached
- Intact deer heads (without a release/permit)
Handling + processing requirements
No CWD-susceptible carcass/parts may enter Texas from a state or country known to have CWD except the allowed parts. Hunters bringing intact heads from out of state can obtain a release at tpwd.texas.gov/cwd.
What to do before you transport
- Confirm the current rule directly with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department before you transport anything.
- Keep proof of where you hunted — many states require a label with your name, license number, and the state of harvest.
- Check California's current CWD-zone status, since affected-zone designations can change between seasons.
- If your route crosses additional states, check each one — a state you only drive through can still regulate possession in transit.
California and Texas on the CWD map
- CWD confirmed in state
- Under heightened surveillance
- No known CWD detections
Zone status is informational, not a hazard rating. Detections expand over time — confirm current status with each state's wildlife agency.
Other destinations from California
Check a different pair
The state you took the deer or elk in.
The state sets the rule for what you can bring in.
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.