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Origin → Destination

Bringing a carcass from Illinois to Arkansas

Arkansas restricts which deer and elk parts you can bring in from out of state, including from Illinois. You may generally bring back the lower-risk parts listed below; high-risk parts are prohibited. Applies to deer, elk, moose, and caribou harvested out of state. Exception: deer harvested between the Mississippi River levees in Tennessee and Mississippi are excluded from the import restriction. CWD confirmed in Arkansas (first detected 2016). Verify with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission before transport.

Origin · Illinois

CWD confirmed
brings the rule from the destination

Destination · Arkansas

CWD confirmed
Reverse: AR → IL

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 Arkansas

  • meat with all bones removed
  • meat with no spinal column or head attached
  • antlers and antlers attached to clean skull plates
  • cleaned skulls with no meat or tissue attached
  • cleaned teeth
  • finished taxidermy products and antler products
  • hides and tanned products
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission — CWD-Related Wildlife/Hunting Regulations (opens in a new tab)verified June 16, 2026

What's restricted in Arkansas

  • whole carcasses
  • any portion with meat or tissue attached to bone
  • brain
  • spinal column/cord
  • head (other than cleaned skull/skull plate)
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission — CWD-Related Wildlife/Hunting Regulations (opens in a new tab)verified June 16, 2026

Handling + processing requirements

Only low-risk deboned/cleaned parts may be imported. Same restrictions apply to moving deer/elk out of the in-state CWD Management Zone.

What to do before you transport

  1. Confirm the current rule directly with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission before you transport anything.
  2. Keep proof of where you hunted — many states require a label with your name, license number, and the state of harvest.
  3. Illinois has confirmed CWD detections; check whether Arkansas applies a stricter rule to carcasses from CWD-affected states.
  4. If your route crosses additional states, check each one — a state you only drive through can still regulate possession in transit.

Illinois and Arkansas on the CWD map

ALAKAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY
  • 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 Illinois

IL → AlabamaIL → AlaskaIL → ArizonaIL → CaliforniaIL → Colorado

Check a different pair

The state you took the deer or elk in.

The state sets the rule for what you can bring in.

Verified against the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on June 16, 2026Expert review in progress(state-DNR contact / wildlife biologist / hunting-org compliance officer)

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.

How we verifyPrimary-source manifestCWD-zone map