The Pennsylvania Game Commission has expanded the rules about bringing deer back into the state that have been harvested in a neighboring state.
Due to concerns about transmitting Chronic Wasting Disease, Pennsylvania hunters may no longer bring whole deer home that have been harvested in Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, or New York.
Hunters must first remove the high risk parts of the deer that can transmit the disease including the head, spinal cord, spleen, any object containing visible brain or spinal tissue, or unfinished taxidermy mounts. Hunters are allowed to import meat as long as the backbone is not present.
Chronic Wasting Disease affects all species of deer and is always fatal. There have been no reported cases of transmission to humans but the Center for Disease Control recommends people avoid meat of infected deer, moose, or elk.