An emergency rule not allowing importation of certain animal parts was approved September 10 by the Utah Wildlife Board.

Importation of harvested elk, mule deer or white-tailed deer, or certain parts of those animals, will not be allowed if the animals were taken in any of the following areas:

Colorado - Game Management Units 7, 8, 9, 12, 19, 20, 29, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 191, 951

Nebraska - counties of Cheyenne, Kimball, Sioux, Scotts Bluff

New Mexico - White Sands Missile Base

Saskatchewan - Wildlife Management Zone 46

South Dakota - Fall River County

Wisconsin - Deer Management Zones 54, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77

Wyoming - Deer Hunt Areas 10, 14, 15, 16, 22, 55, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 73, 88, 105 or Elk Hunt Areas 5, 6, 7

Hunters who do take animals in these areas will be allowed to bring the following animal parts into Utah:

a) meat that is cut and wrapped either commercially or privately;

b) quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal cord or head attached;

c) meat that is boned out;

d) hides with no heads attached;

e) skull plates with antlers attached that have been cleaned of all meat and tissue;

f) antlers with no meat or tissue attached;

g) upper canine teeth, also known as buglers, whistlers, or ivories; or

h) finished taxidermy heads.

"There's no evidence that deer and elk in Utah have chronic wasting disease and we want to do everything possible to keep it that way," said Lou Cornicelli, wildlife manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "The disease centers itself in certain parts of deer and elk and those are the parts of animals that we don't want brought into the state."

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently found in wild deer near Craig, Colorado, about 70 miles east of the Utah border. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will conduct extensive CWD testing this fall on Utah hunting units that border Colorado. "Only deer will be tested because they're the most susceptible to CWD," Cornicelli said. "The last extensive testing in Utah was done in 1998 and 1999, when a total of 700 deer and elk were tested. All of those animals tested negative for CWD."

Utah limited-entry and antlerless deer hunters will also be asked to help. They'll receive a letter soon, requesting assistance with CWD sampling of animals they take this fall.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will also release a brochure in the next few weeks that provides the public with information about CWD and efforts the agency is making to minimize the chance of the disease entering Utah.