BigGameHoundsmen.com

Hey folks i just wanted to bring to your attention a law in oregon. You cant leave the state of oregon without an ownership tag(seal) on your bobcats. Im sure you all do it,i do too. The osp and fish and game want to hear your input on how we can change this law. So please call or email Tonya Moore the asst. Fish and wildlife biologist for oregon. (971) 673-6028 or tonya.l.moore@state.or.us

Most of us hunters who come from out of state to hunt, hunt on weekends and times that the fish&wildlife office is closed. This limits a nonresident hunter, coming from a neighboring state, or any state, to only harvesting and sealing a bobcat during business hours. Five days prior to end of season is deadline for sealing cats, but this gives us a deadline of every time we return home.

I think it is a law for all states that the cats have to be tagged before taken across state lines. I know in California I have to leave the cats until I get them tagged. It would be good if they set up a call in or some way that it did not have to be tagged to be taken home until tagged or left in a freezer until tagged. My question would be that is it a federal law or can the state make it OK to bring across the line? Dewey

I had suggested a freezer drop box type setup but fish and game said they.cant fund one. But another idea i had is if maybe we had a 72 hr deadline to get them sealed? Im not sure if it is a federal law dewey because fish and game said they can work with us on getting it changed. The washington law is vague because they mention tag and or seal with a record of how many pelts.

I believe that crossing a state line with a untagged bobcat would be a violation of the Lacey Act and that is federal.

I was told the same thing earlier this week when checking in a cat.
The Seal It's acutally a CITES tag that goes on the Bobcats, And as I understand and talked with a biologist today, It's my understanding that those CITES Seals really aren't need for any thing that isn't for commercial reasons. If I'm not going to Sell a Hide, "techincally" I'm not sure I need a seal. So it's basically a local enforcement Law if anything that conserns this. it's Shouldn't be not having them sealed that is the problem (if your not dealing with commercial trade).

What I would like to see is the actual law, because I would like to see if they say Tagged, or "CITES" Sealed. Technically the Bobcats should all be taged as soon as you harvest the animal. I would Argue that our cats are properly Tagged, but not ready for Selling them.


I think Some Game enforcement, or Biologist is confusing a cat for being Tagged, and a CITES SEAL which is needed when it's to be used for Commercial.

I have a call into the Enforcement side also here on the washington to find out which law we are actually violating. I'm not sure if this is Oregon or Washington. Would like to see the Actual law.

I would be interested in any information that folks figure out on this.

Lastly the CItes seals are supposed to be for Endangered Species, and Bobcats should not be on the list in the first place. I'm not sure there is a reason for them to be an CITES animal.

The reason this came up is a buddy of mine had cats get taken from his home a few weeks ago by Washington fish and game. They stopped and seen his cats with a transport tag on them. He was waiting until the end of season to seal the total cats altogether. Like most hunters I think. The game officer told him they were confinscated because no seal for transporting across the border. After talking to the game commission and other higher ups, he was able to get his cats back. What is keeping this from happening to me or any other hunter who crosses state line to hunt?

I'm not sure but I thought the cats were in taxadermist without the seals? Which law was the ticket written under? Does he have a court date? I don't have his phone number the one I have for him is no longer working.

I would like to follow this closely

buddyw all spotted cat species fall under CITES rule...

The Lacy act makes it a federal crime to transport illegally harvested game across state lines, the state in this case is the one making that law, and its the same old story they make laws and don't provide you a reasonable way to abide by them