How to Buy Wildlife Mounts to Decorate a Cabin

June 16, 2011

Question: I have a friend who is building a lodge-type home in the mountains and wants to decorate his fireplace with the stuffed head of a deer or other antlered animal. I’m not sure he can legally buy animal mounts in California. If it’s not legal here, he wants to commission me to go to Montana or Arizona to find him a suitable trophy mount and purchase it for him. I don’t mind doing it for him as long as it’s legal. What is the law? (Don H.)

Answer: It is legal to go to states that allow such transactions so long as a declaration of entry for those mounts is made when you bring them back to California (Fish and Game Code, section 2353).

Wildlife mounts from wildlife found in the wild in California, however, can only be given to others – they cannot be bought, sold, bartered or traded (Fish and Game Code, section 3039). No money or compensation can be exchanged. There are no such issues with wild animals not found in the wild in California (such as caribou or moose) as long as they are not protected under other laws, such as the Endangered Species Act.

People often ask us what they can do with mounts they no longer want. We often suggest donating them to schools, stores or community service clubs (e.g. Rotary, Lions, Scouts). You might check with some of these organizations to see if they have any wildlife mounts they no longer need and might be interested in giving to you.