Some clarifications needed

[SilverHowler]

Is it actually legal to sell coyote, fox and rabbit pelts/mounts without a taxidermy/fur license? Fish and Wildlife is giving me mixed answers and I'm getting mixed results when I try to do research on the subject.

[flyguyd]

As long as they are tanned yes.

[SilverHowler]

Originally Posted by flyguyd

As long as they are tanned yes.

So no green hides and I'm good to go? Awesome. Yeah, I know that hides are pathetically cheap(Averaging $25 for coyote) but for $50 in material, you can get $500 on a good mount. So that plus my job and I can get some decent income if I can find buyers.

[SilverHowler]

Any licenses needed for tanning the hides at my home? Bylaw has no problem with it as long as I don't skin or flesh them here. I just want to make sure everything I'm doing is legal so I don't get my ass beat. The only reference I can find to tanning and taxidermy laws is from 1989, and it does say a license is needed, but I can't seem to find the license associated so I'm wondering if this has been changed or what's going on.

The law listed basically states "Don't participate in tanning and taxidermy without licenses". Since it's from 1989 and I can't seem to find the associated license, I'm just wanting info on this as well. Would I be able to tan my hides at home for sale and also mount them and sell the mounts, or is there other paperwork I'd need to go through?

[SilverHowler]

Bloody edit button..To clarify my last question, I need

Legality for nonsale:
Legality for sale purposes:

Basically: Do I need a license for non-sale purpose hobby/personal work out of my own home, and do I need one for sale purpose.

[Red Bullets]

IMO, I think you need to call F & W for clarity. Or I would ask my MLA to find out the proper interpretation of the laws. Get it in writing. Might be the most accurate info you will find, unless a conservation officer knows their stuff.

A person can buy home tanning kits so I doubt there are many restrictions for tanning your own hides.


But....

This is an excerpt from the Wildlife Act.

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/acts/w10.pdf

"Section 5 - Taxidermy and tanning
63 A person shall not for gain or reward engage in taxidermy or
in the tanning of wildlife unless the person holds a permit
specifically authorizing the person to do so."

But then the Trapping Regulations say:

"Sale of Wildlife.

In Alberta anyone may sell the following:

*processed (tanned or otherwise permanently preserved, but not dried, salted or frozen) skins of fur-bearing animals;
*black bear skins, provided they have been taken lawfully (black bear claws may only be sold if they remain attached to the whole skin);
*the skins of most animals, including skunk and raccoon, for which a licence is not required;
*skinned beaver carcasses including the tail; or
the claws, skulls and teeth of lawfully taken fur-bearing animals. "

It is confusing. The wildlife act says one thing and the trapping regs sort of say something different. I think you are going to need some kind of permit ...whether its a trappers licence or a taxidermy licence, or a tannery licence if you want to attempt this venture. Good luck.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by SilverHowler

Basically: Do I need a license for non-sale purpose hobby/personal work out of my own home, and do I need one for sale purpose.

How's anyone going to know that you tanned a pelt in your garage?

I'm pretty sure that if you put a sign up front advertising, someone's gonna want some money or tell you that you can't have a business in a residential area.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

How's anyone going to know that you tanned a pelt in your garage?
I'm pretty sure that if you put a sign up front advertising, someone's gonna want some money or tell you that you can't have a business in a residential area.

Very true. You could home tan in your garage, and paint a image in the corner of the pelt and call it art. Then you are an artist.

[bill9044]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Very true. You could home tan in your garage, and paint a image in the corner of the pelt and call it art. Then you are an artist.

Ya you could sell it for thousands in a gallery. All you have to say is this signifys life and death or environment being destroyed by tar sands, or how you felt when your mom died. Either way you need a story. Or to Calgary and they will pay you half a million for it, just paint a big blue ring on it. I love art

[SilverHowler]

Well, I've called F&W a few times for various things and I can never get a straight answer out of them. Some of them say it's fine, others say it's not. (I always want to double check on things like that, but when two officers say entirely different things, it gets confusing). That's why I'm wondering if you guys know.

Also, fourplex. Pathetic fourplex. No garage. They'd be in five gallon buckets on the deck, or if the landlord lets me set one up, a tent 'utility shed'. http://www.basspro.com/King-Canopy-7...roduct/101503/ Something like this one. That's up to the landlord though, not us.(Us being myself and my parents)

Edit: Also, if you googled SilverHowler, you'd find my DeviantArt and my garbage. I can't draw for ****, an I haven't drawn anything decent in a year. I hate every line I put down on a canvas lately, whether that canvas is digital or traditional.

[SilverHowler]

That vanishing edit button is driving me up the wall..

Sent F&W an email to try and get a straight answer, in writing. Just waiting for a reply now, I'll give them a week on that one, though.

[Red Bullets]

Call your MLA. Quote the wildlife act and the trapping regs. They can get a proper interpretation on the laws. And have them put it on paper with their letterhead. Then forward a copy of the letter to the F&W people you sent it to.

[SilverHowler]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Call your MLA. Quote the wildlife act and the trapping regs. They can get a proper interpretation on the laws. And have them put it on paper with their letterhead. Then forward a copy of the letter to the F&W people you sent it to.

Need to ask, what exactly is an MLA? Sorry, heh. >_<

Edit: I'm only asking because all Google is showing me is Modern Language Association, and I highly doubt that's what you're talking about.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by SilverHowler

Need to ask, what exactly is an MLA? Sorry, heh. >_<

Member of Legislative Assembly.

Find your MLA here -https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_home

It seems to me that you are putting yourself through a lot of trouble in order to tan a few hides. Good luck though.

[SilverHowler]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Member of Legislative Assembly.

Find your MLA here -https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_home

It seems to me that you are putting yourself through a lot of trouble in order to tan a few hides. Good luck though.

Thankyou. Found the one for my area and emailed them. Now I'm just waiting on a reply.

[357xp]

Hate to say it, but it sounds like yet another "grey" area at f&w. I know all about them.
If they don't tell u to not do it, u are probably good to go.

[KegRiver]

The last time we had anything to do with this was several years ago, 20 plus, but if nothing has changed, all you should need to do to be legal is pay the duties and properly tan the hide.

Over the years I and other family members have on occasion had hides tanned so that we could sell them directly to a local buyer.

We did the research and followed all the rules to the best of our ability.
We never encountered any problems.

It's always better to ask first then to pay later.

[moose maniac]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

The last time we had anything to do with this was several years ago, 20 plus, but if nothing has changed, all you should need to do to be legal is pay the duties and properly tan the hide.

Over the years I and other family members have on occasion had hides tanned so that we could sell them directly to a local buyer.

We did the research and followed all the rules to the best of our ability.
We never encountered any problems.

It's always better to ask first then to pay later.

What duties?

[SilverHowler]

Still waiting to hear back from the MLA, but I honestly don't see why home tanning would be a problem in the first place as they sell home tanning kits and solution. It's always better to ask now rather than get my ass handed to me later however.

The only real problem I could see with home tanning is where I'm in a fourplex in the middle of town, but Bylaw already said that as long as no one sees or smells the tanning process, and I skin/flesh out in the field, they have no issue, but I will be made to stop if it ever becomes a problem for the neighbours, which I think is fair anyways.

besides, dad does his welding and airbrushing on the deck and that crap is VOLATILE! Hell, even the food safe airbrush cleaner drops me, I need to hide or wear a respirator when anyone is working with that crap, hah. If the neighbours will tolerate that, well, as long as there's no obvious smell of decay then I don't see my odd hobbies ever becoming a problem.

[SilverHowler]

Still waiting on the reply from the MLA. Only message I got was "Not sure, will check", something along those lines, almost a month ago now. Bah. I know I need to be patient but bloody hell, this is agitating. I'm hyped up to start several projects and have yet to get the permission to do so.

[bill9044]

Every 2 weeks call or contact your mla for a follow up. They are politicians. Politicians in the dictionary should read "A person who will only work if someone is the loudest or most annoying and can guarantee them a re-election."
Keep bugging him you will get an answer before a restraining order.

[Moults]

How about deer hides? I have a bunch piling up that I have salted, wouldn't mind getting rid of them. Is it legal to sell them?

[wahbush]

I'm in Ontario but here is the gist of it here.
You can send a pelt(your own pelt legally taken by you) to a commercial tannery to be tanned and once you receive it back,you can do anything you want with the commercially tanned skin.
You can tan your own hide at home for your own use,but you cannot sell that home tanned skin or anything made from it-it is for your personal use.
If you want to tan skins for other people and charge them money for doing it you need a commercial tanning licence.
Recently,in Ontario we got the home tanning laws changed to allow us to home tan skins and sell them or crafts made out of them.
We are still not legal to tan other peoples skins for a monetary return,this still requires a commercial tanning licence.