CBP Advises Hunters of New Requirements for Game Fowl as Hunting Season Approaches

San Diego – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials are advising hunters who may travel to Mexico for dove or quail hunting of new requirements for their game fowl prior to their return to the United States at a port of entry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Veterinary Services has implemented this new requirement in response to the recent confirmation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at commercial poultry production facilities in Mexico. The purpose of these new requirements is to prevent further spread of this virus and to protect U.S. poultry.

Fresh, uncooked, hunter-harvested game bird carcasses brought from Mexico for human consumption are prohibited. If the carcass for human consumption has a fully-cooked appearance, as determined by CBP, it may be allowed. These carcasses are different from hunter-harvested carcasses that are brought as trophies from Mexico.

Hunters wishing to import trophy game fowl taken during a hunting trip in Mexico must have an approved import permit for the birds from USDA’s Office of Veterinary Services. A bulletin advising of the import permit requirement for avian trophies from Mexico can be found at the following link.  

Hunters should declare all game fowl to CBP upon their arrival at a U.S. port of entry and present the USDA Veterinary Services import permit. They are also subject to verification of the import documentation by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer.

For information on Fish and Wildlife Service requirements for bringing game birds from Mexico, please click on the attached link.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.