1. (1) A domesticated elk facility licensee shall apply identification tags to each elk as required by Section 4-39-304:

   1. (a) when the elk arrives at the facility;
   2. (b) when the department performs a physical inventory;
   3. (c) before the elk leaves the premises where it was born; or
   4. (d) before the animal reaches 12 months of age, whichever occurs first.
2. (2) The licensee shall replace any missing identification tag and report the new tag number to the department within seven days of application.

3. (3) Licensees shall maintain current and accurate records for domesticated elk facilities, including:

   1. (a) inventory of each domesticated elk at the facility, as required by Section 4-39-206;
   2. (b) CWD laboratory results;
   3. (c) date and manner of death for each elk that dies from any cause; and
   4. (d) sales of any elk.

4. (4) A licensed elk facility shall submit the death record of any domesticated elk 12 months of age or older to the department within:

   1. (a) seven days after the discovery of the death of an animal on an elk farm; or
   2. (b) 30 days after the discovery of the death of an animal on an elk ranch.

5. (5) During a physical inventory, the licensee shall humanely restrain each domesticated elk so a department employee can safely:

   1. (a) record the RFID tag, visual tag, and sex of each elk; or
   2. (b) apply identification tags; and
   3. (c) at the department's discretion, manually count the elk.

6. (6) For inventory reconciliation, the department shall consider a domesticated elk missing if an elk is not:

   1. (a) present at the time of physical inventory; or
   2. (b) reported as hunt killed, dead, or recaptured by an elk ranch.

7. (7)(a) The department shall calculate inventory compliance using the data from May 1 to April 30 and the formula;

   1. (i) inventory compliance = (Total Documented Elk) / (Total Documented Elk + Missing Elk).

   2. (b) The formula calculation shall use the following information:

      1. (i) Total Documented Elk includes all elk accounted for through current inventory, elk moved out of the facility, hunt-killed elk, dead elk, including natural causes or euthanized, and slaughtered elk; and
      2. (ii) Missing Elk refers to any elk from departmental records absent during physical inventory and not reported as hunt-killed, dead, slaughtered, or recaptured by an elk facility.
8. (8) The department may not renew the license of an elk facility with less than 95% inventory compliance for two consecutive years.

KEY: chronic wasting disease, elk, inspections, domesticated elk facility, domesticated elk, licensing

Date of Last Change: October 22, 2025

Notice of Continuation: December 28, 2021

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 4-39-106; 4-39-303(6)