A commission member reported that someone had set up a plywood sign reading “hoof drop station” and placed a tub with ice for hunters to leave elk hooves at a local fish-and-game office entrance, and other attendees raised concerns about disease spread and handling practices.
"They made this sign. They took a piece of plywood, had a router, says hoof drop station, and they put a little tub out front with ice in it, for all the hunters to, drop the feet off," said a speaker during public discussion. Another attendee asked, "Where? You mean on Old Mill?" and the conversation moved to whether the practice had authorization from Sacramento and how hooves were bagged and stored.
Commission members and attendees discussed possible contamination risks if hooves were iced together: "So don't you think if they put them on ice, in the water, in the bucket, and 1 hoof had bacteria in it. Pretty soon, all of them might have bacteria in it. Don't you think?" an attendee asked. Others replied that the hooves must be put in plastic bags and that bags had been supplied following a prior meeting.
The discussion did not record any formal action or a confirmed source of the practice. Attendees said they were unsure whether the sign and collection point had Sacramento approval and suggested follow-up with Fish and Wildlife staff to confirm authorized disposal and disease-control procedures.