HUNTING -- As sportsmen are bringing deer, elk and moose in from the field for processing, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department offers this clarification on how do deal with your big-game transport tag.

Where does my deer/elk tag stay if half my meat is taken to a butcher for processing and the other half remains at my home?

The meat cutter will require that your tag stay at the butcher shop, so make sure you get it back when you pick up your processed meat so you can attach it to the side of your freezer.

It is recommended that you make a photocopy of your tag to keep with the other half of your carcass (meat) until your tag is retrieved from the butcher shop.

Do not leave your tag with a taxidermist. It is not required. But it is a good idea to photocopy your tag and give the photocopy to the taxidermist, to prove that the mount is legal.

Information: wdfw.wa.gov/help.