i need help quick please no jo joking this is very ergent hunters?

Question

i was rabbit hunting today when i came across a 10 point buck laying dead. but it was still warn like it was fresh, not bloded no wounds at all. i tagged it and butchered it .i also eat some of the meat but now im freekin out cause i dont no why it died. i need some advice from deer hunters. im worried im seriously gonna get sick , i have a family to take care of ,so could you tell me what you would have done please!!!!!!! it tasted ok looked ok my wife says it could have had west nile virus and do i need blood work done, she said it could take a few days for me to even get sick

Answer 1

You have an interesting question here. I noticed many didn't read it that carefully as you have TAGGED it so its somewhat legal. Also deer can't get mad cow disease its wrong species. It can however get Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Ok now back to your question hehehe.

I wouldn't worry about west nile virus as that only really affects the weak immune folks and from the sounds of it your not in that category.

As for having CWD, there are some charcteristics to look for does the deer look like was stressed (huge weight loss or salvating ).

Another thing to look at what when you butchered it did you notice anything unusual?

One scenario i can think of is well its the end of the rut and being a 10pt buck he would have been pretty good with the ladies so it is possible that he was just exshasuted from all the procreating he has been doing. Although it might sound funny in a way that he sucumbed to a sex overload its not impossible in other spiecies and bucks do loose alot of weight during the rut.

Another possiblity is there was something biologically that went wrong such as a brain tumor or something in its organs would be wise to look at the gut pile.

The best thing to do is contact your local conservation officer or game warden and discuss the issue and get blood and brain samples done. the brain would before CWD.

Hope this helps and good luck

Answer 2

As long as you cooked the meat thoroughly then I would not worry. That deer could have died of old age. Deer only live about 7 or 8 years. Just make sure you cook the meat all the way through and you will be ok. Cooking the meat thoroughly will kill any virus if it died from anything other then natural causes. If the deer had a disease, you would have noticed a foul smell when you gutted it. If it had parasites, you would have noticed them in the guts. As far as west nile, you don't get it by eating the meat. If the meat tasted ok, and you cooked it, you will be fine. Probably not the best idea to eat a deer you find dead unless it is fresh, still steaming, high mountain road kill, but I am not real hungry at the moment either. Stop worrying, you'll be fine.

Answer 3

Look, you ate a deer that you found. You really don't know how long the deer had been there. How long is o.k. the nice warm body got to ferment for ten minutes or a few hours. The first thing a hunter does it get the cavity open to cool. So maybe you got lucky maybe you didn't

Then you come on here for people to do an internet autopsy. Nobody can tell you what might or might not happen. Deer do get prions that can pass to humans. Nice thing is you probably have 30 years before you go loco. I mean who the hell can tell if there is a serious problem. I mean you ate a deer that you found.

All in all you are probably fine. Almost everything dies when you cook it fully. With a little booze and a challenge to my manliness I would have done the same thing. I wouldn't do it again though

Answer 4

I've picked up dead deer for years. Not eaten any but found them much the same as you have. We have a very large Doe population here and around my farm just a few bucks. And yes the bucks can die from exhaustion. They also get parasites. Chances are it just dropped from exhaustion. Being a 10 point it may have lost it's does in a battle. He could have gotten hung up on a limb and died before he reached water. His neck could have snapped during a fight, he could have simply had a stroke. Bucks get their share of bruises and he could have just had an embolism.
If it was CWD there would have been a very foul odor that would have made it too foul to gut, If it were parasites you would have seen them when you gutted it.
Venison should always be completely cooked.
If it was completely cooked when you ate it chances are your fine.
If your really worried about the meat throw it out.

Answer 5

To be honest, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. However, to be on the safe side, I’d give your doctor a call.

As long as you cook the meat well, you probably won’t get sick. It is possible the deer died of CWD or Bovine Tuberculosis. It may have been hit by a car, wandered off, and died.

Bovine Tuberculosis can be transmitted to humans. It is rare to get tuberculosis from an animal, especially a dead one. Deer TB is transmitted just TB in humans, through airborne particles breathed in from an infected animal/human. It is thought that TB can not be transmitted through the meat, blood, or entrails. As a dead deer is not breathing, you probably won’t get this.

The jury is still out on CWD. At this point there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans, but they said the same thing about Mad Cow disease at one time. The similar disease in humans (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome I think it’s called) takes decades to appear. You can call the DNR to see if you can get the deer tested for CWD, but I think a sample of the brain or spinal tissue need to be taken within 24 hours of death of the animal. Also, you’d probably have to admit you took a dead deer (not sure if it is illegal or not).

Other than that, you really only have to worry about other pathogens that you would have to worry about anyway. Cooking the meat should kill anything else.

Personally, I’d toss the meat and call the doctor. Don’t be embarrassed, doctors have heard it all.

The Wisconsin DNR has a decent page on deer diseases. Take a look if you are interested:

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/whealth/issues/deerhealth.htm

Answer 6

Well, what if the scene was changed only by an hour or so, it would have been all the same if you'd been hunting, saw him before he died (of what ever killed him) and shot him, I mean you never know what is wrong with the deer you kill, if they are healthy or slowly dying from something, I wouldnt worry about it so much, coons are the number one carrier of rabies, yet many people eat them, your local wildlife officers keep up with disease & sickness in your area, if he had something or if they thought an outbreak was in your area, they would warn huunters, and like I said, if he would have been in the wrong place an hour or a day sooner, a hunter could have shot him and been none the wiser.

Answer 7

Dude, I hope you're joking. Who eats an animal they found dead?

The good news is your wife is wrong (something every husband likes to hear) the deer is highly unlikely to have West Nile Virus and even if it did the virus is not transmitted by consumption of flesh.

Why this deer died is anyone's guess. There are things animals die of that can affect you if you eat the meat like poisons or bacterial infections. They may not taste or look any different.

Since you're not driving the porcelain bus my guess is you're going to be fine. My advice is to think about all these questions BEFORE you decide to become a scavenger and eat a deer carcass!

Answer 8

that deer could have been hit by a car ran in the woods and died just because you found it dead with no wounds does not mean it was sick. also you already ate some of the meat i would say that you should just monitor your health but more than likely you will be fine. and DON'T eat any more meat for a while just to make sure your ok.

Answer 9

OK..I am not bashing the hunting thing (even though I don't like it!!)....but I am curious as to if you need a permit to take a deer you've found.

Here in MI, I know that when someone wants a deer that has been hit on the road, they are issued permits to have them (only because I've worked in law-enforcement and have been exposed to scenes like that).

Either way....I would be a little concerned, too. Maybe it wasn't killed..maybe it was sick.

Hopefully someone can give you an answer!

Answer 10

have the meat tested .my friend picked up a wild pig that had got hit by a car the night before .i dont pick up road kill .if you needed meet you should have killed a deer yourself .taking a dead deer that you did not kill is nasty to thank about .