Is there anything you need to look for (ie. discolored meat, unusual fluid...etc) when butchering a deer.?

Question

I'm new to deer processing and was told if you didn't know what to look for (when butchering) you could end up butchering/eating a deer that gets you really sick. I wouldn't shoot/eat a deer that looks sick, but what do you need to look for when field dressing or butchering that would be a red flag?

Answer 1

look to make sure there are not green places, like gangreen, where the animal had been prefiously wounded , deer meat is darker in color than most storeboughten meat.imediate feild dressing is a must and make sure to wash out the cavity with cold water, if you have a bad deer you will know by the smell, i shot one that some one had shot with a 22 rifle prior to season , the area was green and oosing, and stunk real bad. if you have one like this contact your game warden they will usualy issue you another tag free of charge. and can also help you to identify any problems. butchering deer is realy easy i do probably 10-12 a year

Answer 2

You would probably see the deer acting strangley if it had Chronic Wasting disease, or several other diseases that can make the deer look like it is blind, stumbling, not afraid of you, slobbering a lot, trembling and wandering aimlessly.( Kinda like me after a bad late night)

In that case, I dont know if it would be better to shoot it and take it to DNR office to see if it is CWD or let it die. Letting it die on it's own means the case would not be reported and the areas deer population could become infected. In Illinois, if you shoot the deer, you lost the tag. No Freebies from the State on that.

Previously wounded animals could be very sick with infection. I have butchered one that had just a small tip of arrow stick in it's shoulder blade. It was encapsulated with a puss filled sac. Needless to say, noone volunteered to eat any of this meat. Probably more from the visual that actual problem.

States do blood and brain tests on deer for CWD. It may cost you to have this done and I dont know the process. In any event, it can take years for CWD from deer to infect and affect humans but will still result in death. In humans the disease is called, Crutzfeld-Jacobs disease and it is a spongiform encephalitis. In other words, makes your brain spongy and hole filled.

I still butcher, process and make my own sausage etc. but I also keep up on the cases of CWD in my hunting are. There are a few other diseases like "blue-tongue" that will not affect humans and the meat can be eaten.

Answer 3

worms in the "field dressing" or in the meat. My dad was a butcher for many years, discolored meat would be a sign. If your not sure, the local "faimly butcher shops" may cut the deer up for a fair price. Some also offer to make deer burger too...

Answer 4

When you say butchering, do you mean from the very beginning, or has someone just handed you meat?

I am going to assume that you mean you or someone you know is a hunter, and you mean butchering/processing from the time the animal is harvested.

First, make sure the animal is killed as cleanly and quickly as possible. Field dress it (I am not going into that here - if you do not already know how to field dress, ask an experienced hunter.)

I do not know what State you hunt in. Every one has different rules as to what is required to stay on the carcass as evidence of sex, and how far you can process the carcass in camp. FOLLOW THE RULES IN YOUR STATE.

http://shoestringsafaris.com/id3.html

This is my page on our web site. I have many hints and recipes.

If you:
harvest the animal quickly and cleanly;
field dress the carcass correctly, avoiding getting any digestive juices or hair on the meat;
get, and keep, the meat clean and cool ASAP;

You will have an excellent source of high-quality protein without antibiotics or hormones.

Answer 5

Kill the deer, gut it and you can take it to the State Game Control Station in your state. A certified Game Warden will check the deer for you and tell you the age and quality of the deer's health. Some deer have a brain disease that kills them. The Game Warden can tell you if your deer meat is edible or not. Good Luck.

Answer 6

Always look to see if your front license plate got stuck in the deer.

Answer 7

no clue

I saw one being butchered once

you have to bleed it first I think

Answer 8

always look for the poor defenseless fawn standing next to it.

Answer 9

don't go there, the poor deer.

Answer 10

thats so mean D: