Hey guys.was cutting up this years deer when I found I fluid filled cyst or absess
That was about the size of a marble with what looked blood clots or something the size of a tic tac in the rear leg but it was kinda in the middle of the meat I found it 1-2 inches in the meat was curious if I should be throwing this deer out or keeping? Any help woul really help!
I’ve never skinned/boned out a wild animal that didn’t have some sort of parasite or cyst. I’d just cut around it and not worry unless the unaffected meat look somehow sketchy. Congrats, bye, I’m still looking for my deer.
I agree, good advice. Enjoy the venison!
I shot one years ago that had a golfball sized cyst under the skin on a hind leg with some inflammation in the muscle and tissue around it. I tossed the whole leg as a precaution and processed the rest of the animal.
I too have skin clean and de-boned many deer and I would say that in 50% I have found some type of abnormality hidden within the meat, more so in the legs but also easily enough to carefully maneuver around and proceed. I actually have a picture of a doe with a huge cyst caught on game cam and I’m talking like 25 lbs. I would have probably disposed of her given the opportunity just to mitigate the suffering.
Shot a buck years back that had a cyst on his neck the size of a softball. It was filled with the nastiest smelling, pudding consistency, goopy pus that you can imagine. I filled a solo cup with the crap since it was near the skin and burst while skinning. It was awful. I carefully cut away anything questionable and made sure NONE of the pus contacted any meat. Washed my knife real well afterwards as well. I was expecting a broad head to be in the middle but there wasn’t one.
Was talking with a taxidermist and he said its quite common to find a broad head from a non-fatal shot still embedded. Not a fun surprise for your fingers. Said he once had a buck come in that had a broad head in the side of its face. Talk about bad day. All that being said, “If in doubt, throw it out”.
Now on the other hand, if there’s gross abnormalities in a deer’s behaviour or body, I would call the local game warden. CWD is on the rise in my state and mandatory testing was required in some counties the first weekend of rifle season. They will also test any deer shot at other times for free in those counties that have confirmed cases. As they say, better safe than sorry.