moose worm
Contributors to this thread:Moose
From: stick slinger
17-Oct-13
This past week we dropped a young bull moose. No conrgats please, we used an alternative weapon. When we were cutting it up (gutting and breaking down) one of the guys helping noticed a small white worm on the one of the hind quarters. It was very thin (maybe like a pencil lead) and about 2 inches long. It was completely white. I am hoping that it came from the digestive system and not the meat. Any biologists out there or has anyone seen anything similar? Thanks
From: APauls
17-Oct-13
Still gonna congratulate - nice job on the moose! Sorry can't help with the worm...
From: elmer@laptop
17-Oct-13
never seen anything like it in the 10 moose me my buddy and his wife have taken!
From: Mike Lawrence
17-Oct-13
2 inches long seems larger than I have previously read about. Tapeworm cysts in the meat on a moose are typically the size of a grain of rice (from what ive read). hopefully these links get you in the right direction
http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=374534&messages=3&forum=15
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=400
From: XMan
17-Oct-13
do you have a picture?
From: stick slinger
17-Oct-13
No picture. My buddy flicked it off after we looked for a bit and then I looked for it but couldn't find it for further review or to take back. I have a call in to the local wildlife biologist, waiting for a call back. Hopefully just something thing from the GI tract. Mike, thanks for the links, I'll take a look.
From: moosenelson
17-Oct-13
gotta be digestive. Seen at least 50 moose and personally skinned about 20 and never seen any such thing. DEFINITELY not a tapeworm or larvae.
From: spike buck
17-Oct-13
Every once in a while you will see little worms in the meat around here. Because the moose eat aquatic plants they tend to ingest the worms. The little wee worms I'm talking about are the same worms we see in our perch meat. They ingest the larvae when they eat a snail attached to a water plant.
From: stick slinger
17-Oct-13
Spike, if I remember right you are around Dryden, eh? I am up in Red Lake and I think I know what you are talking about with the fish parasite. This thing was much longer and wiggling around. The meat tastes great so far.
From: spike buck
17-Oct-13
Bears have the same worm you are talking about. All because of the aquatic life they eat. When you fillet the fish you see the same worm in the entrails. I was originally talking about the short yellowish worms that are imbedded in the meat. Just like the perch. This is usually in the older animals. You can still eat the meat. Your right as to where I live, V.Bay.
From: Stonegoat
17-Oct-13
That would be a filarial worm or nematode. Nothing to worry about, as they cannot be contracted by consuming them, but rather, are spread by the bite of the black fly.
From: Call'em N
17-Oct-13
Being on the hind quarter I have no clue. The Bull Moose I killed this year (with alternative rifle) in UT had a worm called Carotid Artery worm. The Carotid Artery worm is about 2-4 inches long, white to clear in color and about the size of mechanical pencil led. It is one of the parasites killing off certain parts of the WY Moose heard. The bummer part for me is I have seen it before in WY and when reported to UT Disease Bio it is the first confirmed case in UT. Saying all that den if it is a Carotid Artery worm it is not harmfull to humans when the meat is cooked.
From: spike buck
17-Oct-13
I never knew a moose had the potential at getting so many parasites!!
From: MATHEWSSHOOTER
17-Oct-13
WE HAD SOME ON OR COLO MOOSE THIS YEAR NEVER KNOW THEY HAD THEM COLO IS DOING A STUDY
From: Silent Stalker
18-Oct-13
My buddy killed a nice bull here in Utah that also had the corotid worms. aparently they are somewhat common and are responsible for the antlers having weak to no paddles as the bloodflow up into the head is severely restricted. The biologist said it eventually makes them go blind. Between the corotid and the brain worm they are wreaking havoc on our moose herd.