The meat should be OK right?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Hunts_with_stick
28-Oct-22
So I shot a buck last night, had to pack it out due to the location. Didn't notice anything odd. Today when I was cutting off the skull plate, I did notice that around the base of the one antler was a little bit of puss. I couldn't see anything that would have caused it, oh that side was definitely less developed then the other. I just cut up the neck meat and it looked good as can be. The meat should be fine, right? I have never, in my 30 years of hunting had an issue with a deer having an infection.
From: craigmcalvey
28-Oct-22
Yes meat should be fine IMO. Let your nose be the judge…but if it was my deer I’d eat it and not worry about it. I shot one years ago that had a huge abscess on the brisket from what appeared to be a .22lr. Tasted fine
From: Hunts_with_stick
28-Oct-22
Thanks! Yeah smelled fine. It was just near the pedicle and confined to that area.
From: Oryx35
28-Oct-22
I agree with Craig on this one.
From: scentman
28-Oct-22
Your the one eating it and feeding the family... nice color and smell should let you know, if you have any doubts, toss it!
From: Woods Walker
28-Oct-22
3X on the smell.
From: Starfire
28-Oct-22
Yes, puss is just white blood cell fighting off an infection
From: Beendare
28-Oct-22
You can surely tell when meat is turning.
I've eaten many animals that had abscesses from fighting.....cut them out with meat to spare and good to go. The body is encapsulating that injury.
FOR SURE, I would not cut anything else with the knife that opened that abscess until its cleaned well...that could have some nasty bacteria on it.
From: Bou'bound
28-Oct-22
it should be fine to dine on that Meat
From: walleyes
28-Oct-22
Trimming meat is normal from an infected area. Don’t see this as a issue either.
From: Woods Walker
28-Oct-22
You know, I've thought about this and have reconsidered my first response. DO NOT eat that meat! In fact, to show you how sincere I am, I'll drive to your place and take the carcass off your hands so you don't have to deal with it!
You can thank me later........ ;-)
From: Thornton
28-Oct-22
Localized infections do not usually do not harm tissue elsewhere. If they did, the deer would be dead from sepsis and not your arrow.
From: Glunt@work
29-Oct-22
I arrowed a pronghorn once that had yellow puss almost all over his body when skinning him. That one didn't get to the table. Looked and acted normal the 30 minutes I watched him before the shot.
From: Hunts_with_stick
29-Oct-22
Thanks for the input!
From: Ironbow
29-Oct-22
My son in law shot this buck last year. Had what appeared to be a puncture wound. I can’t seem to figure out how to post the video, but we drained about a gallon of puss out of that leg. Didn’t keep that hindquarter but ate the rest of the deer. It was fine.
From: BrentC
29-Oct-22
I’ve had a similar experience to Ironbow.
From: LKH
29-Oct-22
Once killed a bou on the Haul Rd that had an abscess ( fairly large) in one shoulder. Rest of it was fine and we ate it. Your issue seems fairly small and a long ways from the meat you will eat.
From: fuzzy
30-Oct-22
Yes it's fine
