Disease in deer/elk

[devon deer]

Hi All,
I made a post on another topic which didn't get a reply so it got me wondering, do you check the lymph nodes on your kills for signs of infection/disease?
For those of you who may not know where to locate these lymph nodes i have provided this link (no i am not a scot) to a scottish website that is very informative http://www.bestpracticeguides.org.uk/
I am not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs but just thought it might be useful to some.
Cheers
Richard

 

[tarheel]

To my knowledge this isn't a practice used in the field unless possibly by biologists when doing research. For the most part; the practices utilised here are those handed down from fathers or fellow hunters, and if there are no glaring signs of disease it's assumed by most that the animal is healthy and safe for consumption. There are two or three diseases over here which are terminal to ungulates, one of which has had a large impact on animals in several western states recently; perhaps some of the hunt talkers from that region can weigh in and shed some more info. The last epidemic we had in Eastern North Carolina was 12/15 years ago and I can't recall what it was, but it thinned the herd considerably. Any animal suffering from such a disease will most likely be obviously sick and emaciated, requiring no further investigation.

What's wrong with being from Scotland????

 

[devon deer]

Nothing, just thought i would clarify i am an Englishman making use of an excellent Scottish site.
Just a thought, a deer with TB might not show any outward signs of having this disease which is dangerous to humans, having said that if all meat is well cooked it should kill TB.
Cheers
Richard