Would you eat it?

[TheOneRidgeRunner]

While walking a canyon with a few buddies during Utahs muzzleloader hunt we found a wounded buck at first light. Still alive and beded, his hind leg broken just below the joint.
My friend shot and tagged the deer.
After getting him to camp and beginning to skin it was obvious the wound was a few days old, green infection setting in the lower section of leg which was cut off and discarded.

Would you eat the remainder of the meat on the deer or figure its all tainted and toss it?

I was glad to sit back and let the two buddies take care of the skinning, I've never experienced shooting a previously wounded animal and have zero knowledge if the rest would be good to keep and eat.

 

[Buckhunter1955]

I'm glad your buddy put this buck down, but I don't think I would eat this meat.

 

[BroadHead]

First of all, kudos to your friend for putting his tag on a buck that likely wasn't what he was looking for and for putting it out of its misery. It would have suffered longer and/or met a violent fate.

As far as the meat, if the infection appears to be localized to that area of the leg and I didn't notice any off-color or smell with the meat or organs, I personally would have no reservation eating it. But, I'm from the Pacific and we eat questionable things, so there's that... lol

 

[Snoopdogg]

I'd eat it.

 

[Utahlefty]

Rock/Paper/Scissors someone to sample it is going to be the only way to really know. Most of it should be fine as long as he wasn't septic. I'd make a point of labeling packages carefully (R/L) and wouldn't grind any from that leg lest you contaminate the whole batch.

 

[Snoopdogg]

Rock/Paper/Scissors someone to sample it is going to be the only way to really know. Most of it should be fine as long as he wasn't septic. I'd make a point of labeling packages carefully (R/L) and wouldn't grind any from that leg lest you contaminate the whole batch.

The nose knows.

 

[mtmuley]

I 'd eat that buck before any of those Wyoming 33 hour cow elk. mtmuley

 

[DW]

Cut the quarter off, keep it separate. Cut off the infection, be generous. Get a different blade to deal with the rest. Process that quarter seperate.

 

[DW]

I 'd eat that buck before any of those Wyoming 33 hour cow elk. mtmuley
separate.

I've read right here on these pages if you let them marinade in their guts overnight they're delicious!

 

[eelgrass]

I killed a wounded buck that I clipped on the back of a ham a couple weeks before. It was healing nicely without any infection though.

I'd do what DW said.

 

[elkassassin]

I Think I Would!

 

[TheOneRidgeRunner]

I Think I Would!

View attachment 54320

Even with a tinge of green?

 

[elkassassin]

Kinda Turquoise!

Even with a tinge of green?

 

[Horsecorn]

Nope don’t eat it. The meat will be bd. Killed an elk that had some infection on its hind quarter. We left the bad quarter and took the rest. Big mistake. all the meat was tainted. Had to through it all away.

 

[Tristate]

No

 

[bonepicker]

Shot an elk that had been wounded in the front shoulder earlier in the hunt. We cut off the front shoulder and the rest was fine. It was a Thanksgiving hunt and cold and snowy so that slowed the infection I think. 2 or 3 days may be ok but if you’re more than that the infection will probably moving closer to being systemic. Your nose will probably tell you the answer.

 

[roadrunner]

If any of the meat is bad, you'll know.

Your buddy's call though.

 

[Gadjet]

The nose knows! If it smells ok, eat it.

 

[elkchaserreturns]

I shot a bull just before dark during the 1st rifle season in CO back in 1992. While dressing him out, we smelled something nasty. Got to looking closer and found that he had been hit in the "knee" of his right front leg. The wound was black & rotted pretty bad & smelled really, really bad. We figured he must have been hit during the muzzleloader season from the week before?? Anyway, we just cut that leg off & pitched it.
The rest of the meat seemed fine!

 

[TheOneRidgeRunner]

The consensus is "you'll know" Glad its not me putting it on a plate, not sure I could do it solely on how that hind leg looked.

 

[Old Cowboy]

No, I would not. However, I would contact the Fish and Game and ask for an officer to come and look at it. If it was infected as you say he can issue you another tag. He can not however let you keep the antlers and have another tag.

 

[freaknasty]

no
gang green is systemic and would have traveled though out the whole animal.
if you did or still want to eat it cook it at 180 degrees internal temp for 3 minutes or more, just to be safe.
but no hung jerky only heat treated. if you get dizzy after eating it go to the bathroom immediately and hold on hahahahahha
enter at your own risk
as for elk assasin post I'd eat that all day and night
I've been a meat cutter for 30 plus and have seen alot of crazy sh!# and people want everything they can get.
even after killing it and parading it all over town for 3 or 4 days then bringing it to me to cut. really

 

[Bigwiffy]

If you've ate Betos breakfast burrito before and lived, the meat will be no contest. Eat it up!