Bad Meat?

[Leafrivermac]

I took a doe this evening and her belly was swollen quite a bit. Her liver was clear but her intestines and stomach was full of air . . .an unusual amount. I have killed and skinned many deer and I have never seen this before. Her stomach contents were like diarrhea. So far I have her on ice but am undecided about keeping the meat. Anyone knowledgable about this?

[coyote170]

Its not worth the risk,be careful!

[andrewjoseph]

Ive shot two deer like that, they got really puffed up with air in the stomach and intestines like you said.

The diarrea like you said dosent sound normal, I have never seen it, but I usually dont cut the intestines very much. I would just wash out the insides especially well with the hose. I used the powerwasher on one and it worked very well to get some crap, fat, and intestines out. (On real low power)

I would not waste the meat unless the liver looked wierd. Thats the best indicator if they are unhealthy to eat.

I would eat it but not eat any rare to be safe. Except mabye the tenderloins. 140 degrees should kill most if not all bacteria a deer would have.

[lethalconnection]

There shouldnt be anything wrong with the meat especially if the liver looks fine, cause all that deer probably has is gas. I shot a deer with the same thing you explained and i believe it could have been something they eat that could have upset their stomach, which would suggest the bloating and diarrhea but i eat the deer and well im still here alive and kicking so i wouldnt worry about it but if it did come in contact with meat wash it with hot water and a stiff brush and it will kill any bacteria and will get it off the meat.

[Wingbone]

That deer had something wrong with her but that doesn't necessarily transfer into the meat. If it looks and/or tastes bad, don't use it. But nothing she had can make the meat toxic.

[kevin1]

She may have simply had Mexican for dinner and forgot the Beano™.

[Windwalker7]

If that deer layed a while after being shot and wasn't gutted quickly the gasses will build up in the stomach. If the weather is warmer this happens quickly.


There is nothing wrong with the deer.

I've heard of so many guys that didn't find their deer right away and saw it bloated and said it was no good. They let it go to waste.

I've taken deer that layed all night with the guts in them, in 60 degree weather. They were bloated up and stunk like crazy when I gutted them. They were still good. The gasses that build up in the stomache sure did stink.

How long did that deer lay with the guts in it and how warm was it?

[metaldonnieg]

if meat sat out in 60 degree weather for that long were you not afraid it'd spoil?

[Leafrivermac]

Thanks for the answers so far. It was a clean kill and she dropped on the spot. I was skinning her within an hour of the kill. One thing I noticed is that she appeared to have recently been bred. There also was a lot of commotion in the area she was killed in over the past few days . . .heavy equipment clearing a road thru the swamp, hogs being pulled from traps and slaughtered. I was surprised I even saw a deer yesterday. She was very skitish and alert and did'nt seem to be sickly at all.
I'm keeping her on ice anyway while I decide.

I myself never seena alot of air you are explaining. But I wouldn't hesitate to eat her, if the meat smelled good and looked nice.