Im sure it's probably coincidence but makes a person wonder. A friend of mine shot and gutted a deer, after that he gets very sick, pnuemonia like symptoms but he also can't remember stuff. The local hospital after a couple days flew him to a big hospital. Noone knows what the problem is. I realize it's probably coincidence but it did make me think maybe it's a good idea to use laytex gloves to field dress a deer. I never do normally .

About two years ago I had a lousy hunting year. I had a stomach virus first, then a cold and towards the end of the season I ended up with an upper respiratory infection. But I don't know what his problem may have been. Or was it just a coincidence??? Good question.

Did he cut himself while dressing the deer? Or put his bloody fingers in nose mouth or eye? I dont think germs can infect straight thru the skin. Kind of like being a plumber, don't bite your nails.

That sucks, I sure hope he gets better fast. I always wear gloves, this year i'm using the kind you wash dishes with. I like them because they're longer and thicker. I cut my finger this year skinning and quartering the buck I got this year(with thin surgical gloves). Cleaned it out right away and put on a new pair of gloves. Was a little conserned but did not get sick.

Where was the deer taken? did he cut himself? I never used to use gloves, but now I buy the gutting glove combo packs from Remington at wally world. Back in the day I did'nt care if I got some deer blood on me and I always seemed to cut myleft hand when I reached in to cut the ashofogos, my hunting knive is sharp! I have more deer blood in me than I care to say and so far I've been lucky.
Were lucky here we have no cases of CWD or anything that would make one worry about eating or field dressing a deer. I have though started to cook my Venison Burger longer than I use to when I prepare it for whatever Im going to use it in, but I still cook my Chops a little on the rare side.
Hope your Friend makes a quick full recovery and all is well, give him our Best! and when you find out anything let us know.
(BP)

Drinking the blood from the heart of an elk/deer fresh killed is what a hunter should do??? I have never. Some i've hunted with, do.

Mixing the blood from a just killed critter with the hunter's blood; is that the right way??? I have done this many times, but never on purpose. It seemed i did the right thing whenever my blood mixed with elk blood, but i never tried on purpose. It seems right to share blood with the critter from which you took life, and to give thanks for the meat.

Myself, i don't know the answer, but it may be that a willingness to kill, should include a willingness to die.

Yea I too know some who have drank the blood of there first deer, as tough as I am I never have, but each time a new hunter takes a deer we always tell them they have to drink it, they refuse. Like I said I must have about a 80/20 mix of my blood and deer blood in me.
What I do when I harvest a deer is to take a stick from the ground near the deer and put it in his mouth, I heard this is what the Indians used to do to Honor the Animals life.
(BP)

I never used to use gloves but while never getting sick... my hands will swell up after field dressing a deer. Not to where you would go to the doctor, and it lasts maybe a day, but after I am done gutting a deer, I wash my hands and for the next couple hours, they just swell up. So I started using those glove your wife gets to wash dishes in hot water, and since I used them, no more hands swelling. I asked my doctor about that and he said some people are allergic slightly to blood and blood products. But he warned, make sure you're not allergic to latex either.

The only things I can think of that can be passed from deer to human is Lyme disease, and there are some parasites that can be passed to human from deer by eating undercooked venison as well.