I killed a small buckthis morningthat had about 20-25 ticks on him. Most of them were attached around his ears. The weather has been mild here (no or very little frost). I have never seen this before. I assume it's OK to eat the deer. Or, is it a sign of illness????

Its just ticks. The meat is all good. Cows get ticks on them as well.

Make sure you do a tick check on yourself.

A lot of deer I kill have ticks. Some more than others and it seems that bucks I've killed have more than does, why I haven't a clue.

Itwon't be a problem, but do make sure you check urself.

The ticks themselves won't be a problem unless they get into your car and stuff. They won't stay on the deer long after it dies.

Watch for signs of Lyme Disease in deer and yourself if you getbitten.
Here is some info.
http://www.dhpe.org/infect/Lyme.html

I help out a taxidermist during the season and most of the deer brought in have ticks. Some are really crawling with them even in really cold temps. The meat is fine, but keep them off of yourself.

the meats fine most deer i see have them