njbuck22

I was just having a discussion with a hunting buddy of mine and he was saying that deer are similiar to rabbits, that you shouldnt eat them till after the first frost cause they can have worms. Is this true? I have heard that many times in regards to rabbits, but never with deer. I have eaten a few deer before the first frost and have never seen any worms while i was butchering them. Fact or fiction?

wis_bow_huntr

if this were true what the hell would the folks in Texas do???

nyorange

As far as worms in the flesh of deer or on their skin, just remember that Deer are warm blooded and they are always the same temperature. Any worms are living in a climate controlled environment and first frost or dead of winter shouldn't make a difference.Other diseases are controlled by temperature like the hemorraghic fever theyare talking about latelywhichstops with the first frost/cold spellbecausethe bugs that carry it and give it to the deer die when it gets cold. Hope it helps.

mwaite

[/align]This is very untrue. And I'm pretty sure that I've read that the one about rabbits is untrue as well. Think about it. After a frost, does the internal temperature of a live rabbit change any? I hardly think so, so how would a frost affect the fact of whether or not a rabbit has parasites inside? I think it all stems from the fact that jackrabbits do have an issue (worm or bacteria, not sure) called tularemia, that requires that it be cooked thoroughly before eating. Anyone else have any sure knowledge of this?

NavyDeerHunter

I have never hesitated to eat a summer-killed (crop damage permit) deer and have never had any issues.
You could have issues with spoilage if you don't get it gutted and cooled quickly enough, but that has nothing to do with worms. If an animal has worms, I'd expect it to have them without regard for the temps.

nchawkeye

Kinda makes you wonder what the pioneers ate, 200 years ago doesn't it....