Would you eat him?

Took a mercy shot on a buck someone had already shot. He had a softball size hole in his neck.

I've had several people tell me I shouldn't eat him because he could have had a bad infection.

Would y'all eat this deer?

Think I would pass on eating it

Cut his head off and leave him for the coyotes and buzzards .

No way. Other deer out there to eat. Buzzards and yotes gotta eat too.

Was the deer moving along good?? Just wondering thats a big hole..

He had a pretty big limp. But not terrible.

Did you tag it?
Not being sarcastic....just wondering.

Yes I did.

I would not have shot that buck, but that is my choice to make. You made the choice the you saw fit to do. Seen deer that survive some pretty serious injuries and wounds.

Looks like someone took a badly quartering away shot and missed just wide, hit the skin over the shoulder and blew through the front of the shoulder giving that hole. Not a lethal shot in my mind, and he would have likely survived without much of a hitch, as you said limping for a bit.

No harm taking him though. Will make a good euro. Could probably take the straps and tenderloins and hams and been just fine.

^^^ I'd take the straps, and hams and tenderloins....and head and cape.

yup

Would have passed on him, mother nature takes care of her own and is often cruel. Now you burnt a tag on a buck you can't or won't eat. I think the ethics things gets blown way out of proportion sometimes. Yes, we owe it to the animals we harvest to be competent shots and provide quick clean kills, so in this instance the first hunter who wounded this deer acted unethically, be it by accident or just lack of practice. Also, I have seen some pretty banged up deer, especially bucks live several years after injury; even seen a three legged deer once (had 4 legs, one was just limp and useless from an old injury). I will say this though, if in your mind you feel you did the ethical or right thing, that's all that really matters.

I'd probably eat him.

What do you guys want with a cape that has a big-arse hole in it?

Like said backstraps, tenders and hindquarters prolly fine but doubt a processor would take him just being field dressed. Too risky for their operation. A call to GW may have saved your tag and they would have let you take the head more than likely.

^^^ this


I've been told that cooking the meat thoroughly would kill any infection

if he's got a serious infection then it will be obvious. meat will be obviously fevered....will have a dis-colored appearance, gangrenous smell....etc.

I would open him up and see what he looks like. unless it just all looks bad or deer is obviously fevered....the rear quarters and straps and such ought to be ok. I'd definitely stay away from the neck...maybe front shoudlers too depending on how much it may have spread.

but any meat that appears to be red/pink/well circulated ought to be ok.

I mercy shot a buck one year that had a really badly broken front leg. from what I don't know. front end of him was pretty swollen he just drug the leg. he may have survived actually....but I decided to take him anyways because it appeared that I could probably use most of him still.

we used the rear quarters and straps. he was fine.

Eat away, straps and rear quarters... I shot a deer with a similar wound, looked like a huge boil on the neck, that looked infected. I took it the processor and had them look at it. They confirmed the rest of the deer was good to go.

I'd have shot him too. Well done

As long as you cook the meat properly it won't hurt you. If it smells or tastes bad just don't eat the rest.