Things you can pick up from handling wild animal meat.

[luger]

Hey all, I've just been reading up on trichinosis from eating under cooked bears and it got me thinking about other possible bad things you can get from wild game. The only precautions I have ever heard of was tric from bears and when skinning coyotes/wolfs and other predators you need to wear gloves because of parasites . I've heard theres a disease that affects rabbit and you can tell by spots on there liver but not sure if the animal is still good to eat if it does have that disease. If i keep to wearing gloves while butchering and gutting and cook all grouse, rabbits and bears to 160 Celsius and deer and other ungulates to 140 Celsius am I pretty much safe? What do you guys look for in meat? What are your precautions? Any advice, life experience and knowledge is appreciated!

[LupieHunter]

I have a compromised immune system courtesy of an autoimmune disease that I have, so I have to be more cautious than most. I wear rubber gloves when there's blood and when handling the meat/body. It's not that I'm afraid of the blood, getting dirty or the raw meat, it's just that I have to be very cautious due to my compromised immune system. What could make one person slightly sick, could make
me very sick. I also ensure that my meat is thoroughly cooked. With that being said, I've never gotten sick from anything hunting related, even when I was at my sickest and told not to hunt (but I did anyway being the stubborn teen I was lol).

[Kowabunga]

Check out the pamphlet at this link. It lists diseases that my be found in wildlife in our province.

http://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Guidelines%20and%20Forms/Guidelines%20and%20Manuals/Health-Environment/diseases_from_wildlife_safetymanual1.pdf

[two-feet]

I would assume ALL game animals have parasites, just some are more visible than others. That being said I consider wild meat to be the "cleanest" of all possible meat options. Of course I cook bears to well done but will eat ungulates damn near raw, with no fear of sickness. Of course there is risk in anything but I will not be the guy sitting at home worried about the million different things that may or may not happen.
The most parasite laden animals I have ever seen, by far, are bottom fish like halibut and ling. Salmon as well. For some reason people can turn a blind eye to that, but not 4 legged critters.

[Jelvis]

Only thing I got was ticks from deer. I'm healthy and have no health problems so I don't use gloves.
-- Look for blisters or flukes in the deer liver, blisters and bubbles on the liver, not good.
The carcass look at the meat and it should look normal, but if it has lil purple bumps under the skin then I don't eat.
-- Other than that I go ahead. Only seen one carcass with bumps and maybe two with liver flukes and blisters.
Jel -- never got anything from moose, mules, blacktail, bear or grouse, over many decades.

[carnivore]

I understand that it is wise to wear rubber gloves when handling and processing game meat to prevent contaminating the meat with bacteria that may be on your hands.

[ajr5406]

I think you are more likely to get sick from improper food safe handling practices (ie: temperature storage, cross contamination etc), than what is actually in the meat itself.

[Jelvis]

-- my hands won't harm the meat when skinning ot gutting, only if I get gut material on my hands by slicing the stomach open by cutting too deep or a slip.
If you had gloves on or not, you can cut the gut and spread contents on hands and then meat.
Meat itself will only do you good, all wild no steroids or anti anything, all organic venison.
-- don't put plastic over a warm animal carcass it will bone sour.
Jel -- make sure you know what and how to gut a deer safely and properly.
------------------------- a slip with the warm blood on hand on a sharp hunting knife can happen
use caution when gutting.

[gutpile]

Half my body got paralyzed once for an hour the day after I skinned a bear .

[Surrey Boy]

Ungulates can be eaten raw. Predators often contain trichinella and should be cooked, as should white fish as mentioned.

Keep in mind that worms are very treatable and rarely fatal. I'd be more worried about Lyme and heavy metal contamination, but even so, you're more likely to get sick from other people than wild animals.

[tomahawk]

Check out the pamphlet at this link. It lists diseases that my be found in wildlife in our province.

http://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Guidelines%20and%20Forms/Guidelines%20and%20Manuals/Health-Environment/diseases_from_wildlife_safetymanual1.pdf

Cool find, interesting read for a rainy day. I cook all ungulates the same as beef, interesting they say that it should be fully cooked. Been doin it since 1977 so guess I'm playin Russian Roulette?

[luger]

Thanks for all the info ! That PDF is a great source if something is off with the deer.

[leftfield]

15 years ago I got this thing called Guillian Barre Syndrome. They say that it may come from handling dead birds but may have others causes. It was pretty brutal and still has some lingering effects

[caddisguy]

I've cut myself dozens of times while handling bears... even when cleaning a skull using water + bacteria rot method... so far nothing more than a localized infection.

I had some stomach issues last year and was treated for h. pylori (not related to animals or hunting) and I have been mostly ok ever since.

I have been bitten by dozens of ticks... 100+ in the last 5 years actually... still no bulls-eye rash but I realize that doesn't happen all the time.

I have been tested for trichinosis once and presented no antibodies. I eat bear meat based meals probably 1/3 of the year. I've goofed a few times realizing I have not cooked it enough. And keep in mind, the vast majority of trich cases go un-noticed... few present symptoms and fatality rate is comparative to influenza... cook to 165F and you are safe 100% of the time.

There is no point in ever testing bear meat for trich. It's a scam, period. Trich is only one of many nasties that can appear in bear meat. All bears carry stuff that will mess you up. Tape worms can mess you up way worse than trich. You just need to cook it to 165 and you have nothing to worry about. No medium rare bear steaks. Consider it 100 lbs of sausage, burgers, etc. Treat it like you would chicken or pork.

[Jelvis]

-- I don't eat bear, I quit shooting bear after the second black I got.
I figured don't eat em don't shoot em, I had one head mount and gave meat to nay bore.
- I had some from my first bear and it was not my bag so eat deer every year.
I dint want worms crawling around in my intestines, like eels eating my inards and my scrotum.
It scared the crap outta me!
---- Just different tastes, some of my relatives love pork, and I only like the bacon.
No pork roasts for me
Jel -- I shot the Sheriff -- I saw Sheriff John Smith aiming at me, it was self defense
butt I did not shoot the deputy -- it was my quick reflex's -- not me
-------- You can only drive down main street so many times --

[blindcast]

Great article on that in the current (MAY/JUNE) issue of Western Woods & Waters magazine.

[Ubertuber]

If i keep to wearing gloves while butchering and gutting and cook all grouse, rabbits and bears to 160 Celsius and deer and other ungulates to 140 Celsius am I pretty much safe?d!

Just to clarify, your temperatures should be in Fahrenheit, not Celsius. A moose steak cooked to 140C would be like chewing a wallet. :wink:
That said, I like ungulates as rare as rare can be, never had a problem.