Gut Shot Deer Once Found - What to do?

[dbHunterNY]

So last night I shot a doe.  Close to perfect shot actually for how the deer was positioned.  It was a pass through going in high and back, coming out basically at the far side elbow.  No worries going right after it and a quick recovery.  I was in autopilot though and didn't realize how far back entrance was going to be.  the broadhead just caught the front edge of the stomach on entrance.  I process my own deer and i'm super particular.  It got me thinking..... not influencing posts and maybe i'll learn something.... what do the rest of you do with a stomach or intestine shot deer upon recovery even for processing if that applies to you?

[jjb4900]

if you can hang it and rinse it out that's good.....a gut shot deer that dies quickly and is recovered quickly is not the same as a gut shot deer that dies slowly and over a long period of time, it has no chance for the crap to infect and circulate through the system or however that would be described. I just cut away the crap that's around the exit or entry wound and all else is fine.

[518BowSlayer]

if you rinse it out good and it doesn't stink after rinsing, should be fine

[WNYBuckHunter]

Like has been said, rinse it out, trim the meat around the entry/exit wound near the gut area and process as normal.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Gut it an get as much out as you can. get it home, hang it and rinse it out. Never, never never used water in the field like a stream or pond. You will introduce other creepy crawlies. very little of the meat will actually be in contact with the contents of the cavity. After rinsing and skinning, I trim a thin layer off the inside of the hind quarters that boarder the cavity but it really sin't that much of an area. and honestly there is still membranes over it.  The only other meat that would be in contact would be the tenderloins. if it is really a concern to you and the diaphragm is intact, don't remove forward of the diaphragm forward until you hang and rinse. Personally i just rinse the tenderloins off and never had a problem 

[grampy]

With any deer, it is always CLEAN and COOL, ASAP! Even more so with a gut shot. Take more time to make everything as clean and dry as possible. If you do wash it out, be sure to dry it out after. As moisture is the kick start to bacteria. Trim away anything questionable and enjoy the bounty of the hunt!

[Chef]

Yes you should be ok rinse for sure... I'm trained in food safety... honesty as long as the meat is cooled ok you are ok... the outside of the meat is always cooked over 165 degrees so you won't get sick.... do you know how often the guts get popped at commercial slaughter houses more then you would ever think


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[Buckmaster7600]

After you rinse it and have it hanging make sure that you get something to open up and let air circulate the cavity it will help with drying and cooling.


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[dbHunterNY]

I've basically done everything that's been said.  I did pull the tenderloins.  rinsed them in the sink under cold water really good.  we'll see how they are when I pull them from the fridge.  only part I don't like is it's hanging in my cold garage and today it probably wasn't quite under 40 degrees.  it's close and will be fine as I'm taking care of it right after work.

also I've heard but never tried is taking a clean cloth soaked in a saltwater solution (1 gal water, 1/2 cup salt) and wiping down the inside of the cavity.  not sure what this would do.  never hear of many people doing it either.

[Doc]

Tenderloins, rib meat, and internal organs (heart, liver etc.) are the only meat items that are at risk. Rinse all that internal stuff off thoroughly and it should be alright unless the arrow has driven stomach contents and acids into and through any of these items.

[Curmudgeon]

Contamination of whole cuts is not much of a concern as the outside where it is contaminated is where the meat is at the highest temperature when cooked. The problem comes from ground meat that is not cooked completely through (the aforementioned 165 F I assume is safe). It's the same with beef. If you like a rare, or medium rare burger, you might have a concern. The potent strains of E-coli are in all local ungulates. You want to kill that stuff.

My wife makes a great burger by combining ground venison with salsa. If I had any concern about contamination, I would cook them completely through.

[dbHunterNY]

when I processed the deer just to be safe I did what I always seem to do when it happens.  I filleted a thin portion of the hind quarters off that was exposed to the inner cavity.  heart and liver was left in the field as it was already sliced into pieces before i opened her up.  i don't eat liver anyway.  heart always disappoints me when i can't take it home for the grill though.  there seems to be a consensus with what we're all doing.