Pus found in deer meat

[Tennessee Hayre]

Has anyone ever found a green like pus in the meat on a deer. I was processing (butchering) a buck when i went to cut through the back strap and found a small area with a pea green pus.(About 6" long). It did not have a bad oder just looked gross. I read on the internet that deer sometimes get that from a injury from fighting , falling or when someone made a bad shot with an arrow or gun. The rest of the deer looked just fine. This pus had it's own channel inside the meat about 6" long. Out of all the deer I have delt with over the years I have never seen this.

[AkRay]

If it grosses you out too much, donate the deer to a church or charity or soup kitchen in your area. Otherwise, just use the rest of the meat as you normally would.

[TedH]

Never seen that before. I have skinned a deer that had #6 birdshot under the hide though.

[marlinman93]

I've never seen it either, but I'd just cut it out and toss that section.

[86er]

Several years ago I shot a deer in West Virginia that ended up having 3 legs. I didn't know it when I shot it as it looked healthy. The right rear leg was missing just above the hock. The bone was worn smooth and round. When I cleaned it, there was a huge amount of that green pus in the right thigh. Not long after and coincidentally the Game Warden saw us and stopped to check things out. He was accompanied by a Deer Management Techinician. We showed them the severed leg and green pus. They advised us not to eat any meat that was in contact with the pus and leave some room for error. The Tech said the pus was from a bacterial infection and would definitely make a human sick if you ingested any of it. The rest of the meat overall was cited to be good. I ate the backstraps and tenderloins as steaks and the shoulders as chop meat. I left the whole hind end for the critters. BTW - the two Officials both agreed the injury seemed to be from the deer getting hung up in barbed wire but being strong enough to twist and pull until it cut through the leg. They estimated the injury to be at least 6 months old. Amazing animals!

[Buffboy]

I'll second 86er, be generous cutting it away and the meat otherwise will be alright.

[Tennessee Hayre]

Thanks guys, ya I threw the entire pc away. I also check everything else and washed the rest of the meat really well. I plan to re-wash and check all the meat again before throwing it into the crock pot.

[kooz]

I have seen this before, not a big deal. Just cut the discolored meat away and pitch it, the rest of the animal is just fine.

[nemhed]

I've seen this on a deer my dad shot several years ago. A long pus pocket similar to what you described. My dad speculated it was a puncture wound from another buck's tine. We cut out the effected area and kept on processing. No ill effects.

[Nath]

No not in deer but many times in rabbits and once on heavy sprayed land a rabbit with a tumer

A bit off putting!

Nath.

[Leverdude]

Not green but yellow like custard.
I was skinning out a buck a few years ago & got to the arm pit area & there was sonething there, kinda like scar tissue. I decided I could leave it on the hide & just peel it off together, then I poked it.
Nasty stuff come out. I chucked that whole shoulder. Better safe than sorry.

[Hungarian]

I heard my grandfather talk about this exact green puss thing...wow....maybe 30 years ago when I was a kid. I think they ended up burying the deer....I don't recall how extensive the green puss was however.

[Tennessee Hayre]

I have decided that since it was in the backstrap, I am only keeping the hinds and the shoulders, the rest I am going to throw away. I have three deer already in the freezer and plan to get a couple more so no reason to take any chances. I know one thing, it is some pretty awful looking stuff.