Congratulations! Your deer is down, pictures have been taken, the tag is applied, and now it’s time to finish the harvest process.

Handling and field dressing your deer requires a few simple precautions to eliminate the possibility of disease contamination.

This post from the Lone-Star Outdoor News covers the precautions needed for proper field dressing hygiene. You’ll want to take their advice.

SD Rifle Deer 2010 308It isn’t common, but it can happen.

With archery season for deer already under way, and the rifle season in the North and South zones only three weeks away, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department  is cautioning hunters to be careful in handling the game they harvest.

It is not common, but some diseases can spread from wildlife to humans. One such disease is anthrax, which is caused by naturally occurring bacteria found in soil. Animals can come down with the disease by swallowing anthrax spores while grazing. Humans, in turn, can contract the disease through touching infected animals, either alive or dead, or consuming their meat.

Other conditions, including tularemia, brucellosis and rabies also can be transmitted to people through direct contact with live animals or while field dressing harvested game. In addition, insects and ticks can transmit West Nile virus, Lyme disease, plague and other diseases.  More

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