Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Cut my leg while field dressing a whitetail...

Ok so has anyone here cut themselves while field dressing a whitetail? Feel free to laugh... I'm fairly new to hunting and on Saturday I was making my first cut, knife slipped and I cut myself in the shin. I'm just asking because now my other half has me paranoid and convinced that I pick up deer aids or something haha. Is there any risk of disease from that? The cut was small and filled up a sock full of blood so im assuming fairly clean. Thanks

OK, I laughed. No real problem as long as you cleaned the wound up well like with any cut or puncture. Do watch for that redness marking an infection.

I would recommend using surgical gloves when dressing a deer however. Cleaner and quicker work. Also a bit more of a sure-handed grip.

By the way, deer don't have aids but ya gotta be careful of that gonnorhea.

yeah deers don't get aids.

deer herpes tho, that sucks, can't get rid of it.

I left my damn gloves in the cruiser, that and I bought a sharper knife for next time. Its always fun to laugh at some someone elses expense though huh? I was going to mention my worry about the other deer VD's but I knew someone would cover them!

Have you had any swelling in your neck?

Do you have any desire to bend over saplings with your forehead?

Do your male coworkers seem to piss you off for no reason?

Do you find yourself digging up the carpet and peeing in the hole?



If you answer yes to any of these things, consult a physician immediately and stay out of the woods. Otherwise, a little triple antibiotic and a bandage will probably be all you need.

I cut my thumb bad enought to require stitches a few years ago. After the 40 mile drive to the hospital, I was joking with the doctor and I said, "I bet I'm the first guy to ever cut his hand while cleaning a deer." He said, "Well, you're the first one today."

Fast Ed

Take Shaman's advice and watch for symptoms of deerosis.
Yeah I laughed as someone who durn near amputated a finger and still bears the scar from cutting a deer in half with a butchers clever. Boy did that smart.

BCR

Well this is 2009 and the powers that be will tell you that you can get all manner of desease from deer such as chronic wasting that has been around for about 100 or so years and wasn't serious until the liberals got hold of it, and now you can die of blood poisening from lead core bullets so you must go green, perhaps thats what happens when monolithic manufacturers pay off politicians! ...In my life time I have yet to known of a "confimed case" deer gutting death other than a fight over who shot the deer, kinda like global warming that really does not exist and it won a Nobel prize, but thats kinda like a prize in cracker jacks these days...but it was the ultimate con job by the man who invented the internet!!!..:)

A knife cut can get infected and thats about it IMO...I have been gutting deer and big game without gloves for 65 years or better, cut my hand a few times but nothing serious, and so far so good..I have also been working cattle and casterateing them and dehorning them for many years without incident..I think some folks just get unlucky and would probably have been run over by a train anyway...:)

The use of gloves to gut deer does keep ones hands clean and you can then pick your nose the remainder of the day!

Back when I was smart and knew it all at age 16, I stuck an Uncle Henry Pocketknife point first in my thigh while gutting a deer after dark.
Worst part was not knowing whose blood was all over my leg.
No stitches, but wish I had.
Stuff happens. Make sure you go slower next time. I would only be concerned about "regular" infections.

stumpy

I cut myself every year some where between pulling the trigger and putting fork to mouth.

You will live.

It is not unusual for me to cut myself slightly when cleaning/ skinning/butchering a big game animal. I have found that frequently I get a low-grade infection at the site of the cut. The cut gets red and sore, swells up a bit and then after a few days, the infection goes away. To head the infection off I douse the cut with hydrogen peroxide. That stops it.

Tetanus immunization up to date?

Don't knoiw about most other places, but where I hunt the deer have deer ticks All over them. It's a safe bet that virtually all of them are carrying Lyme bacteria. If I got cut while dressing one I'd treat it the same way we handle deer tick bites on people. Basic course of antibiotics.

I got the bright idea to use a filet knife to process an elk in the field. I'm generally pretty good with a knife and hadn't cut myself in years. I was used to my regular hunting knife and the filet knife was a tad longer. I felt a slight tug at the second knuckle of my middle finger on my left hand. No pain or anything so I knew the knife was still sharp.

I looked down and saw the sliced knuckle. Couldn't really tell how bad it was bleeding because blood all looks the same. I ripped off a corner of my bandana and tied it over the cut and kept working.

The first load out weighed 105 lb. and that kept my blood pressure up pretty well on the way back to camp. I left a decent blood trail in the snow all the way back to camp. I still have a little scar but that's it. I don't use gloves. I'm just old fashioned I guess.

First: Cut away from yourself, not towards your body. Jam the knife into your groin and hit your femoral artery and infection will be the lest of your worries. Had an acquaintance-guide that should have known better-sink a 6in blade into his groin. Blood going everywhere. He was lucky in that an oral surgeon was there who had an extensive first aid kit and got things under control or he probably would not have made it. Learn something from that shin stick.

Second: I have had Lyme disease. Lucky because I caught it quick. However, you have to be kind of unlucky to get Lyme. According to my physician only about 1 in 10 ticks carry lymes and only 1 in 10 of them will transmit it. Don't ask where he came up with those numbers, I don't know. Just know what he told me. Between my dogs and myself I can't tell you how many ticks I have taken off. Most of the time on myself I catch them before they attach. On the dogs I have removed a couple hundred and that may be conservative.

Miles, Lyme disease is caused by a virus not a bacteria and there is a vaccine for it now.

Actually, it is a bacteria. Very much like the syphilis bacteria - spirochete I think they call it.

And, I don't want an oral surgeon working on my groin for some reason. Doesn't seem right.

Craig

He was kidded about that. To tell the truth I don't think he would have cared if it was a proctologist. He was on his way to the happy hunting ground.

4 S ter has it right. The bacteria is a spirochete. Similar indeed to brucellosis and syphilis bacteria, and in fact similar symptoms are often present. There is a vaccine for it. It is not the most effective and needs frequent boostering.

Mr. jml403;
I�d like to extend a welcome to the fire to you from southern BC.

I will confess that years back I gave myself minor nicks so often while gutting deer, my hunting partner would tease me that I was suffering guilt and was subconsciously punishing myself.

He quit teasing me after I cut him a few time while we were cutting up deer on the side of the mountain on backpack hunts.

As others have mentioned though, as with other things in life, we do well to learn from our mistakes. A cousin had a close scrape when he slashed his palm open gutting a moose. It was something like 25 miles out with a snowmobile and then another while to the hospital by pickup for him, but it turned out OK.

By our very nature, we as hunters are often a long way from help if we get injured, so do take care. You have been given some good advice and I would perhaps add that once the animal is down, take a minute to relax and unwind before the knives come out.

Good luck in your future hunts.

Regards,
Dwayne