WTF????

I estimate that I've killed over 200 deer in my life. I've seen some of nastiest things on them. Old gunshot wounds, new gunshot wounds, wounds from fighting other deer, tumors, ticks and a lot of stuff I can't even tell. This was a first though.

Saturday evening I finally got to go hunting for only the second time this year. It's been way too hot. I was bow hunting and using a crossbow. I've been using Rage 2 broad heads which are expensive. $45.00 for three. They work great though.

It's a beautiful day about 72* and no wind. Right about sunset a doe and two bambies show up in the field and are grazing. They slowly work their way in my direction until I can get a 30 yard shot on the doe. I take it and hit her high. Spine shot. She goes down and thrashes around and she finally stops and is sitting up.So now I've got to shoot her again. I get the crossbow cocked and loaded and she's giving me a shot at her chest and I take it and she dies. Both arrows are fine, but one broad head is busted and the other one looking bad. $30.00 worth of broad heads, but that's hunting.

I get down and as I'm getting ready to gut her, I notice these bumps up under her arm pit with scabs on them. What the hell is that? Must be just a bug bite or something, no big deal. I gut her, then go back to the truck and get rid of my stuff and pull the truck close to the gate where I need to drag her to. Go back out and get the deer and drag her about 300 yards through the woods, across a small creek, through a small swampy area, and back up a grade to the truck. Load her ass in the truck. I go home and get all of my crap out. I've got to skin and quarter her up and get in the refrigerator because it going to 85* the next day. So I get out the cutting board, knives, saws-all, ropes, and the tractor. I set up my lights and everything's ready. I drag her out of the truck and around back. I hoist her up with the tractor and get her tied off. I grab my buck knife and get ready to cut and I look at this deer and.....................

W.....T......F.....is this???????

This deer is covered with elongated bumps 1/4" wide and 1" to 2" long. It's all over her. Every bump has a big scab on it. Some of the scabs aren't healed and are festered up and oosing puss. It was pretty nasty and I was so freaked out and pissed off, I forgot to take a picture. I ain't eating this thing.

So I untie the deer, drag her back around the house, load her nasty ass back in the truck and take her down the road and out across the soy bean field and dumped her on the edge of the woods. What a waste of time.

What the hell is that? Someone told me of a case where he found Cattle Worms under the skin of deer. I googled it and can find stuff about parasites and other worms, but nothing right under the skin. Has anybody ever heard of or seen this before?

That's a lot a paragraphs for a simple 2 sentence question. Sweet Jesus

Just trying to make it exciting. It was pretty nasty. She was a little skinny. Most of them are fat monsters.

Mango worms? Screw worms?

Sounds like bot fly larva. Not a pretty sight.

I thought about cutting one open, but it was a little too funky for me.

Bot fly is what one rancher called them. Nasty looking but just cut them out and the deer is fine. I dissected one and it looks like some kind of alien worm.

I think they were cattle grubs cause by bot flies or heel flies. I hope the rest of the herd doen't have them. Pretty funky.

Bot flies

this. in squirrels, cats, rabbits, cows, etc. they're known as wolves down here on dusty, red dirt road. the animal is fine, but they do look a little disgusting. they drop out after frost.

When they are good and ready, you can push an empty pop bottle against the bump, it will blow out the most godawful ugly parasite.
As someone else said, it looks like an alien in a movie.

The deer would have been fine.

The worms are probably a good protein source also.

Yeah, you threw away venison for nothing.

It is common here in Ohio for squirrel hunters to wait for the first hard frost, for the same reason. Bugs under the skin. The meat is fine, you just need to wash it good for your own peace of mind.

infestation rates vary on a yearly basis. they also vary based upon locality.

with milk cows, they can be dug out with a bent nail, etc. obviously that doesn't work for wildlife. nature has to take it's course.

My Neighbors From Florida, And Squirrel Hunts, Early Here In The Mountains. Lot Of Wolfs On This Time Of Year. But Seems Not To Bother Him. He Drops Them In a Deep Fryer And Eats Them Wolfs And All...No Thanks, I'll Wait Till Frost....

I haven't killed a deer yet with the worms on it but I have killed them with a fair amount of ticks on them.

When I was a pup my uncle in Ky. was a big rabbit hunter and he also called the worms 'wolves'......he'd never kill a rabbit till after a hard frost or two which I guess kills them.

Thanks for the education. As I said, I've never seen it before on a deer. When I rabbit hunted, we used to always wait until after the first hard frost. I guess that's why I'd never seen it.

As far as ditching the deer, maybe it was a waste, but at the time, I had to make a decision. Not knowing what I had, I didn't want to feed it to anybody, especially me. As you know, nothing goes to waste in the wild. The foxes, coyotes, and birds need to eat too. As far as losing the venison, we have generous bag limits here. We're allowed unlimited does and 4 bucks. I don't have to worry about filling the freezer. I look at it as if I shot her and couldn't find her. Unfortunately, that happens sometimes. I still checked her in, so I now have my first doe under my belt. We have to kill 2 does before we're allowed to take our second buck. I'm more pissed about blowing up 2 broad heads and going through all of the work involved.

As a kid 'helping' Dad work cattle, we had some with those 'bumps' on them. Just took an old coke bottle (remember glass bottles?) and placed one over the hole and smacked it. Caused the worm to pop into the bottle. Rather gross but it got rid of the worms.

Once found a bump like that on a Coues deer in AZ - just under the hide was .270 bullet that didn't penetrate.

Beyond sick! I couldn't have dumped that deer fast enough to suit me either! GROOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Bot fly larvaes We use to fins some on the rabbits I raised when young. Opening up a deer filled with tape worms that have ulcerated thru the intestinal walls will really make you gag. I did that once in WY with a fork horn buck. I piled rocks on that thing so nothing else could eat it.

Don't know what the *** the bumps were but you are correct: Rage broadheads are great! Quoting you.

(I've been using Rage 2 broadheads which are expensive. $45.00 for three.)


Damn things cut an entry wound open to about 5'' coming in at an angle, the deer died very quick this past Friday! The only problem is that upon exit I couldn't find my carbon arrow with the brand new broadhead, I figure $26.00 is laying in the woods somewhere.

There are also nasal bots in deer which are fly larvae under the tongue and in the nasal passages. Common in warm weather, and sometimes causes the deer to cough. Otherwise harmless.

Guess thats a good reason to hunt in November

The grubs are also commonly called warbles. We used to squeeze the bumps and the grubs will pop out. They're big things. They're harmless to the cow/deer but they sure look gross.
Enough of them can ruin the hide, though. They leave lots of holes in the leather.

Wolf Worms are nasty, I wouldn't have eaten it either. The rabbits carry them here and cats get them at times. I've read where just about any animal can get them if they come in contact with the eggs. The larva/worm comes out after about a month, but sometimes leaves a nasty infection.

Too many deer in the woods to eat that one IMO