How can I reduce the possibility of spreading CWD contaminated tissue when butchering my deer?
Prions are concentrated in the brain, spinal cord, lymph glands, tonsils, eyes and spleen. Wear latex or rubber gloves. Bone all meat. Don’t saw through bone. Removal of fatty tissue will remove all lymph glands. • How should I clean my butchering equipment? What destroys prions? The causative agent is very resistant to disinfection. The best recommendation at this time is to disinfect butchering equipment with strong chlorine bleach. • I usually take my deer to a commercial processor? What should I expect of them? Commercial operators should bone the deer and keep your deer meat separate from other deer. Lymph glands should be removed prior to grinding the meat. • I want to keep my deer antlers. What Should I do? If you use a saw to remove antlers, it should be cleaned and disinfected afterwards. This saw should not be used on any other part of the carcass. If you keep the entire skull for a (European mount), you should insure all meat is removed, wearing rubber or latex gloves while
