When Should You Not Eat Deer Meat? A Guide to Nutrition and Safety

October 26, 2025 •

5 min read

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal, contagious neurological illness affecting deer and other cervids. Knowing when you should not eat deer meat is crucial for protecting yourself and your family from potential health risks, far beyond simply checking for spoilage.

Quick Summary

Avoid deer meat from sick-looking animals, those in known CWD areas, or when lead ammunition was used. Proper handling, thorough cooking, and cautious organ consumption are also essential to prevent foodborne illness and parasitic infection.

Key Points

Avoid meat from sick animals: Never eat venison from a deer showing signs of CWD, such as severe weight loss or abnormal behavior.
Test in CWD areas: In regions with known CWD, have your deer tested and do not consume the meat if it tests positive.
Be wary of lead contamination: Avoid venison, especially ground meat, harvested with lead ammunition, particularly for pregnant women and young children.
Practice strict hygiene: Follow proper field dressing and handling procedures to prevent cross-contamination and bacterial growth.
Cook thoroughly: Ensure venison is cooked to a safe internal temperature to kill any potential parasites like Trichinella.
Discard high-risk organs: Avoid consuming organs like the liver, kidneys, and nervous tissue, which can harbor contaminants or CWD prions.

Understanding the Health Risks Associated with Venison

While a lean and nutrient-dense source of protein, deer meat, or venison, carries specific risks that differ from commercially raised livestock. These dangers relate primarily to a serious neurological disease, heavy metal contamination, and general food safety hazards. Understanding these risks is the first step in protecting your health and ensuring your meal is safe.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

Chronic Wasting Disease is a progressive, fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk, and moose. It is caused by misfolded proteins called prions that damage the animal's brain and nervous system. The disease is infectious and spreads through direct animal-to-animal contact or contact with contaminated environments, as prions can remain in soil for years.

If the deer appears sick or acts abnormally: Signs of CWD include severe weight loss, lethargy, stumbling, tremors, and excessive salivation and urination. Any animal exhibiting these signs should never be consumed. Report the animal to local wildlife authorities.
If the deer tests positive for CWD: In areas where CWD is known to exist, health authorities recommend testing harvested deer before eating the meat. If a test comes back positive, the meat and other parts of the animal should be disposed of properly.
If the deer comes from a known CWD-endemic area: Even if an animal appears healthy, there is a risk of infection. The CDC recommends caution when hunting or handling deer in areas where CWD is present. While there is no known evidence of CWD spreading to humans, it is a precaution widely recommended by public health officials.

When field-dressing a deer from a CWD area, it's also advisable to wear latex or rubber gloves and minimize contact with high-risk tissues like the brain, spinal cord, and lymph nodes.

Lead Contamination from Ammunition

Lead is a heavy metal toxin that poses a significant health risk, especially to children and pregnant women. When deer are harvested with lead ammunition, tiny fragments of lead can spread far from the wound channel, becoming embedded in the surrounding meat. These fragments are often too small to see, feel, or detect during processing.

If a deer was shot with lead ammunition: Especially for high-risk populations like pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children, venison harvested with lead bullets should be avoided.
When consuming ground venison: Ground venison carries a higher risk of containing lead fragments than whole cuts because the grinding process can distribute particles throughout the meat.

For hunters, using non-lead ammunition, such as copper bullets, is the most effective way to eliminate the risk of lead contamination. If using lead bullets, a generous amount of meat around the wound channel should be trimmed and discarded.

Improper Handling and Foodborne Illness

Like any other meat, venison can cause foodborne illness if not handled, stored, and prepared correctly. Since wild game is not subject to the same regulatory oversight as commercial meat, the hunter bears the responsibility for ensuring safety.

If the meat is not cooled quickly: Rapid cooling is essential to prevent bacterial growth. In warm weather, a deer carcass should be field-dressed and cooled as soon as possible after the harvest.
If the meat shows signs of spoilage: Avoid eating venison that has a greenish tint, a sewage-like odor, or a sticky or slimy texture. The natural, gamey smell should not be confused with spoilage, but any distinctly foul odor is a clear warning sign.
If you suspect cross-contamination: If a knife or cutting board used for dressing the animal has come into contact with intestinal contents, it can contaminate the meat. All surfaces and tools must be thoroughly cleaned with hot, soapy water to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Parasites and Insufficient Cooking

Raw or undercooked wild game can carry parasites, most notably Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella. While the risk of Trichinella from deer is low compared to other wild game like bears, cooking venison thoroughly is the only way to kill any potential parasites. Unlike with some domestic meat, freezing wild game is not a reliable method for killing parasites. Pregnant women are especially at risk from Toxoplasma, which can cause serious health problems for a fetus.

Environmental Contaminants

In some regions, environmental contaminants can accumulate in certain animal organs. For instance, the Quebec government advises against consuming the liver and kidneys of cervids due to potential cadmium accumulation. Cadmium builds up in these organs over the animal's lifetime, and even a single meal of contaminated kidneys could exceed safety guidelines.

Practices for Safer Venison Consumption


Aspect	Safe Practice	Unsafe Practice
Harvesting	Use non-lead ammunition like copper bullets.	Use lead ammunition, especially when targeting high-risk groups.
Field Dressing	Dress the deer immediately and cool the carcass rapidly, separating meat from organs.	Delay dressing, especially in warm weather, or risk puncturing the gut cavity.
Processing	Trim a generous distance around any bullet wound. Have the animal tested if in a known CWD area.	Ignore the wound channel or fail to test in CWD-endemic regions.
Cooking	Cook all cuts of venison to a safe internal temperature, using a meat thermometer.	Consume raw or undercooked venison, or rely on visual cues for doneness.
Consumption	Prioritize whole cuts for general consumption; vulnerable populations should avoid lead-shot venison.	Feed lead-shot venison to children or pregnant women, or consume organs with high contaminant risk.

Conclusion: Prioritizing Venison Safety

Enjoying venison is a rewarding experience for many, but it comes with a responsibility to understand and mitigate potential health risks. Knowing when you should not eat deer meat is about more than avoiding a tough or off-tasting meal; it's about protecting against serious diseases and contaminants.

The most critical scenarios for avoidance are when the deer shows signs of illness, tests positive for CWD, or was harvested with lead ammunition, particularly for high-risk individuals. Furthermore, meticulous hygiene during handling and cooking to a safe internal temperature are non-negotiable steps for any wild game preparation. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that the venison you consume is not only delicious but also as safe as possible for you and your family. For more in-depth information, you can always consult public health resources like the CDC Information on CWD.

Frequently Asked Questions

There is currently no scientific evidence that CWD can infect humans. However, public health officials, including the CDC, recommend not eating meat from deer that test positive for CWD, appear sick, or are harvested from known CWD areas as a precaution.

When deer are shot with lead ammunition, tiny lead fragments can scatter throughout the meat, even far from the bullet wound. Ground venison is particularly susceptible to containing these fragments, which are toxic and especially dangerous for pregnant women and children.

Yes, food poisoning from bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella can occur if venison is not handled, dressed, and stored properly. Rapid cooling after the harvest and proper hygiene during processing are essential for safety.

Pregnant women should be extra cautious. They should avoid venison harvested with lead ammunition and ensure any venison they consume is thoroughly cooked to a safe internal temperature to kill any potential parasites.

To kill parasites and bacteria, venison should be cooked to a safe internal temperature. For ground venison, this is 160°F (71°C). For whole cuts, cooking to at least medium-rare (e.g., 145°F/63°C) is recommended, but for higher safety margins, particularly for vulnerable individuals, cooking to a higher temperature is advised.

Yes, certain parts pose higher risks. You should avoid consuming the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, and lymph nodes, especially in CWD areas. The liver and kidneys can also contain high levels of heavy metals like cadmium in some regions.

No, unlike parasites sometimes found in pork, freezing is not a reliable method for killing the roundworm parasites found in wild game like deer. Thorough cooking is the only method to ensure these parasites are destroyed.

Signs of spoiled venison include a greenish tint to the meat, a foul or sewage-like smell (distinct from a normal gamey odor), and a sticky or slimy texture. If in doubt, it is best to discard the meat.