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General question

So I was walking this morning and found this guy laying by the river on public ground and he was frozen pretty solid. I know he was shot within the last 36 hours as that he wasn’t there on Sunday afternoon when I walked the area. He was hit in the hip and lower belly. I got a salvage tag from the DNR and gutted him and drug him out. My question is what should he smell like. He doesn’t smell like the deer my son shot earlier in the year but the guts were not obviously opened. Just curious if anyone would still use the meat to eat or would I be better off just skinning him and making some dog food.
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I don't know what advice to give outside of personally I would not take the chance. Just my Opinion be one thing if you just watched him get hit by a car..
 
With the temps we’ve had last 36 hours he’s probably fine. Gut it, skin it, hang it 24 hours and let your nose tell you. Sniff the rear legs & loins, not the abdominal cavity where the guts were.That might retain some odor. I might skip the tenderloins on one like this, but the rest should be OK. Cut a piece of loin and drop it in a fry pan. Then you’ll know. Don’t overcook it. Even the freshest venison tastes livery if overlooked.
 
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Not saying you did anything wrong but curious if there were others hunting in the area that could have left him overnight to expire and you possibly found him before the other guy. Kudos to you for not letting it go to waste tho
 
Not saying you did anything wrong but curious if there were others hunting in the area that could have left him overnight to expire and you possibly found him before the other guy. Kudos to you for not letting it go to waste tho

In taking with others he was shot at almost last light on Sunday over 2 miles from where I found him. So I am not sure they would have found him. I have an offer to the shooter if he wants him


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Glad you are trying to salvage the deer. What you may want to do is put a tag on it. Not trying to be a dick, but the deer has been moved and I'd hate to see you get into trouble by trying to do the right thing.
 
I'd trust the Horse Doc before myself, but here's a link to the Fort Dodge 3 day weather observations. Looks Like a full 18 hours of above freezing. Hope this is helpful in making a decision.

http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KFOD.html

Above freezing, but well below walk in cooler/refrigerator temps. If it's not sour (green & smelly), I still think it's safe and likely very tasty... I would certainly at least try it.
 
Above freezing, but well below walk in cooler/refrigerator temps. If it's not sour (green & smelly), I still think it's safe and likely very tasty... I would certainly at least try it.
True on the walk in cooler temp, I was a little concerned about the 5 hours of clear skies and low 40s. With the darker color of the fur it could absorb more heat if it was laying in the sun?...still probably not enough time to go bad. I'd be grabbing some marinade and firing the grill.:)
 
I’m not wanting hate mail as I get enough of it:D and I trust Horse docs word..... but I wouldn’t eat that sucker for nothing. I’m always a hungry guy but not that hungry ;) JMO let us know how the meat is. I’ll be interested on the results.
 
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If you want another opinion (probably a more experienced one ;)), take the carcass to a reputable processing locker. If it's gone bad, they won't let it in the door!
 
Wapsi the neighbors dog does that to me all summer as we are enemies and it gets on my lawnmower tires and I have to smell it for a hour.

LOL! I had the same problem, but I solved it. I tried handling it like the mature grown up that I might possibly be, but no result.....so I started leaving carcasses of any kind near the barb wire fence where the dog was crossing. Sure enough, that dog started dragging animal parts/bones back home to their front porch. The good neighbor suddenly found a reason to make sure the dog stayed home. Magic!
 
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