Safely Field Dressing Game

Wildlife diseases are increasingly common in Vermont. Some of these diseases can spread to humans, but risk of infection is preventable by following a few simple steps. Hunters and trappers should protect themselves from exposure to diseases when processing game by following these steps:

• Do not shoot, handle, or consume an animal acting abnormal or appearing sick.
• When field-dressing game, wear disposable gloves, use a clean knife, and minimize use of a bone saw to cut through the brain or spinal cord (backbone).
• If you do not have gloves, wash thoroughly with soap and water after field dressing.
• Minimize contact with brain or spinal cord tissues, eyes, spleen, or lymph nodes.
• Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, pancreas, and lymph nodes. Normal field dressing, coupled with boning out a carcass, will remove most disease containing tissue. Cutting away fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.
• Refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking while handling and field dressing game.
• Wash and disinfect knives, saws and cutting table surfaces by soaking in a solution of 50% unscented household bleach and 50% water for an hour. Thoroughly rinse all utensils in water to remove bleach. Allow them to air dry.
• Wear disposable gloves when processing and packaging the meat.

For More Information

For information on wildlife diseases such as HPAI and RHDV2, visit our website (vtfishandwildlife.com) or the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service webpage (www.aphis.usda.gov)