Just another question? So how many of you cut the glands off the deer legs before you start to field dress them out. From a wise old hunter he told me that if you do not cut them off when you get to the kill it starts to sour the meat. I didn't know what else to do and he has more exp. than me so I just believed it. DO ANY OF YOU DO THIS?
i've never spoiled any meat or cut off any glands...first i've heard tell of it so i'd have to say it's not true. think about where they are...if they did spoil the surrounding meat it would just be a fork full.
i have heard to cut off the glands, keep them fresh , and use them during hunts, hanging them as a scent..but not spoiling meat.
Thats what i thought but the guy who told me has harvested alot more than I have. I guess maybe its only a big deal during the rut. Since you can smell the glands durning that period
No need to do it. But if you feel compelled, use a different knife so you dont contaminate the rest of the deer. Again, it is in my opinion a waste of time and we have literally butchered hundreds of deer over the years.
That's how I look at it too. I've never cut them off and I eat a lot of venison. You could do more harm than good by getting it on your knife and spreading it around.
Exactly. Just like Fletch and John said. Another old hunting wive's tale ... just like lining your broadheads up with your fletching.
i have heard of that hasn't happened to me but i have heard that some pigs and goats of some sort if you don't cut the testicles off at a certain time the meat is terrible. my brother shot a nice ram a year or two ago and the testicle were huge on it and the meat was terrible. so i don't know if there is a connection or not.
Call me crazy but I'm a firm believer in this....using them that is. I have had good results using as a cover scent/lure for years. Whenever I hear of a buddy shooting a buck (especially a big dominant buck and especially during rut) I will rush over to get to them tarsals! And nobody ever wants them so the picking is easy. I will hang them in a tree downwind/over a scrape/or in my tree. One thing I was taught though is to always make sure it's high enough that they can't get to it. Also if you collect some and put them in a container with a little rubbling alcohol they will keep from spoiling. Then you just rinse them with water and that good smell comes right back.
I wouldn't want to get the scent on my hand and then touch any meat. Fresh tarsals smell VERY strong. My ex hit a 130" 10 point with the old Caprice, when she clipped him his rear end bent around and dented the passenger door and where his tarsals hit the door it left big smelly smudges that stunk for over a week. You could smell it every time you got in the car. I think that would ruin the steaks..
I was taught to cut them off. It is the first thing I do with any deer. I don't use them for hunting but, I would if I could consistently kill Not sure if it contaminates the meat or not. Takes about a minute to do so, don't see any harm in doing it if your careful.
I too have used the glands as a cover scent and had good results of other bucks coming in to smell them!!!!!!!!!
I have never taken the tarsals off for any other reason than to use for hunting. The way i clean my deer the tarsals will never touch any of the meat. I think removing the tarsals would serve the same purpose as making sure to not bust the bladder while cleaning. Too me it seems like a wet tarsal gland is a great attractant for a big buck DURING the rut. Nothing makes em madder then another buck they don't know coming into their territory, leaving their sent everywhere. Throw in a few grunts with the scent and keep your head on a swivel..
Good to hear I'm not the only one... I had 2 big bucks come stand directly under me (and the tarsal hanging next to my stand) in the dark last year taking big loud inhales for like 5 minutes a piece last year on the night I shot my buck. One raked some saplings under me and moved on. The other took off after a passing doe. All of this while I was wanting to get down to go check out my buck. It works!
Wives tale "Among the bacteria found in tarsal glands are species that can cause illness and infection in humans, so use rubber gloves or wash your hands thorougly after coming in contact with the tarsal gland of a harvested deer. However, the adage that you must immediately cut the tarsal glands off a harvested deer or risk tainting the meat is anold wives’ tale." http://www.qdma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/qdma_tarsal.pdf
