Worms in my buck mouth

Tsalt · January 04, 2014, 09:47:00 PM

I killed a good buck this morning (story under "My Best Buck").

He seemed like a pretty old deer so we were prying his mouth open to look at his teeth and spotted worms!

He had been dead probably 5 hours when we got to him. I'm assuming the crawled up from his belly or lungs during this time.

Any idea what these are? Anything to worry about with meat?

January 04, 2014, 09:49:00 PM

I would bet they are bot fly larvae. They live in the nasal cavity of a LOT of deer. If that is what they are they do not hurt anything and the meat is just fine!

Bisch

KillerBee · January 04, 2014, 09:50:00 PM

Yup! Bot fly larva

Bud B. · January 04, 2014, 09:51:00 PM

Yep. Crawled out of my last year's deer's nose.

Looper · January 04, 2014, 10:08:00 PM

How'd they taste?

TxAg · January 04, 2014, 10:19:00 PM

Nasal bots. Yum!

Stumpkiller · January 04, 2014, 10:31:00 PM

Horrible, isn't it? I raise sheep and you can't believe the parasites they are vulnerable to. I try to minimize such things, of course. I imagine deer are even more troubled. Wild animals (and domestic) carry a "normal parasite load" at the best of times.

I took a course on medical parasitology in college and there are no horror or sci-fy thrillers that upset me near as much as what can use us as a host in plain ol' real life.

I've killer squirrels that were loaded with bot flys. And in our "tin cat" I trapped a mouse that had several. That would be like a human with two footballs stuffed under your skin. Nasty critters.

Tsalt · January 04, 2014, 10:59:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by looper:
How'd they taste?

Haha... my buddies told me that It's like a bottle of tequila and I had to eat the worm! I declined!

Glad to hear it isn't some exotic parasite. Thanks for the feedback fellas.

ARriverdog · January 04, 2014, 11:03:00 PM

Yep nasal bots no issue

rolltidehunter · January 04, 2014, 11:06:00 PM

2 weeks ago I was extracting the jaw bones out of several does and one deer had bot flies in the mouth. Kinda nasty looking but very common

olddogrib · January 05, 2014, 07:27:00 AM

Nasal bots? Didn't they overthrow the Klingons and give the Starship Enterprise a run for its money awhile back?

Paul/KS · January 05, 2014, 08:53:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by olddogrib:
Nasal bots? Didn't they overthrow the Klingons and give the Starship Enterprise a run for its money awhile back?

No, I think you are thinking of that infestation of Nano Bots that Wesley Crusher let loose... :eek:

Jayrod · January 05, 2014, 10:01:00 AM

Wow that's crazy! Never saw them before at least not in a deers mouth!

Bladepeek · January 05, 2014, 10:59:00 AM

I shot a little Roe buck in Germany that was sneezing continuously. I took the whole head for a European mount - the forester kept the meat for sale to a restaurant. That poor little guy's head was so full of bot fly larvae I can't imagine how he was still breathing. The meat was fine and the forester told me he would have probably survived and lived a normal life. Game animals are just plain tough!

chall · January 05, 2014, 11:54:00 AM

That's nasty , seen them before thou. Our horse gets them now and again.

Ryman Cat · January 05, 2014, 08:11:00 PM

Bet they would be great for fishing to?

KentuckyTJ · January 05, 2014, 08:21:00 PM

Interesting. Have seen many deer sneeze in my days. I suppose that was the cause.

Keith Zimmerman · January 05, 2014, 08:31:00 PM

Thats gross. Ive never seen that. You would think the freezing weather would kill them.

boznarras · January 05, 2014, 08:46:00 PM

I have seen this on the underside of the hide when skinning caribou, encapsulated in connective tissue. They are also called warble flies.
Interestingly, these were traditionally eaten by native people right at the time of butchering. Google it and you will see...
When they eventually emerge from the skin on live animals, the hides are full of holes until healing occurs. This was taken into consideration for deciding when to hunt if you wanted the hides for clothing, avoiding the time around the hatch. Vilhjalmur Stefansson wrote about this in his books on living with the Alaskan and Canadian natives for extended periods between 1906 and 1918.

jrchambers · January 05, 2014, 08:58:00 PM

ive also seen the warbles in spring caribou, the skin was like a mine field, on the same animals when we slit their necks handfuls of them came out. im assuming they were in the nasal cavity.
just disgusting.