Will you eat it?

[sirmissalot]

I have been a part of killing several elk with hoof rot and there hasn't been a problem with the meat whatsoever. I could lie in hopes none of you will pursue the elk I'm after... But it's simply not true.

[snowpack]

I'll pass.  If I think one has the rot, I won't shoot it.  If too many in the area start showing up with it, I'll start hunting elsewhere.  If they don't know what it is, I just don't believe they can say with high confidence much less absolute certainty that it is safe.  At least with all the other bad stuff in food (toxins in fish), you kind of know what to look for if you eat too much.

[TheHunt]

I agree with Snowpack.

[hirshey]

We have had multiple animals in our hunting party that have had hoof rot to varying degrees. The few that I was most suspicious of had atrophied leg muscles associated with the affected hooves. Perhaps it was simply due to compensation by the other legs to relieve pain, but it kind of gave me the grimace-factor.

They were all consumed with no incident to the persons, though. 

[PolarBear]

A friend of mine drew a January Coweeman cow tag last year.  The cow that she shot had pretty bad hoof rot.  She turned it in to the WDFW and they issued her another tag.  She wound up shooting one that did not have hoof rot. 

[RadSav]

Leg meat below the knee is usually not consumed just to error on the safe side.  I have not seen or smelled anything out of the ordinary on any we have killed above that joint.  And we do not take the kill site Carpaccio on hoof rot animals. Nor do we make jerky from it.  But, after five years and about 500# of the stuff I have to say it tastes great with no apparent problems for us. 

[Bob33]

An organization like WDFW is full of attorneys and risk management personnel that want zero risk.

I highly doubt they would say it is safe to eat, and give it away to food banks if they considered the risk to be of any significance.

[Eli346]

 We've killed 4 elk with it to one degree or another. None of the meat was bad or was wasted. I must say that the elk didn't show any signs of it when we shot them so you have to know it wasn't that bad. On another note, one of the elk was only 1 1/2 years old and had it already. That totally surprised me as I didn't think it could kick in that quickly.

[JJB11B]

Theres alot of different levels of hoof rot...if its bad enough yo make ya think twice then call fish and game and request for your tag back.... it may be just rumour but ive heard this is a possibility


You wont get a solid answer on if its safe because they dont know what it is...
Lots of these elk have been ate tho...so short term it doesn't appear to cause any problems

I know of two people last year who shot animals with some sort of disease and the game dept. traded the bad animal for a new tag. FWIW

[BOWHUNTER45]

My stomach has been hurting , I best go see the doctor 

[Goldeneye]

My stomach has been hurting , I best go see the doctor 

Showing any signs of foot rot?

[Mudman]

I wont be paying weyco for access and wont be hunting that region again and may not even support wdfw elk tag revenue or the states Disc. passes.  So no I wont eat it.  But I have in the past.   I think its probably safe but I dont like the unknown gamble.

[gaddy]

after seeing the recent studies that this is caused by chemicals I would say no ( a lot have been posted on this site). what are the levels? the state gives guidelines as to the amount of fish that can be consumed from our rivers by giving results to study's conducted on levels of contamination. can they do the same for wild game ?

[RadSav]

after seeing the recent studies that this is caused by chemicals I would say no ( a lot have been posted on this site). what are the levels? the state gives guidelines as to the amount of fish that can be consumed from our rivers by giving results to study's conducted on levels of contamination. can they do the same for wild game ?

What studies would that be? 

I'm one that has not come to a preliminary conclusion as the cause or diagnosis of the hoof rot issue.  Though I have been trying to read as many things as I can get my hands on from both WDFW and other sources.  In none of these have I seen a study that shows hoof rot is caused by chemicals.  I have seen more than one semi-scientific theory that claims the chemicals have lowered the immune system to a point of allowing the affliction to occur.  And I find one of those theories to be the most logical and practical at this time.  But not enough to get me to form an opinion yet.  And it is definitely not a strong enough argument to get me to give up eating westside elk.  Even if I do suffer from athletes foot each summer

In regards to limiting intake of fish that generally has to do with elevated levels of mercury in bottom feeders like cat fish and sturgeon.  Though it is strange that many also include tuna in that category which is about as far away from a bottom feeder as it gets!

[BOWHUNTER45]

My stomach has been hurting , I best go see the doctor 

Showing any signs of foot rot?

Not here ...we just have tribal rot