Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: jumpin on November 09, 2009, 02:35:32 PM

Title: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: jumpin on November 09, 2009, 02:35:32 PM: My partner shot a nice 4x5 Saturday, it turns out the damn thing has hoof rot on its front left leg. It was a mess.
When i got home today I googled hoof rot, what a nightmare.
It turns out that the whole southwest area of washington is infected.
I have been reading for hours about this but i dont see anything about fixing the problem.

WTF

Can you eat the meat?
will I get it from cleaning the beast?
can I eat chantrelle mushrooms without boiling them first?
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: Axle on November 09, 2009, 02:41:29 PM: Can't answer all your questions but I have butchered sheep and goats with the same problem and I think the meat is just fine.

Do the same as you would for an open gut cavity - keep it away from the meat.

Dispose of the hoofs in a way that you don't contaminate anything else (like a farm).
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: runamuk on November 09, 2009, 02:43:10 PM: Calm down first...lol.

If the leg has gangrene all the way up the meat will smell sour. If it is still confined to the lower part of the leg the rest of the animal should be fine. No nothing is being done not even a serious study to figure out why and if anything can be done, it is just one more way this shows its complete disregard for the wildlife that we proclaim to give a crap about.
You cannot catch hoof rot you don't have hooves for one and many of the pathogens that cause it are species specific.
Yes it is spreading in the state and no attempt to contain it seems to be in order.

the chentrelles will be fine cooked as normal.

and I am not a scientist or anything else I just have an ass load of animal husbandry experience and have dealt with various forms of hoof rot in other species......it is sort of a pet peeve of mine that this state is doing little to nothing about this problem.......
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: THINK_N_ELK on November 09, 2009, 07:17:45 PM: I would contact the local FW Biologist and talk to them. I am sure they can give you the do's and don'ts. Plus they may want a tissue sample from the animal just for study purposes.

Just my suggestion.
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: HntnFsh on November 09, 2009, 08:33:02 PM: Its extremely common the other side of I-5 from here.
Last year they said they cant recomend you eat an animal that has it.Then they said.Just stay away from that part of the animal and you should be ok.

I know a guy that shot 3 or 4 bulls in he last several years that had it.He ate them all.

I killed a bull once that had it.No hoof at all.Just a stub. The whole animal stunk.

What general area did he get it in?
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: BENCHLEG on November 09, 2009, 08:55:02 PM: lets see a pic . what does it look like?
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: HntnFsh on November 09, 2009, 08:57:51 PM: Hoofs can be missing.Deformed etc.Some almost look like a horse that was allowed to founder.

Seen em with hoofs that looked kinda like elf shoes. Or one 1/2 hoof fairly normal.The other longer and twisted.

Lotsa different scenarios.
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: HntnFsh on November 09, 2009, 08:59:37 PM: Heres the link to an article that was in the Longview paper last friday.Has a couple pics.

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/11/06/this_day/doc4af356c19714e905560081.txt
Title: Re: Hoof rot? HOLY #$^%&*
Post by: yorketransport on November 10, 2009, 09:53:58 AM: I know that it's a big problem in the Rydewood area. I helped my buddy shoot a cow during late archery in that area and she had one bad hoof. When I walked up on the animal, you could smell it. The rest of the meat was fine though. Just cut it off at the knee and toss it as far as you can. I talked to a couple of biologists at the check staion on the 600 road outside of Ryderwood and they told me that the hoof rot is something that they're aware of, and that it's becoming more of a problem.

I'm using the whole hoof rot thing as an excuse for why I never get anything. "Yeah, I saw a couple of big bulls, but they had the hoof rot, so I let them go." :rolleyes: :chuckle:

Andrew