Do ticks on deer impact the quality of venison?

By Grant Woods,

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Question
Dr. Woods,

My name is Joshua Farley, and I was wandering if ticks on deer in early season have any negative effects on the meat of the dear. I hunt in central Ok and many people around here that I know do not hunt early season do to the fact that most dear will have a good amount of ticks on them. Many of the does that I get on camera will have large amounts of ticks on the neck and around the ears(like in the picture’s posted). I appreciate any information and god bless!

Joshua,

Deer at my place are loaded with ticks also!  I’ve taken deer during the first week of season for years and never noticed any problem with the meat.  The problem may be keeping ticks off you during the early season but I’m not aware of problem with venison due to deer having ticks.

Enjoy creation,

grant