When you were in a survival situation, an actual survival situation, once and preference disappears within the face of the cruel calculus of simply staying alive.
You could have to endure belongings you couldn’t imagine in a standard life and do things you possibly can never have imagined. This includes basic activities similar to eating.
When supplies run out and your stomach rumbles, you will have to eat whatever you’ll be able to get your hands on that is fit for human consumption if you should stave off hunger.
Sure, you would possibly need to eat some interesting animals, but have you ever stopped considering that you could also eat their organs? What about deer liver? Can you eat deer liver to survive?
Yes, you’ll be able to eat deer liver in a survival situation. Considered a delicacy by hunters, healthy deer liver is wealthy in protein and other essential nutrients, making it an asset in a survival scenario.
Some people grew up eating liver within the household, and for those who’re one in every of them, you will have a bonus when it comes time to organize deer liver together with the meat.
However, as with all wildlife, you have to know more to make sure your liver is secure and healthy. Making a mistake here can lead to a fatal disease. We’ll let you know more later in this text.
Nutrition facts about deer liver
Why would you even eat deer liver? Aside from the indisputable fact that it’s possible you’ll starve or starve to death soon, deer liver is surprisingly healthy.
On average, a 100g serving of deer liver incorporates about 30g of protein and about 175 calories, and 5 to 6g of fat. This is actually great for enhancing your energy levels, each within the short and long run.
Besides, the liver can be wealthy in essential nutrients, each vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, folic acid, copper and selenium.
These nutrients are critical to many bodily functions, including vision, the immune system, and cell growth.
Folic acid is one other necessary nutrient present in deer liver that is very important for the production of red blood cells and the upkeep of a healthy nervous system.
Additionally, it is very necessary for pregnant women because it helps prevent birth defects in newborns.
In short, while you might have the true whole-meat blessing that an adult deer can provide, you mustn’t throw the liver out of your hand!
Does deer liver taste good?
Yes, for those who just like the taste of liver and assuming the liver is in good condition and comes from a healthy specimen.
Compared to typical beef liver, deer liver or venison liver, it typically tastes even richer and infrequently “venison”, as is the case with most wild animals.
That does not imply it tastes good badbut for those who’ve never eaten “wild” liver before, it could take a while to get used to it.
The excellent news is that deer liver, like most livers, is well suited to every kind of preparations, from grilling to frying and seasoning with all forms of other ingredients you might have readily available.
Is it fit for human consumption raw deer liver?
Generally not, and this requires some serious explanation.
First, yes, I’m quite aware of the long-standing custom amongst deer hunters whereby the fresh, raw liver from (alternating) the primary kill of the season or the hunter’s first kill is sliced up and eaten straight from the animal.
Seemingly, that is secure enough because we haven’t got a small legion of hunters dropping dead every season.
However, this can be a bad idea for obvious reasons. First of all, raw deer liver, like all raw meats, can easily transmit food-borne diseases in the shape of bacteria, viruses or parasites.
Each of those pathogenic threats could make you terribly sick and even kill you, and also you shall be at a much worse place because you’re already in a survival situation.
There can be the difficulty of prions, which could cause serious neurodegenerative diseases similar to CWD (just like mad cow disease in cattle).
While there is barely one documented case of a human being infected with prions from eating wild game, it stays a really real and nightmarish possibility that needs to be taken seriously.
Anyway, if you should eat raw deer liver or raw deer meat, you’ll be able to potentially get the next nasty diseases:
1. Tularemia
This bacterial infection is typically called “rabbit fever” since it is commonly transmitted to humans through contact with infected rabbits or other small rodents.
The bacterium often enters through a cut or wound on the skin and could cause serious illness, including death, in as little as 48 hours.
Symptoms include: high fever, inflammation of the skin and lymph nodes, lethargy and sudden death. Yes.
2. Hepatitis E
Viable hepatitis attacks the liver. It is generally transmitted through contaminated water or direct contact with infected animals or their meat.
It could cause serious illness, including death in pregnant women. Symptoms include: fever, dark urine, weakness, yellowing of the skin (jaundice), right upper abdominal pain, and in extreme cases, potential liver failure.
3. Tapeworms
These are intestinal parasites that will be transmitted from deer to humans through contaminated meat, including liver.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight reduction, and sometimes seizures if the larvae migrate to the brain, depending on the species.
4. Salmonella
A standard bacterial infection similar to salmonella could cause serious illness or death. It is generally transmitted to humans by handling or ingesting infected meat.
Symptoms include high fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and sometimes vomiting. It can attack in a short time after infection, inside a couple of hours.
5. Campylobacter
Another common bacterial infection that could cause serious illness or death. It is generally transmitted to humans by touching or eating contaminated meat, including our local deer liver.
The symptoms are just like salmonella; high fever, bloody diarrhoea, severe muscle pain and headache.
Always check the deer before eating the liver
Before you select to delve into your deer liver, take the time to research it and the animal it comes from.
A clearly sickly deer is a warning sign, as is a liver that appears distinctly sick or strange. Check your liver and concentrate to:
White patches: White spots may indicate the presence of tularemia or liver flukes, small parasites supposedly applies to deer only. If you see these white spots, discard.
Strange Color: Healthy deer liver is moist, ruby red, like red beans. If the liver is brown or has an odd iridescent color, throw it away.
Terrible Smell: Again, fresh and healthy liver should smell neutral, even barely sweet. Any sour, unpleasant or putrid odor is an obvious warning sign. Do not eat this!
Proper preparation is very important for taste and safety
While cooking won’t enable you to with a liver that is already bad, it could possibly make fresh, healthy liver fit for human consumption and far tastier.
If you have not felt the vibe by now, I’m attempting to encourage you to thoroughly cook deer liver if you might have the time, resources, and skill to achieve this.
There are many various ways to organize deer liver. It will be fried, baked, fried, fried and even grilled as is.
In all cases, heating it until it reaches a temperature of a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the important thing to safety.
If you might have doubts in regards to the ability of your fire or other device to do a great job, don’t hesitate to dice or thinly slice the liver to assist it cook more evenly and faster.
And as at all times, when preparing any sort of meat, remember to wash your hands, countertops, and all utensils thoroughly with hot soapy water to avoid cross-contamination.
You can cook your liver properly and still get infected with bad practices!
Maybe the farthest thing you’ll be able to consider under these circumstances, nevertheless it would suck to fall prey to germs after surviving every little thing else!
Can you eat other deer organs?
Since we’re on the subject of deer liver, the query arises as as to whether other deer organs are edible. Fortunately, yes, a few of them do too.
For example, the deer heart is a perennial favorite and really “clean” in comparison with other organs.
Deer kidneys are usually not highly regarded within the United States, but are edible when rigorously prepared and, ideally, soaked to remove their often harsh flavor.
The stomach and intestines are also edible when rigorously prepared and cleaned to remove their contents; you do not need to spoil this part!
