Thread: Meat Contamination

Sometimes, you see scientific reports that found a large percentage of meat packages from wild game contained lead fragments on XRay.
I wonder if this is where a hunter has brought in a whole animal for commercial processing and shot meat was included in mince, patties, sausages and so on.
The "shot meat" corresponds to the temporary cavity and would all be potentially contaminated with very small particles of lead.
You do want this temporary cavity to be big and, to kill the animal, you want lead bits to cut up the lungs, heart and large blood vessels.
So, as others have said, cut out all visibly bruised meat and leave it on the hill.
This is specially important if you are taking the carcass whole to someone top process for you.
Sometimes it seems a waste that most of a front leg goes this way, but the biggest waste of meat is the wounded animal that gets away or the one shot on a summers evening and recovered the next morning. Also, as said by others, often as well placed bullet will go through the guts as well as the heart and lungs and then possibly other legs too.