Dead Deer Rotting Time: How Long Does it Take?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the decay time of a dead deer carcass, with participants sharing insights based on personal experiences and biological knowledge. It is established that a large animal like a deer typically takes a few weeks to a couple of months to decompose, influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and insect activity. Participants suggest various methods for dealing with the carcass, including burying it or allowing nature to take its course, while also noting the potential health risks associated with leaving it unattended. The conversation highlights the importance of considering local wildlife and the natural decomposition process.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of animal decomposition processes
  • Familiarity with local wildlife management regulations
  • Knowledge of environmental factors affecting decay, such as temperature and insect activity
  • Basic first aid for injuries related to handling carcasses
NEXT STEPS
  • Research local wildlife management practices and regulations regarding dead animal disposal
  • Learn about the role of scavengers and insects in decomposition
  • Investigate methods for safely burying or disposing of large animal carcasses
  • Explore the biological processes involved in decomposition and their ecological significance
USEFUL FOR

Property owners, wildlife enthusiasts, environmental scientists, and anyone involved in animal management or dealing with wildlife-related issues will benefit from this discussion.

Ivan Seeking
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Yikes! I discovered a dead deer on the property today. The deer around here have a real problem with a lethal "hair loss disease", and boy oh boy, this one was in really bad shape. It reminds of the sarcoptic mange episodes in the south last year [discussed in the Biology forum].

So here's the thing. Its pretty ripe and I'm probably going to lose my lunch if I have to deal with it. On the other hand, I can't let it lay around and rot all summer. How long will it take for this to decay to a tolerable state. Since its a bit out of sight, out of mind, is it reasonable to leave it rot? I have never had such a large animal to deal with. Will it take weeks, or months, to take care of itself?
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
Yikes! I discovered a dead deer on the property today. The deer around here have a real problem with a lethal "hair loss disease", and boy oh boy, this one was in really bad shape. It reminds of the sarcoptic mange episodes in the south last year [discussed in the Biology forum].?
Whoa--This sounds like a bigger problem than what to do with the carcass. According to information on this site http://www.naturalcanine.com/html/mange.html , it sounds like the deer should be given a proper diet and herb supplements (what are you got growin' round there?), as well as a shampoo and/or chemical dip--maybe Rogain or something.

Ivan Seeking said:
So here's the thing. Its pretty ripe and I'm probably going to lose my lunch if I have to deal with it. On the other hand, I can't let it lay around and rot all summer. How long will it take for this to decay to a tolerable state. Since its a bit out of sight, out of mind, is it reasonable to leave it rot? I have never had such a large animal to deal with. Will it take weeks, or months, to take care of itself?
Are you down wind? Any dogs or wild animals to help finish things up? Otherwise it may be time to get the shovel--maybe the chain saw too...
 
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I'm not sure how long it will take to rot, that will depend a bit on the insects around and temperature as well as what other scavengers (skunks?) will be munching on it. But, if it's out of the way, it shouldn't take too long to get to a point where it stops smelling bad. You won't still be smelling it by summer, if that's what you're worried about. As soon as the last frost passes, fly season will start and they'll take care of anything left by then.

Reminds me of when we used to do spring field trips for the bio labs when I was TA. One year, there was a dead deer along the path of the field trip through the woods. Since most of the animals run and hide after the first class tromps through the path, the dead deer was considered a bonus by the course coordinator and he even wrote paragraph for us to add to our "tour" to include the dead deer! I don't think the students walking past it thought it was such a bonus, though it did help keep them on the path there! :biggrin:
 
Oh good. It's extremely warm and the bugs and critters are out in force. I really didn't want to bury this thing. The big problem is that I broke my toe, and really screwed up my digging foot, two weeks ago, and am not able to put on a shoe yet.
 
If it really bothers you, buy a bag of lyme and cover the beastie with it. It will ummm hasten the prosess :frown:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh good. It's extremely warm and the bugs and critters are out in force. I really didn't want to bury this thing. The big problem is that I broke my toe, and really screwed up my digging foot, two weeks ago, and am not able to put on a shoe yet.

Sorry to hear about your toe. OUCH!

You could of course do a forensic study on how long it takes to decay and what insects are found on various days of decay. :-p
 
Okay. I'll post pics.
 
do you want my recipe for venison jerky, Ivan?
 
Oh boy! Diseased deer jerky. Ummmmm.

Does that go with red or white wine?
 
  • #10
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh boy! Diseased deer jerky. Ummmmm.

Does that go with red or white wine?
LOL! :smile:
I'm not sure, but my Roadkill Cookbook might have some suggestions. When I was growing up in Alabama, we ate far worse things than that.
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
Okay. I'll post pics.

:rolleyes: No thanks. I know what dead deer look like. And maggots always give me the creeps. Dead things shouldn't move the way they do when infested with maggots.
 
  • #12
Math Is Hard said:
LOL! :smile:
I'm not sure, but my Roadkill Cookbook might have some suggestions. When I was growing up in Alabama, we ate far worse things than that.

Oh, here's something totally gross. When I was out shopping a few weeks ago at this huge international market near here, I can't recall what section I was in (there doesn't seem to be an ethnic group missed in that place...great for finding obscure ingredients), but there was a can of chocolate-covered maggots! On purpose, people apparently eat them. I scurried away from that aisle pretty quickly!
 
  • #13
Moonbear said:
Oh, here's something totally gross. When I was out shopping a few weeks ago at this huge international market near here, I can't recall what section I was in (there doesn't seem to be an ethnic group missed in that place...great for finding obscure ingredients), but there was a can of chocolate-covered maggots! On purpose, people apparently eat them. I scurried away from that aisle pretty quickly!
wow! That's really vile. Sounds like one of those weird French delicacies.
 
  • #14
This probably won't be pretty because I'd have trouble making it pretty even if I wasn't so tired, but... I'm sure Moonbear knows much much more about biology than I do, but maggots used to creep me out also- not insects in general though- anyway, I saw a show where they were using maggots to treat wounds that were infected and wouldn't heal (or something like that). They put the maggots on the wound and cover it with a bandage and the maggots just go to town. And it works. So this totally creeped me out until they said the maggots don't eat live tissue. And that was it. Maggots don't creep me out anymore. Does that not help?
 
  • #15
SOS2008 said:
it sounds like the deer should be given a proper diet and herb supplements (what are you got growin' round there?), as well as a shampoo and/or chemical dip--maybe Rogain or something.
Ivan, are you not shampooing your deer regularly?

(sorry to hear about your toe, which one?)
 
  • #16
Evo said:
(sorry to hear about your toe, which one?)
the top one
 
  • #17
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh good. It's extremely warm and the bugs and critters are out in force. I really didn't want to bury this thing. The big problem is that I broke my toe, and really screwed up my digging foot, two weeks ago, and am not able to put on a shoe yet.


Your digging foot?
:confused:
 
  • #18
I think he means the foot he would use to force the shovel blade into the ground. One usually needs a shoe, unless one is conditioned with hard soles on the feet.

I think a large carcass takes a few weeks in the summer, but perhaps a month or more in winter, at least that has been my experience with midsize to large animals. We have a fair amount of road kill (deer included) in our area.
 
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  • #19
Around here usualy the road kill lasts for a few weeks... At most 2 months... That is unless it snows... In which case the snow plow takes care of it for us
 
  • #20
Couldn't you just go to a fishing place, get some 'bait' live maggots, and leave them on the deer?
 
  • #21
Astronuc said:
I think he means the foot he would use to force the shovel blade into the ground. One usually needs a shoe, unless one is conditioned with hard soles on the feet.
Actually, in this case Ivan does have a "digging foot." It is webbed and bony...and apparently has a toe on top, a rather useless appendage, though some anthropologists suspect it may be used as part of a reproductive ritual.
Astronuc said:
...at least that has been my experience with midsize to large animals. We have a fair amount of road kill (deer included) in our area.
It's a good thing for the last sentence. For a moment I thought we had another Jeffrey Domer on our hands.

Wow, now that I think about it, Ivan--was the deer "losing hair" or was it shaved, huh? :smile:
 
  • #22
SOS2008 said:
Wow, now that I think about it, Ivan--was the deer "losing hair" or was it shaved, huh? :smile:
heh :biggrin:
 
  • #23
Maybe it was the radiation from your spaceship that made all its hair fall out before killing it? :biggrin: :smile:

SOS, where exactly does one find a "digging foot" on an alien's body? Is it where an ordinary foot is usually found, or does it grow someplace else? :smile:
 
  • #24
Ivan,

I would contact someone with a backhoe or a skid steer and bury it if you can't find someone to remove it. I don't know how close it is to your house, but your lookin at some funky breezes for awhile, and not to mention all those fly's and whatever other bugs are consuming it are carrying what they got to your house to share with you. Bury it, the sooner the better.
 
  • #25
Moonbear said:
Maybe it was the radiation from your spaceship that made all its hair fall out before killing it? :biggrin: :smile:

SOS, where exactly does one find a "digging foot" on an alien's body? Is it where an ordinary foot is usually found, or does it grow someplace else? :smile:
While I am not an expert on anatomy of aliens, it is my understanding that on the planet Querohor (pronounced Kweer-o-whore) not to be confused with Quaoar (pronounced Kwah-o-whar), the "digging foot" is at the end of a limb very similar to the human leg. As not much is known yet of Querohorians, it is guessed that this placement does not pose a problem if the male's toe on top is well enough endowed.
 
  • #26
Sigh...

Has no one thought of calling the game warden? Isn't that why we pay these people? While they are unable to tend every single deer killed, they will usually remove it if you ask them. I would also mention that since a deer is considered game with a limited hunting season I would not want to get caught messing with one out of season no matter what the circumstance is of its death. Call the department of game fish and parks.
 
  • #27
There are a lot of deer and they all die eventually, somewhere. I would only bother calling to have it removed if it was in the middle of a roadway or hiking or biking path, causing an obstruction. Ivan has described his property as rather large and in a pretty rural area in the past, so unless it's really bothering him, there's no need to do anything other than let nature take its course. Game wardens have better things to do, and bringing in a backhoe seems rather extreme for a deer carcass. Besides, all those baby skunks Ivan is going to have soon will need something to eat! :biggrin:
 
  • #28
My parents called the game warden when a mountain lion killed our two goats and he hauled them away. She was very glad because she wouldn't have to bury it. I was already away at school and my sisters aren't much for any type of work. They hauled it away somewhere, and for a while one of my sisters fretted herself over her cat whenever she was put out for the night.
 
  • #29
yea id bury the thing - it would decay much faster. i once was burying rabbits after my dad's experiments.. some scientific childhood :zzz:
 
  • #30
I was going to respond but I don't know where to begin! :smile:

Anyway, I broke the little toe on my second right foot which really took a hit as well. This is not the time of year to be out of commission. :mad:
 

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