Rabid deer? What hunters need to know.

Albany, NY (News10) — We often hear about rabid raccoons, but deer? 

“It’s most common in skunks and fox and raccoons and bats, but any mammal could be susceptible to it, including humans,” said Jeremy Hurst, Game Management Section Head for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 

A white-tailed deer in Columbia County recently tested positive for rabies, a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. Once symptoms start showing, it’s usually fatal.

With hunting season underway, Hurst shared a few things hunters can do to protect themselves.

“Wearing gloves is the best course of action,” he said. “If they’re harvesting a deer and then processing it themselves, to wear gloves and protect themselves that way. And then wash their hands when they’re done.”

He says if you see a deer acting strangely, it may be sick, and you should avoid that animal. 

“Maybe choose not to harvest that individual animal if you have a chance to observe that behavior,” he said. “But certainly if you notice that what you’ve harvested is a sick animal, choose not to consume it.”

If you did happen to eat it, however, he said not to panic.

“Really if the meat was cooked properly, the virus shouldn’t be a problem there. The real risk for the hunter would be from the processing standpoint,” he noted.

While the deer that tested positive for rabies was in Copake, Hurst said there’s nothing unique about the location and there’s no pattern associated with rabid deer, which he maintains is a rare occurrence. He explained that the disease is transmitted through saliva and bites from one animal to another.

“They’re curious creatures, so if a raccoon was rabid and the deer was nearby, they might’ve touched noses. Or maybe even the raccoon got close and scratched the deer in the face and so it could transmit rabies that way,” he said.

If you see a deer acting strangely — acting erratically or aggressively, staggering or drooling, for example —  take note of the location and call DEC immediately to report it so they can test it for rabies.