Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
Why should hunters educate themselves about proper handling of big game? Annually, 10.7 million sportsmen and women spend 127 million days afield hunting big game. Meats of big game are a healthy and appetizing source of dietary protein. Hunters unfamiliar with proper handling practices for processing wild game, however, run a risk of contracting food-borne illnesses. Big game transported from the field to the freezer may become contaminated with bacteria during processing. Unsafe handling practices by hunters that lead to the contamination of meats usually occur along “critical control points.” An awareness of critical control points can help ensure that the meats hunters bring home are safe for human consumptio