# Field dressing...black spots?



## TSudz

While field dressing my deer tonight i discovered some small bla k spots on the fat inside the body cavity. The spots are about 1/8th in diameter...what the heck is that?


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## mkriep2006

gyna-herpa-syphilaids. Kidding..... got any pics??? if there is any question personally i would contact to dnr and get it checked out


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## Munsterlndr

Pictures?

You may be seeing petechiae, which are small hemorrhages that sometimes occur in internal tissue. Do they look kind of like blood blisters?


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## davi5982

mkriep2006 said:


> gyna-herpa-syphilaids. Kidding..... got any pics??? if there is any question personally i would contact to dnr and get it checked out



I love that show. Lol


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## TSudz

They are on the fat along the tenderloins...no pics. They are on my buddy's iPhone and he uses Sprint...I cannot hear him now.

Someone suggested hemal nodes?


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## boomer_x7

how long from the shot till feild dressing?


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## TSudz

How long? 3 hrs


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## boomer_x7

Could they just be blood clots?


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## Munsterlndr

TSudz said:


> Someone suggested hemal nodes?


Most likely correct if they look like clusters of little black beans. Normal, nothing to worry about, the meat is fine.


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## WMUAlum10

The doe I shot 3 weeks ago had the same thing. From what I read, it was the lymph nodes? I was worried too. Black spots on the fat along the interior of its spine. No ill effects from the meat I have eaten. No visible signs in the meat. I did as much research as I could but didnt find much


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## A.M. General

Pretty common. When the cardiovascular system stops, blood pools in the exterior capillaries since the veins can't return blood back to the heart. Hang the deer and cut off any excessive capillary blisters 

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## motdean

I had some on the esophagus of a deer I shot a few years ago. We took the esophagus to the DNR bilogist in the area. He confirmed the same as Munster is saying...and also agreed there was nothing wrong with the meat.


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## striped bandit

I had the same thing, looked like little kidney beans. Took it to the dnr biologist they said lymph nodes. No problem.


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## Munsterlndr

Hemal nodes, not lymph nodes, although both are part of the lymphatic system. Lymph nodes look kind of like raw oysters, grey flat ovals encapsulated in fatty tissue, a little bit larger than a quarter.


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## Petronius

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10856_10905-32311--,00.html

*Lymph Nodes & Hemal Nodes*

When deer hunters are field dressing and butchering their harvested animals, there are 2 normal anatomical structures that are commonly seen and often cause concern for the hunter. These 2 structures are lymph nodes and hemal nodes (or hemolymph nodes).

Lymph nodes occur throughout the body but the one most commonly seen and submitted is the subscapular lymph node that is usually located in a mass of fat behind the shoulder blade. Lymph nodes are normally gray, yellowish brown, or tan in color, oval in shape, and appear slimy. Lymph nodes have the general appearance of a raw oyster. It is not uncommon for a hunter to have killed and butchered several deer in his/her lifetime and never to have seen a lymph node. Because of this, it does cause concern in these individuals when they do cut across a lymph node, and it is at that time they often submit tissues for examination.

Hemal nodes usually occur in the fat that lies along the vertebrae of the neck, near where the trachea is found. Hemal nodes may also occur in the abdominal cavity in the fat located along the vertebrae near the tenderloins. These nodes are numerous in ruminants (deer, elk, cattle, sheep), occur in small numbers in canids (dogs, coyotes, wolves), and are absent in many other animal species. Hemal nodes are usually ovoid (being larger than a pea), maroon or black in color, and may be either solid or fluid-filled. They resemble a very small spleen or blood clot, and are also called accessory spleens. Hemal nodes are very prominent and, as a result, many hunters see them, are concerned that they are diseased tissue, and submit samples for examination.

Both lymph and hemal nodes are filtering organs that are closely associated with the circulatory system. Abscesses have been observed in lymph nodes but have not been seen in hemal nodes. Abscesses are encapsulated pockets of purulent material (pus) that form due to bacterial invasions. (See the chapter on abscesses for complete information.)


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## TSudz

petronius said:


> http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10856_10905-32311--,00.html
> 
> *Lymph Nodes & Hemal Nodes*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Found the same thing late Saturday night in the bar in town, while surfing the web on my phone....'tis a shame when your team is in the world series on TV in the bar, and you're looking up cervid biology on your phone.
> 
> Thanks for all the input. The processor said they're quite common, and it's nothing to worry about.
> 
> On an unrelated note, on our way back from the bar, evidently we came upon a young black bear that was a Tiger fan as well. He couldn't bear the thought of his favorite team getting swept, and he decided to end it all. He was running along a 10 foot hight fence (a whole other story - don't get me started) and made a 90 degree turn and bolted right for the truck! Fortunately for us, his timing was off (much like Tiger hitters) and he only caught the rear quarter of the pickup. Made a pretty good thud, and ran off into the woods. No blood on the highway, no damage to the vehicle or occupants, so we're hoping for the best.
Click to expand...


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