UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --With deer hunting seasons occurring earlier in the fall and warm weather likely, it is more important than ever for hunters to handle meat properly, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences food safety expert.

"Successful hunters should exercise added caution this year if they encounter higher outdoor temperatures," says Catherine Cutter, extension food safety specialist. "Warmer conditions have the potential to cause more food-borne illness, especially when hunters improperly handle or process their deer."

Cutter has developed a comprehensive program to arm hunters and others with important information on wild game food safety. The centerpiece is a set of five free publications addressing proper care and handling of wild game, fish and birds.

"With over a million licensed hunters in the state, many people rely on game meat to sustain them through the winter -- especially in rural areas," says Cutter, an assistant professor of food science. "But game animals -- especially deer -- are known to carry E. coli and game birds can carry Salmonella. Since cleaning, dressing and butchering often are done in the field, airborne contaminants, weather, temperature and other factors can affect meat safety."

E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella are harmful bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of game, livestock, poultry and other animals. These pathogens can cause gastrointestinal distress in humans and can be fatal to young children and older adults.

"Individual pamphlets on game birds, fish and venison provide hunters and fishers basic information on what to do in the field to keep pathogens and bacterial growth down," Cutter explains. "Two longer booklets expand on the information in the pamphlets and elaborate on field dressing procedures for specific animals, with instructions on how to make sausages or jerky."

The series includes these titles:

-- VENISON identifies tools and utensils hunters should carry, in addition to tips on field dressing, transporting and kitchen processing.

-- FISH presents safety guidelines for before and after the catch. Topics include transporting, processing and tips for smoking and freezing.

-- GAME BIRDS suggests the proper tools to take when hunting, as well as tips on field dressing, removing feathers and aging meat.

-- PROPER FIELD DRESSING AND HANDLING OF WILD FISH AND GAME, a 10-page booklet, explains the crucial first steps in field dressing and butchering fish and game immediately after harvest. Diagrams illustrate techniques for deer and other large animals, as well as small game, wild turkey, waterfowl and fish.

-- PROPER PROCESSING OF WILD GAME AND FISH, an 18-page booklet, describes the preparation of venison, birds, fish and other game after it's brought in from the field. Sections include the importance of temperature in controlling spoilage; butchering and cutting; differences between aging, curing and smoking; canning game; and recipes for jerky and sausages.

Cutter also will teach Penn State Cooperative Extension agents the latest techniques in the field dressing, handling and butchering of wild game. The day-long workshops include updates on hunting regulations from a representative of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Agents will learn to inspect game animals for disease, see a demonstration on canning game meat from extension agent Pat Leach and sample deer bologna and jerky made at the Penn State Meats Lab. Participants also will see a step-by-step demonstration of venison butchering.

"Armed with this knowledge, extension agents can offer in-depth information to people in their counties through workshops, phone calls and other means," Cutter says. "Our goal is to provide the state's hunters with convenient resources for food safety and hunting information."

Single copies of the wild game meat safety series are available free of charge by contacting your county Penn State Cooperative Extension office, or by calling the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Distribution Center at 814-865-6713.

The brochures and booklets also are available free of charge from the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/foods.html. They also can be found at local deer processing plants, licensing sites and butcher shops.

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EDITORS: Catherine Cutter can be contacted at 814-865-8862 or e-mail cnc3@psu.edu.

Contact:

Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax