Can You Eat Raw Elk?

Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter, and Outdoorsman.

Hunting elk is a popular pastime for many Americans. But what should you do once you harvest your prey? Will you be able to eat it raw?

It’s recommended that you don’t eat raw elk. They can contain diseases, which can be passed to humans if eaten raw. The heat from the cooking process is needed to kill any bacteria or parasites in the meat.  

A little preparation before your meal can be a great way of enhancing the flavor of the meat. Plus, it will prevent you from getting sick from the diseases that the animal might be carrying. Keep reading to learn more about the dangers of eating raw elk and how you can avoid them. 

The Dangers of Eating Raw Elk

A few potential dangers can come from eating raw elk meat. For example, some people will dislike the taste. The elk meat will often need to be carefully prepared because it is lean meat. As a result, the muscles can be dense. There is the risk that it will be chewy. 

However, there is a more severe problem. The elk might be diseased. If you eat it raw, this illness can be passed on to you. This can lead to a lot of serious health problems. In some cases, the diseases caught from raw meat can be fatal. Let’s take a closer look at these potential risks. 

What Diseases Can Come From Eating Raw Elk Meat? 

There are a few diseases that can come from raw meat. First, it can harbor trichinellosis and brucellosis. There is also a chance it can be carrying E. coli or Salmonella. Each of these can be very harmful to your health. 

It should be noted that, while these are the most common diseases that come from eating raw elk meat, they aren’t the only infections that you can face. For example, many elk will be infected with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). While this won’t affect humans, the CDC recommends that people avoid eating infected animals. Let’s take a closer look at each of them, so you know what symptoms you should be looking for. 

Trichinellosis

Trichinellosis is a form of a worm that plants its larvae in the animal. It’s most common in animals that are carnivores. When you eat raw meat that has been infected with this larva, it can be transferred to you. If you are infected, you will begin to experience the effects within two weeks. Some symptoms to watch out for include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Headaches 
• Fevers
• Aching joints
• Constipation

You will need to see a doctor if you start to get sick. They will need to prescribe you drugs to treat the infection. The quicker you contact them, the more effective the treatment will be. 

Brucellosis

Another common potential illness to look out for is brucellosis. This is common in some elk populations and can do a lot of damage. It can sometimes lead to reproductive problems, like aborted fetuses. They can transmit this disease to livestock. Through their milk, humans might be able to catch this disease. 

There is also a risk that you can catch this disease by eating raw infected meat. The risks of catching this illness will often depend on where you hunt for the elk. Some populations will have more elk that have the infection. If you are infected, there are a few symptoms to look out for; these include: 

• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue

It’s best to make sure that you see your doctor if you notice these things after eating raw meat. This gives them some time to diagnose the disease and determine the best way to treat it. 

E.coli

One of the most common types of harmful food bacterium is E. coli. There are a few ways that you might catch this bacterium. Often, it will be linked to how you handle food. For example, you might be mixing cooked and raw food. Or the food might not have been heated to the right temperature. We’ll discuss some tips to prepare elk meat safely. 

E. coli will often impact your intestines. This can lead to a few symptoms; these will include: 

• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Loss of appetite

How severely you will be affected will depend on a few factors. For example, older people tend to be hit hardest by this disease. The symptoms also tend to be worse in those who have a weaker immune system. This can lead to serious health problems if you don’t get it treated properly. Because of this, you should see a doctor if the symptoms don’t start to ease within four days.  

Salmonella

Finally, you might contract salmonella. While this is most commonly associated with raw chicken, it can be passed on through other raw meats. What makes this so dangerous is the fact that it is tough to detect. You often won’t be able to see or taste the bacterium. Because of this, you will only know that you have contracted it once you start to experience the symptoms. These can include: 

• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea 
• Fever

Most cases of salmonella will go away on their own. This will often take about a week. However, if the symptoms worsen over time or they stay longer than a week, it might be best to see a doctor. They will be able to help you treat the disease, giving you the best odds of overcoming the infection.  

Signs of Disease in Raw Elk Meat

The good news is that there is a simple way to lower the risk of getting sick. Before you eat elk meat, you should inspect it. This starts when you are hunting. Look at the way that the animal is moving. Is it walking erratically? Is it malnourished? This can be a good way to tell if they are sick. 

It can be a good idea to look for some diseases that affect the elk in your local area. This will give you a better idea of what you are looking for. Look at the rest of the herd to see if they show any signs of disease. If you see any suspicious signs, you should report them to the local game agency. This will allow them to investigate and help stop the infection from spreading. 

When preparing the carcass, you should look for signs of infection. For example, this can be insects, like worms, below the skin. You should also scan for signs of fungal infection. It’s best to harvest them as soon after the hunt as possible. 

It’s also important to use your senses. If the meat emits an unusual smell, it’s usually best to avoid eating it. Also, look for any signs of past infection. This might be a cut or an area of pus. The meat around these zones should be avoided. 

Avoid Sick or Dead Elk

Sometimes, you will be walking through the woods and see a sickly elk or one already dead. While this can look like a chance to get easy meat, these animals should be avoided. If they are already sick, there is a very high chance that they are diseased. These diseases will be able to jump from elk meat into humans. Because of this, eating that meat can pose a danger, even if you cook it first. 

The dangers of elk that are already dead are even greater. It often won’t take long for a dead animal to attract flies. These can quickly spread disease. There might be fungus, which can be very dangerous if eaten. 

Protecting Hunting Dog From Infection

Sometimes, close contact with an infected elk might cause the disease to spread to your hunting dog. Thankfully, there is a simple way of avoiding this. You need to make sure that they are current on their vaccinations. Heartworm and flea tablets should also be given. Don’t feed them any infected meat.  

Where to Shoot an Elk You Intend to Eat

Often, you will be hunting for the elk yourself. In this case, you will have the ability to decide where you want to shoot it. Although difficult, it’s best to try and get a heart or lung shot as these are generally larger targets and will prevent most of the meat from becoming inedible. If you want to eat the elk, you should steer away from a gutshot. You should also ensure that you don’t accidentally cut the gut when harvesting the meat. 

When you hit their gut, you will be releasing digestive fluids. Not only will this make harvesting the animal more difficult, but it also means that any bacteria will have spread throughout the meat. The key to salvaging the meat is working fast. There are a few steps to follow: 

1. Start harvesting the meat. You’ll want to start on the hindquarters. And meat around the neck. This will have been less affected by the release of the fluids. 
2. Wash the meat. The closer you get to the stomach, the more important it becomes to wash the meat thoroughly. 
3. Leave the liver. If you had a gutshot, it’s probably best to avoid eating the liver and other organs close to the gut. 

The meat around the gut should be considered to be contaminated. You should aim to discard it safely. You should not feed it to any animals or pets, as there is a chance that it will make them sick. 

Another area to avoid when shooting elk is the bones. In particular, you want to avoid the shoulder bones. These are very strong. Because of that, when a bullet hits them, the bone will split into hundreds of tiny fragments. This makes processing the meat very difficult. After all, no one likes to pick out bits of bone from their dinner. 

Reducing Bacterial Infection When Working With Raw Elk Meat

Once you have hunted the elk, it’s time to prepare the meat. Sometimes, handling raw meat can introduce new bacterium, like salmonella. The good news is that it is fairly easy to avoid this, as long as you take a few precautions when you are preparing the meal. These include: 

• First, you’ll want to freeze the meat for at least four days. The extreme cold temperatures will kill off any parasites, like worms, that have infected the elk. Then, you’ll need to cook the meat. This will kill any bacteria. If you do this, it should be perfectly healthy. 
• Wash the meat before you cook it. This can be a simple way of dislodging any bacteria that are on its surface. This step is crucial if you had a gutshot. 
• The biggest risk to avoid is cross-contaminating the meat. This means making sure that you aren’t putting cooked and raw meat on the same cutting board. You should also make sure that you aren’t putting different types of raw meat together. 
• Avoid leaving the meat on the bench for over two hours. This will give bacteria to infect it and give them plenty of time to multiply rapidly. If you are cooking the meat, the risk of this bacteria will be minimized. However, if you are planning on eating it raw, you will be at a higher risk of getting sick. 
• Avoid the spine or brain when harvesting the meat. 
• If you are planning on cooking the meat, you should use a food thermometer. This will let you measure the internal temperature. This is the most accurate way of knowing when it has been cooked properly. Because elk is such a lean meat, serving medium-well is often best. This usually corresponds to an internal temperature of 120 to 125 degrees. 
• Check the juices are running clear. In addition to checking the internal temperature, you should also ensure that the juices are running clear. This is a sign that the meat has been properly cooked. 
• Don’t forget to give it five minutes to rest. This will give the juices some time to spread through the meat, so you will be able to get the best flavors. 

Can You Eat Raw Store-Bought Elk?

So far, we’ve talked about elk that you have caught in the wild. But what about if you want to get elk from the supermarket? In general, this will be a little safer than wild elk. There will be more regulation, with the population frequently tested for diseases like CWD. This approach can also offer more protection from parasites, with the elk getting vaccinated against the most common diseases. 

However, it’s still recommended to take care when eating store-bought elk raw. It won’t offer any protection from bacteria like E. coli which can be spread in your kitchen. As a result, you should take extra care when preparing raw elk meals. If you notice any health problems after eating the meat, you should visit a doctor and get it checked out. 

Final Thoughts

One of the best parts of a hunt is being able to harvest the meat. This is a low-cost, safe way of getting food. But it still pays to be careful about how you prepare the meat. You don’t want to risk a bacterial infection or parasite causing you to get sick.

Because of this, it’s recommended that you avoid eating raw elk meat. Cooking it will significantly lower the risk that you will get a disease from the animal. 

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.