What's wrong with this deers jaw?

[Bisch]

It is called Lumpy Jaw. They get food particles lodged in the skin around their jawbone and it keeps piling in there and forms the lump. From what I have read about it, it does not hurt the meat and the deer is fine to consume. I have shot (and eaten) one doe like this.

Bisch

[Kdog]

This is an old doe that I used to see when I first joined my lease. The guys who hunted before called her Pallet Jaw. She was an old doe and always had twins. One of the other guys who also had just joined the lease killed her to put her out of her misery. Not really necessary, she was at least 8 years old. That hunter did not know the history of her. (I don't really have a problem with him shooting her, but she was fine with her condition.)

[Patton]

This is an old doe that I used to see when I first joined my lease. The guys who hunted before called her Pallet Jaw. She was an old doe and always had twins. One of the other guys who also had just joined the lease killed her to put her out of her misery. Not really necessary, she was at least 8 years old. That hunter did not know the history of her. (I don't really have a problem with him shooting her, but she was fine with her condition.)

Did yall cut it open? Curiosity would have got the best of me, I'd like to know!

[Kdog]

Did yall cut it open? Curiosity would have got the best of me, I'd like to know!

I am not really sure what he did when he cleaned her. Like happens a lot of times I got busy doing lease stuff.....

From this experience with this deer though I would not use that condition as a reason to kill a deer.

[slim]

Here's a deer we had in Zapata that we called toothy.

[Jeremiah B]

It's hard to tell from the picture if the "lump" is firm or soft, but could be either of the conditions described above depending on that. Bottle jaw is actually the accumulation of fluids (edema) under the jaw, as the result of anemia caused by a stomach worm, Haemonchus contortus. This is the same parasite found in sheep and goats that causes this condition in both of those species. Haemonchus is a common parasite in whitetail as well. Usually with bottle jaw, the condition is worse later in the day than it is in the morning. Do you have any morning/evening pics of those same deer to compare the size of the swelling?

Well I learned something today and its 3 am..... Good chance I will learn 2 things today

[leasecommander]

It is called Lumpy Jaw. They get food particles lodged in the skin around their jawbone and it keeps piling in there and forms the lump. From what I have read about it, it does not hurt the meat and the deer is fine to consume. I have shot (and eaten) one doe like this.

Bisch

This, we see it often in Mason co. I've watched the same buck for several years, we called him "Dip", he had no other apparent problems and seemed to function normally.

[Josh7099]

It's hard to tell from the picture if the "lump" is firm or soft, but could be either of the conditions described above depending on that. Bottle jaw is actually the accumulation of fluids (edema) under the jaw, as the result of anemia caused by a stomach worm, Haemonchus contortus. This is the same parasite found in sheep and goats that causes this condition in both of those species. Haemonchus is a common parasite in whitetail as well. Usually with bottle jaw, the condition is worse later in the day than it is in the morning. Do you have any morning/evening pics of those same deer to compare the size of the swelling?

I do have a bunch of morning and evening pics of him as he has frequented my feeder everyday for the last month. I will look through them when I get home to see if the swelling is different throughout the day.

[M16]

Did yall cut it open? Curiosity would have got the best of me, I'd like to know!

Not a good idea. You don't know what stink is until you do this. Imagine popping a fist sized zit. Inquiring minds like yours had to know. Never again.

[Hoyt Man]

We have killed 2 deer on our lease in Fredericksburg, and cut the pockets open. Both were full of corn.