As deer season approaches, ISU College of Agriculture professors are giving presentations about safe handling of wild game.

Joe Sebranek, university professor of animal science, gives presentations to high school students through the ag college’s Visiting Professor Program about the proper ways to preserve wild game meat. Wild game is any meat that has not been domesticated, such as deer, duck and squirrel.

“I give the presentations since there are a lot of questions about handling wild game,” he said. “It’s obvious people don’t know the best way to handle wild game.”

Sebranek said one of the most common practices he deals with is temperature control since many people fail to chill the meat adequately. For instance, he said, deer carcasses are hung outside for chilling and aging, but the meat does not stay below 40 degrees. If the temperature is over 40 degrees, microorganisms can grow.

“Contamination can happen by dragging the carcass on the ground, or puncturing the intestine when dressing,” he said. “The rule is to keep it clean, and keep it cold.”

Wild game is typically leaner and less fatty than domesticated meat, Sebranek said. Wild game, especially venison, is high in iron and has many vitamins and minerals.

“Because the meat is leaner, it is easier to overcook, which makes the meat drier and tougher,” he said. “People overcook to preserve the meat, but they don’t enjoy it as much. They should also be careful with the internal temperature, which at 160 degrees would be more than adequate.”

Karen Bolluyt, program director for agricultural information systems in the College of Agriculture, said the Visiting Professor Program provides an enrichment resource for high school teachers. There is no cost for the professors to visit the high schools, and Iowa State can use the visits as a recruitment tool, she said.

“[The program] also helps introduce students to a wide variety of careers in agriculture besides production agriculture,” she said.

Sebranek said the high school visits gives him the chance to present scientific reasons about the meat’s aging and how temperature can affect the meat.

“The presentations get students interested and realize that there is a reason for chemistry and other sciences,” he said.