Deer with injuries

[BowhunterNJ]

So I don't usually see deer with a lot of injuries, but one property I'm hunting this year has several smaller bucks with broken legs.

They appear to be old injuries from prior years.

I can see the atrophy in their hind quarters from the leg that has become unusable.

 

I know it's probably a non-issue, but consuming deer with an injury is a non-issue right?

I'm sure a butcher would spot any issue when butchering, if there were one.

 

Just thinking of shooting a couple to use my buck tags and help manage them a bit.

They move around OK, but sucks to see them with the injuries.

[Bucksnbows]

I've only ever taken one buck because it was injured and that was in PA during rifle season at least 10 years ago.  The meat was fine except around the back leg gunshot wound which my butcher worked around.  I butcher my own these days due to cost, and my NY rifle buck the other week had a gunshot wound through one of its backstraps. I didn't lose much meat.   

[BowhunterNJ]

Cool, that's what I figured. As long as it's "healed", I'll lose some meat around the injury area or the atrophy area, but as long as the deer is otherwise healthy, it should be fine. Not this year, but likely next I'll start butchering my own.