Dead Deer Removal

Dead Deer Removal Process

Call us with details on the deer: where is it located, what condition is it in, how long has it been there for, how close is it to the nearest road, and how large does it appear to be. If there is any confusion we may ask you to text us a photo of the deer. At this point we will give an upfront quote over the phone.

When we arrive, we will have all the necessary gear to remove the deer from your property. Whether the deer is stuck on a fence, decaying under a deck, or freshly dead on the front yard, we have the tools needed for the job. After the paperwork is signed, we bring the deer to the truck, load it, and take it away. We handle the disposal fully and include the cost in the upfront quote.

If the town you are living in is willing to dispose of the deer from the roadside, then we also offer a lower cost option to take the deer to the curb and leave it there for the town to come take away.

Either way, you never have to touch the animal or figure out where a deer can legally go.

Please Note: If you are not sure the deer is dead, or if it is alive and suffering, call your local police department first. Officers can euthanize the animal and end its suffering. Once the deer has passed, we take it from there.

Dead Deer Are Not a DIY Project

Weight. A mature whitetail is roughly the weight of a grown adult, and once it bloats it becomes heavier and harder to grip. Trying to haul one across the yard without equipment can injure your back, and dragging a carcass can spread fluids, hair, and parasites across the lawn.

Ticks. Adult ticks of nearly every species need a large mammal to feed on and to find mates, and a deer moving through brush and woods edges is a perfect host. A single Middle Tennessee deer routinely carries hundreds of ticks. These include Lone Star, American Dog, and Black-legged ticks.

Ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome are spread by the Lone Star tick. Alpha-gal is a lasting allergy to red meat and mammal products including dairy, and Middle Tennessee has some of the highest recorded rates in the country. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is mainly carried by American Dog ticks, though others can transmit variations of the bacteria. Lyme disease is present here as well, spread by the Black-legged tick. Once the body of a dead deer goes cold those ticks start looking for a new host, and whoever handles the carcass is the nearest target available.

Disease. Chronic Wasting Disease is established in Tennessee. Though the disease has not yet been found to have spread to humans, the CDC advises keeping away from a dead deer's head, spine, and lymph nodes, since those tissues hold the most prions. Additionally, decaying animals are often filled with maggots, flies, and various forms of bacteria. If you do not know a deer was healthy when it died, and it is not a fresh kill, it is unwise to approach without training.

Can't Put in Trash. Curbside pickup and most convenience centers won't take a carcass, and backyard burial has problems of its own. A grave dug too shallow can be dug back up by scavengers. A grave dug too close to a well or creek can create a groundwater problem. And where CWD exists, burial risks leaving prions in your own soil.

Most Towns Won't Take It. In Tennessee most towns will only take dead deer from public roads, not private property. TDOT clears carcasses from state routes and interstates. City and county road crews handle their own local streets. In Davidson County, Metro Public Works handles the Metro roadways. Removing a deer from private property usually requires a private service. If the deer is close to the road, ask your town if they will take it. If it is not close to the road, but they will take it if it is brought to the curb, our lower-cost roadside option is the optimal solution.

Why a Deer Ended Up on Your Property

We remove deer year-round, but the calls tend to follow a seasonal pattern.

October into January: rut and hunting season. Breeding season sends bucks across roads at first and last light with little caution, leading to many deer that are killed by cars. Additionally, once the state's hunting season opens, a wounded deer that isn't immediately killed can cover a lot of distance before it drops. Oftentimes these deer will end up on private property before they die.

July into October: EHD season. Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, carried by biting midges, raises a deer's fever so high that the animal heads for water to cool off. That's why late-summer carcasses so often turn up in and near ponds, pools, creeks, and lake shorelines. Tennessee sees EHD flare-ups in warm, dry years. It's harmless to people and pets, but it puts carcasses in and around the water.

Late winter into early spring: winterkill. A hard stretch of winter takes fawns and older deer, and the bodies turn up as the weather warms. Many are found during spring yard cleanups.

May and June: fawns and dispersal. Fawns that fail to thrive, plus young bucks pushed out to find their own territory, can also end up on residential properties, most often in wooded areas where tall grass can hide a downed animal for days.

Chronic Wasting Disease Is in Tennessee

Chronic Wasting Disease kills every deer that catches it, and there's no vaccine, treatment, or cure. It's caused by misfolded proteins called prions, which don't break down the way germs do. Once prions settle into the soil, they can stay a threat for years, even decades.

CWD is present in Tennessee. TWRA first confirmed it in the state's wild deer in West Tennessee in 2018 and has managed it since through a designated CWD zone, mandatory testing, and rules on moving high-risk deer parts. The disease has since been detected in counties across the state, including parts of Middle Tennessee, and TWRA continues to test and monitor statewide. That spread is why we treat every job the same regardless of where the call comes from.

A deer carrying CWD can look completely normal for a year or more while still spreading prions. The one on your grass might have been hit by a truck, killed by EHD, or worn down by a hard winter, or it might be infected with no visible sign. The CDC advises against handling a dead deer's head, spine, or lymph nodes.

With CWD established in Tennessee, proper disposal is about more than odor. It is about containing the disease and minimizing exposures.