Soft heart

[Popeye1974]

Hi all.

I shot a Roe Doe yesterday at last light, pregnant with twins and from what I can see, perfectly healthy. frontal chest shot taken and on gralloching, I found the heart to be in a sack with some fluid, the heart was very soft and relaxed rather than firm, will try and post a pic later. Just not seen this before, all lymph nodes looked ok, anything to worry about ? thanks @Buchan @VSS

 

[Buchan]

The sac is the pericardium, a tough layer* with a very small amount of fluid so as to reduce friction for the beat movements. Flabby heart - they vary, from firm to floppy (quiet at the back there) at death, not sure why, it's been suggested they were in systole or diastole but I've nothing as a specific reason. Fluid around it - more than "a bit" is potentially abnormal but it might reflet a bit of stress at the point of death with a heart in spasm.

*So tough it can deflect copper

 

[Popeye1974]

Thanks @Buchan, much appreciated.
I thought the sack was normal, even though I have not noticed it on the Deer I have previously shot, it was more the lack of form/slackness of the heart that surprised me.
I shall not snigger at the firm/floppy bit, honest
I am using copper now, and have found the Deer shot through the heart have had very little success deflecting the rounds

 

[Sol]

I shot what I assumed was a nice healthy roe doe the last week on pretty rough moorland, I had my mentor collect the rifle off me after I crept up over the brow of the hill for the shot and ventured down for the retrieval.
On gralloching I removed everything and instantly noticed how unusual the heart felt, almost like a stress ball rather than a dense muscle heart usually is even after freshly being shot heart I've found always pretty firm, but admittedly I've only started gralloching deer since november consistently but I've been handed offal, often.

There was nothing really wrong with the doe she was just thin (7.5lbs of yield excluding shank) the roe I shot the previous night with a .243 yielded over 8lbs with an extra haunch for roasting, shin, and very little meat taken off the ribcage (243 moment!) she even had nice sized single fawn with her, where the other doe didnt.

Ended up discarding her after butchering friend decided too try some before mincing and found it incredibly bitter, I've always found roe too have a unique taste what I'd assume got more concentrated as she withered away tbh, shame! but she was an oldie regardless.