It might look painful, but what you’re seeing in this photo is not rare in the whitetail world. And, no, the buck not as endowed as one might think. Conversely, he is suffering from what researchers call a scotia hernia. The enlarged appearance of his scrotum might cause difficulty in his daily activities, but at the same time, the ailment might resolve itself over time.

The photo was sent to me courtesy of Jeff Fogle. His buddy captured the image while bowhunting in Fall 2023.

Just like in humans, a hernia happens in deer when of an intestine, organ, or part of an organ or other structure pushes through the wall of the cavity normally containing it. This is common in nature, and deer are not immune from it. In domestic stock, it’s common, with an incidence rate of 2% in hogs in some areas. Hernias can develop when the animal is young and not manifest themselves until later in life. Some animals can live years with hernias without complications. In aggravated cases (like the one pictured here), further injury and even mortality risks increase as the inflated scrotum could catch on a barbwire fence or other foreign or natural object. Given the otherwise good body condition of the deer, a hernia in and of itself won’t likely harm the animal.

There are three types of hernias deer develop:

1. Scrotal Hernia

Scrotal hernia occurs when the intestines or other organs protrude through the

inguinal canal and into the scrotum.

2. Inguinal Hernia

This happens when a portion of the gastrointestinal tract moves into and through the inguinal ring, usually the small intestine.

3. Umbilical Hernia

According to researchers at Iowa State University, in an umbilical hernia, the umbilicus or navel opening, is the hernial ring. In the unborn animal, the testicle is located in the abdominal cavity just posterior to the kidney.

Hernias in Other Animals

Hernias in domestic stock is well documented, with causes often attributed to genetics and a skew toward inherited genes. According to researcher Dr. Grant Carmon, inheritance of hernia disposition might be caused by two recessive factors in the homozygous condition. Other researchers have provided evidence that it is instead due to a single, recessive gene with approximately 50 percent expression.

The prevalence of scrotal hernias in wild deer is unknown. As previously noted, scrotal hernias occur relatively frequently in inbred lines of domestic hogs. In deer, researchers believe hernias might occur inadvertently during the complex process of testes descent when the inguinal canal is open to permit downward movement of the testes.

— Daniel Schmidt’s Whitetail Wisdom blog debuted in 2002. He has been with Deer & Deer Hunting since 1995.

  Sources:

Iowa State University research. American Journal of Veterinary Research. Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Journal of Animal Science.