Ideas Transporting moose meat 13 hours ish

[Tonybuell]

Hello!!!

I have a question and looking for some recommendations
about transporting meat back home.

Situation-
Moose hunt in Late Sept early Oct.
if I ( let’s hope ) harvest a big boy...let's say,
fort St. John area. I have him quartered up in game bags and straps and stuff are in other bags. Take the bags/quarters to a cold hanging place in town and drop them off and head back and finish up my hunt/break down camp.

Once packed up and pick up the meat from cold storage how would you/did you keep it cold on the drive home? 13 hours ish.

Keep adding ice the whole drive home? Once every 3 hours or so?

any suggestions would help!

Thanks guys!

T

[Deadshot]

Drive 20 plus often with meat from up north.
If it's shot early enough, let it hang and tack up. That late up north should cool it right down.
If shot last minute, skin it out and let the air at it. Keep it out of the sun and boogie on home.
Make sure you have some hooks lined up in a cooler somewhere for your return.

[last light]

^^^This plus;

Once all preparation like cleaning and cooling is taken care of please make sure not to "bake" it on a truck bed floor. ie. do not place above or close to heat source like a truck exhaust system. Make sure to space it out so that the meat can breathe also.

[twoSevenO]

So just drive home for 20 hrs with it in the back of the truck? ... even if it's 20 degrees outside?

[Ferenc]

Last years moose .... good quality gamebags with the quarters skinned out lashed to the quad racks .. pinned through the night... drive your rig like ya stole it .... amazing what the wind chill can do once the sun is down.

[Wild one]

An important thing I have seen some hunters slack on over the years. Clean things up well right away and before you leave. Blood spoils easy and can taint your meat. This has to be the most common reason I have come across for poor tasting meat

Clean things up nice

game bags

if it’s hot break it down and get it off the bone. Bone sour sucks and large chunks hold more heat

Nothing wrong with ice but keep your meat dry.

[Leaseman]

^^^This plus;

Once all preparation like cleaning and cooling is taken care of please make sure not to "bake" it on a truck bed floor. ie. do not place above or close to heat source like a truck exhaust system. Make sure to space it out so that the meat can breathe also.

Cut some 6" X 4' timbers to place UNDER the meat so the air gets ALL the way around.....

[Tonybuell]

I’ve heard that. Bone it out.
What temps do you consider hot?

[Tonybuell]

All great suggestions! Thanks guys. Keep em coming!

[Tonybuell]

Drive through the night.... how did I not think of that!
good call.

[srupp]

Pallets work fine too...just keep a air space under the meat above truck box..air movement in box, having the meat "set up" is paramount..if in doubt use citric acid in the clean up solution to help with the PH..pigs and moose sour from the inside by the time the meat feels slick..too late..
Srupp

[Tonybuell]

An important thing I have seen some hunters slack on over the years. Clean things up well right away and before you leave. Blood spoils easy and can taint your meat. This has to be the most common reason I have come across for poor tasting meat

Clean things up nice

game bags

if it’s hot break it down and get it off the bone. Bone sour sucks and large chunks hold more heat

Nothing wrong with ice but keep your meat dry.


Many tips on /what is your definition of cleaning up nice?
thanks!

[Salmon Belly]

Never would bomb home from northern BC with the meat just in the back of the truck - this is easy to deal with a bit of planning. I bring a chest freezer in the back of the pickup and some large coolers. When I'm in hunting the chest freezer is plugged in at a buddy's in town (or wherever you can leave it), and I add dry ice to the coolers when I leave town to drive home. Small inconvenience and cost but the meat is worth it to make sure it doesn't spoil.

Why would you take any risk?

SB



So just drive home for 20 hrs with it in the back of the truck? ... even if it's 20 degrees outside?

[walks with deer]

rear quarters hold a lot of heat..
cutting out tge rear bone or atleast cutting too it and along it can let alot of heat out..

came home with a caribou and moose at the same time in my poor half tonne..moose i got on the way home. loaded moose and drove straight home got home and started breaking it down...alot of heat stays trapped in those rears...alo if warm out break quarters into quarter deal with rips and straps seperate...just like your armpit thats where the heats at.

[twoSevenO]

Never would bomb home from northern BC with the meat just in the back of the truck - this is easy to deal with a bit of planning. I bring a chest freezer in the back of the pickup and some large coolers. When I'm in hunting the chest freezer is plugged in at a buddy's in town (or wherever you can leave it), and I add dry ice to the coolers when I leave town to drive home. Small inconvenience and cost but the meat is worth it to make sure it doesn't spoil.

Why would you take any risk?

SB

X2. If you have a generator and the space on your truck or trailer running a freezer is by far the best option.

Old freezers can be had for cheap or even free. Most need a generator for around camp anyway.

I would not be driving home 20hrs with meat just in the back of the pickup.

I was fishing for salmon on the island this summer and most of the groups were running a generator and freezer set up. They were only running the freezer for like half an hour here or there. Park it in the shade. Maybe cover with a big blanket and don't open it.

[Sitkaspruce]

Here is what I had my clients do

Get a couple pallets and place them on the bed of the truck. It is amazing how much heat an exhaust system can produce.
Layer the quarters on the pallets and if you have to stack them, make sure there is lots of air space around them
Once you have them ready for transportation, cover them with a good cool weather sleeping bag or two to ensure the meat is completely covered.
When you get to town, buy blocks of ice and place them under the sleeping bag, around the meat. This will keep the air temperature cool around the meat. Keep replacing the ice every 4-6 hours depending on the temperature.

I had clients drive from 3 hours in the bush to Smithers, then down to Montana, Northern California, Idaho and Colorado with no issues in September.

Cheers

SS

[trebreklaw]

Throw a couple of wood pallets in to put the quarters on. lets air under them.

[Tron]

Cut a small ever green or use a bunch of bows and lay them down. Place the meat on the bed of bows. Will help insulate from underneath and also allow air to circulate around the meat. If outside on a trailer deck lay down half a tarp, place bows on this then meat. Then cover with the other half of the tarp leaving the back open so when you drive it stays clean it the air can get to it. You basically made a bag with the tarp, closed end forward leaving the back open just enough for air to circulate

[f350ps]

Pallets, seriously? I've always just cut a bunch of pecker poles, lay a few down and throw your bagged quarters on top, good to go! K

[HappyJack]

These days it can be real hot out in Sept, even early Oct. AND if you get caught in a road closure or by highway construction your meat will cook in the back of the truck, even on pallets. We travel at night 4 to 5 hours, that is a lot less than 20 hours.

I'd suggest getting your meat processed up north and bringing it home in good coolers or a large deep freeze. In our experience you will be charged quite a lot just to hang in a locker, you may as well have them cut it up and take less risks of having it spoil to save a few bucks.

[sanchr]

We used to haulmoose from rright near Yukon Border to Port Alice on Vanc.island and never had any problems. They were always cooled before we headed out and we put them in our utiliy trailer covered loosely with a tarp and then sleeping bags for insulation. Then we would take up any spare space with lifejackets bags of clothing etc, anything that would help insulate the meat and help keep it cool. You want to keep the meat dry at all costs andIf you absolutely have to use ice I'd suggest buying blocks and putting them in plastic bins so that the melted water can be drained off and never touches the meat. Good luck.

[sanchr]

As others have said, we also used to drive through the night, switching drivers. We'd leave in the morning and usually the temperature would remain cool enough that far north for the first day. Next morning would see us on the first ferry out of Horseshoe Bay and we'd have the meat in a cooler by that afternoon.

[TARCHER]

Starting with cold meat is key. Cool night airflow would be ideal.Straight to the butcher locker