How to preserve game meat in the field?

[alanivan91]

Hi everyone, I was wondering how to preserve game meat in the field? Specially moose, I'm planning a trip when season opens for about 7 days and lets say I get lucky and get one the first or second day. How do I keep it from spoiled in the field?

My guest is to leave it hanging in the game bags of a tree until a crust forms outside the meat, but my friend is really really worry about this. How do you do it if you get an animal the first day of a hunt of a long trip?

Thank you!!

[madcalfe]

where are you planning on hunting? if your nearby a town and its super warm out you might be able to find someone or a butcher with a meat locker. if its cooler out you can definitely just hang them by quarters with the game bags off out of the sun for a few days

[Fella]

A crust is not going to keep bacteria from growing in your meat, nor are things like black pepper. The key is to keep it cool, under 40 degrees. If the weather is warm you’re going to want to cool it down as quick as possible. Bring coolers with ice.

[MichelD]

We were up in Region 6-08 and my buddy shot a moose around 10:00 am one warm October morning. We got it to camp, hung up and skinned it out as fast as possible but by the time we got to the neck, the neck meat had gone sour.

The rest was okay so after cooling it overnight we ripped into Smithers and took it to a butcher. Didn't want to lose any more meat.

Other times it's been cool enough at night and in the shade that we'v e had moose hanging for five days or more.

[warnniklz]

To the OP

https://www.themeateater.com/listen/cutting-the-distance/ep-3-high-desert-sheep-adventures-better-hot-weather-meat-care (https://www.themeateater.com/listen/cutting-the-distance/ep-3-high-desert-sheep-adventures-better-hot-weather-meat-care)

[warnniklz]

We were up in Region 6-08 and my buddy shot a moose around 10:00 am one warm October morning. We got it to camp, hung up and skinned it out as fast as possible but by the time we got to the neck, the neck meat had gone sour...

How long after killing it had your meat gone sour?

I've killed and been on kills on some pretty scorching days (May/June/July/August) and have always gutted right away... but haven't always been able to skin it right away (but always later that day or early next day) and haven't had a problem.

[dirtyminer]

[QUOTE=warnniklz;2187707]How long after killing it had your meat gone sour?

I've killed and been on kills on some pretty scorching days (May/June/July/August) and have always gutted right away... but haven't always been able to skin it right away (but always later that day or early next day) and haven't had a problem.[/QUOTE
Bone sour typically occurs in 4-6 hours in warmer temps.

[Kill-da-wabbit]

Bone out, plastic bag and find a creek to submerge your meat - should give you an extra couple of days.

[Timbow]

Bone sour starts from the inside and the neck/shoulder area usually goes sour first as it's the thickest. You have to quarter or debone asap in warm weather to release the heat. Gutting and skinning alone won't save you.

[Cordillera]

If it gets reasonably cool at night you should be good. Gutless method has many advantages including no hair to insulate the meat. Two people can have an average moose processed in four hours or so. That means the meat is now cooling better than for big quarters with hair on them.

[Bustercluck]

I’ve heard of bone sour, but never seen it. The butcher at Hunnifords gave me some pointers on opening up the neck and cutting in above the back knee to cool it down quick. He said it really only matters on bigger animals.

[stoneramhunter]

Debone the meat put in game bags inside Plastic bags and sink in creek during the day. at night take out of plastic bags and hang game bags up a tree. Do not leave in plastic bags meat needs to breath. You would need to do this every day and evening till your hunt is over. No problem meat making it for length of your trip.
Good luck hunting

[Sharpish]

A lot of this advice sounds like it’s coming from guys who have never shot a moose or elk.

[fearnodeer]

A lot of this advice sounds like it’s coming from guys who have never shot a moose or elk.

Well feel free to let us know your thoughts on this.

[hawk-i]

Cargo trailer, honda EU2000 generator, and Deep Freezer...meat in game bags and keep alternating bags in freezer :)

Not much use hunting moose if your meat is going to taste like crap...keep it clean and get it in game bags within a couple of hours...good luck on your hunt.

[canishunter22-250]

Cargo trailer, honda EU2000 generator, and Deep Freezer...meat in game bags and keep alternating bags in freezer :)

Not much use hunting moose if your meat is going to taste like crap...keep it clean and get it in game bags within a couple of hours...good luck on your hunt.

This has worked well for me on a couple Aug bulls. I definitely wouldn't plan on simply hanging meat in the shade until Oct here in the north. And even then I've had trouble with heat. Get that hair off asap if it's hot.

I always bring a cotton bed sheet or two for butchering and deboning in the field. Super nice to have a big clean area to lay meat out not have grass and dirt get into it.

[dino]

Cargo trailer, honda EU2000 generator, and Deep Freezer...meat in game bags and keep alternating bags in freezer :)

Not much use hunting moose if your meat is going to taste like crap...keep it clean and get it in game bags within a couple of hours...good luck on your hunt.

This is the right way to do it. Spend the extra and do it right.

[madcalfe]

A lot of this advice sounds like it’s coming from guys who have never shot a moose or elk.

i would also like to know the right way? i mean im 4/4 on 6 point elk that have been shot in september and been hung for 3+ while still hunting and never had any meat spoil. hell im also 3/3 on mountain goats and have deboned and stashed them in a creek and continued to hunt for close to a week.

[madcalfe]

This is the right way to do it. Spend the extra and do it right.

i mean thats a great idea but my guess is OP is just starting out hunting and probably doesn't have funds to swing that.
But common how you planning on throwing a honda generator and a freezer on say a float plane for a moose hunt.........

[Ron.C]

My experience is with elk sept bow season where temps are often mid 20's. Like most have said, get the hide off and quartered into game bags and ideally quarters hung off the ground or at least stood up in the shade as quick as you can so the quarter can start dissipating heat from as many surfaces as possible.

I prefer to leave the quarters whole and if I have to bone out, its done after all the quarters are off and have began the cooling process. I only bone out to reduce the weight being packed or to fit more meat on the cooler. Boning out large chunks of warm meat and consolidating it into a game bag makes a hell of a thick mass of meat and youd be amazed at how warm the center of that mass of meat can stay.

I've used the freezer/generator rig on warm weather elk, deer, and bear. Also tried large marine coolers full of ice blocks on early season hunts. Both have worked. With the freezer, I remove the lid and tent the top with a light sleeping bag, put a small 120v fan in the bottom blowing up. With coolers, until the meat is fully chilled, leave the lid cracked tent with a sleeping bag to let humidity escape.

Keep it out of the sun, bugs off it and away from scavangers.

In cooler mid late fall temps, your only real concern is predators and scavengers. We lost a mule deer that was dressed bagged, and hung high on an early Nov hunt to marten. Pricks got into the game bag, fed on as much as the could the defecated on the rest. Known several folks who have lost game to bears. Hang it high!!!

[Arctic Lake]

There has been some good tips posted above . Get that hide off ASAP . If your going to gut it , GUT IT ! There is a lot of heat trapped in there with all the internal organs and no place for it to dissipate .
Arctic Lake

[warnniklz]

A lot of this advice sounds like it’s coming from guys who have never shot a moose or elk.

After reading this and thinking back. I guess the big critters I've been on are usually November.

[high and to the right]

I used to only hunt during the rut in the cooler weather but over the last decade I started to hunt in mid August. I can handle heat better than cold. lol I have been using the gutless method for many years now and find that it makes the best sense to get the meat off quickly and efficiently . With 2 people working, in the time it takes to gut an animal with all its mess, you can have the quarters removed. Then completely debone the rest of the meat and lay it out on a tarp to keep cool and clean. I am fortunate to be able to use a trailer when I hunt and take a freezer with me, and as has been mentioned, use a fan and tarp over the top. This year I am doing it differently and am taking a fridge (gutted) and will hang the quarters in the bottom and freeze the deboned meat in the top freezer. When we get our second moose we will head home (17hrs) so there will be no problem with worry about the second moose. In the years before a trailer and freezer or fridge I have had success hanging my meat in meat sacks for up to 3 days, even in extreme heat. Put in the shade and hung high it will skin over and get very hard on the outside. If I know I'll be staying longer than 3 days with the meat I will drive to a town where I can hang it in a commercial cooler and then go back to camp, even if it's a 6 hour drive. When I get home I re-trim the quarters. I don't plan to be in an area where I have to leave the meat hanging for over 3 days in the heat.
In my 50 years of hunting I've never lost an animal to spoilage but I haven't been so fortunate with the bears.

[swampthing]

I hunt the august moose season pretty much exclusively and have never lost meat. Its usually backpacked out so it all boned at the time of the kill. I have one camp I use where I build a platform low over a creek in the shade of the willows. In the rockies it usually drops to freezing at least one night by the end of august. I put a tarp over the meat during the day and take it off at night. Flies can be an issue. I use those new antibacterial game bags these days and I always carry vinegar in a spray bottle to soak down the bags. This keeps the bugs at bay. When you travel home pack all the meat tight together and away from the heat of the truck.

[hawk-i]

I hunt the august moose season pretty much exclusively and have never lost meat. Its usually backpacked out so it all boned at the time of the kill. I have one camp I use where I build a platform low over a creek in the shade of the willows. In the rockies it usually drops to freezing at least one night by the end of august. I put a tarp over the meat during the day and take it off at night. Flies can be an issue. I use those new antibacterial game bags these days and I always carry vinegar in a spray bottle to soak down the bags. This keeps the bugs at bay. When you travel home pack all the meat tight together and away from the heat of the truck.

I'm just going to say...there is a huge difference between "have never lost meat" and "prime meat for the table"...JMHO though :)

[Huntingtyler123]

70% vinegar 30% water and then rub your meat down before putting in the cooler. Was taught this by Srupp this year. Adds 3-5 days to the meat I believe. Worked great for my bear

[Mark-R]

Brian Call gives all sorts of tips for meat care in the field.
Key takeaway: if you can cool the meat to 40 degrees F or 4.44 degrees C it can last 2 weeks outside a cooler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eroUcT8wkHI&feature=youtu.be&t=2210

[mpotzold]

My take on taking care of moose, deer right after harvested.
Been hunting big game since '65 & never had meat spoilage.

Steps taken
-try to hunt in weather conditions when the night temp. is 5C or less
-if considerably warmer be prepared to take game home or to the nearest butcher ASAP
-the game is gutted ASAP & opened up totally to cool it. If warm,soak (after skinning it & covered in plastic bags) in creek water if available, until cool to the touch.
-hang it in shady area
-if blowflies present take extra precaution with cheesecloth. Double the covering in spots or use game bags. Read that they are capable of laying eggs through the cheesecloth.

About 20 years ago LT shot a huge buck north of Gang on the 1st day of the hunting season. It was mild & considerably warmer than 5C when shot. LT was forced to take the meat home first thing in the morning.The blowflies were everywhere around the hanging deer trying to find an opening in the cheesecloth. None made it through the cloth.

-you could consider getting a portable cooler when mild.

[tadpole]

Buddy of mine uses small 2-3 people dome tent, air condition unit and honda generator. I modified for him air condition unit with extended wiring of thermo couple and placed outside of the tent so air conditioner run all the time.Tent is covered with a combination of movers blankets, tarps and fresh conifers branches and anchored by freshly impacted dirt outside at the bottom. Air conditioner is placed in the entrance and wrapped appropriately to prevent air escape. Quarters are placed ans spaced vertically inside. Achieved temperatures inside tent runs at 10-12 centigrade. This system doesn't take much room when transporting and works very well. Meat cooled properly when zooming home, covered with same blankets to prevent reheating.

[silvertip0260]

The first thing you need to do is get the original body temp out of the animal. Especially when it’s warm. Once that’s out you won’t have it bone souring on you. If there’s a creek nearby we will submerge the animal in it. If it continues warm out get it to a cooler or head for home. We hang our meat under a bridge with a creek flowing below

[KodiakHntr]

We killed a big bull elk on a sheep trip up North a few years back on August 27th. Got him gutless quartered and packed back to camp and hung up in game bags over night after opening the quarters to the bone along the muscle groups. Let him hang for a day, and checked on him and noticed that on a couple of the game bags flies were laying eggs through the mesh where it was stretched too tight. Pulled them down, deboned since he had been hanging long enough to let rigor relax, and we were light on pack horse power anyway and then put the meat in giant ziplocks, rolled them up after squeezing out the air and rolled them up in a tarp and sunk it all in the creek.

That meat was still cold after an 8 hour ride out in pack boxes against the side of a warm horse.

[GEF]

Op said he lost the neck meat .Must remove the wind pipe asap that will sour meat faster than heat .
I passed up a full curl rockie ram day one of an elk trip,I know I know .Long story short got skunked and jinxed but I didn't want to go home ,it was hot and I wanted an elk in the worst way.Next year I built a reefer trailer.That thing was the ticket.

[LuckyHorseshoe]

Anyone interested in building their own cooler at home or in hunting camp check out the coolbot at storeitcold.com. I built a pop up cooler with it for camp. Works great

[tyreguy]

This is the best advise - talk to your butcher and he can give you some pointers. Guarantee he has seen good meat come in and some real garbage from the same time of year. If you butcher your own or plan on it - take the time to learn how to do it right.
The thickest part on a moose is the hump/shoulder/neck area and i have been told by my butcher years ago to open this up right away by splitting the hide along the back and skin it back a bit. The hide/hair is so thick in this are on a moose that it can sour the quickest - especially if you shoot, gut then go get help or pack materials - split the neck back area to get that cooling.
If you do the gutless method you're helping to cool those areas already, and with a moose its good to learn how to do gutless to make the quarters much easier to handle.
Respect your animal, keep it clean and the best possible condition all the way to your dining table.
If in doubt if its too warm, have a plan to get the animal you have out safely to a butcher without risking spoilage. Heard of lots of 15-18hr marathon drives through the night to get meat home in August.

I’ve heard of bone sour, but never seen it. The butcher at Hunnifords gave me some pointers on opening up the neck and cutting in above the back knee to cool it down quick. He said it really only matters on bigger animals.