Weather and Meat Spoilage

[tikkat3]

I'm going for my first moose hunt this year in 5-02b on October 15-20. Is it usually cold enough to be able to hang meat without it going rotten or bug issues? I was up there on the weekend scouting and it being the middle of summer it's warm, but I got no experience with fall weather there

[CoqTrophys]

you should have no issues by then. keep it hung out of the sun and you will be fine.

[tomahawk]

Hang a thermometer in the shade next to the meat and check it daily. ( use a thermometer as temps always feel different than what they actually are and you can get fooled into thinking its colder or warmer than it actually is) As long as it is about 8c and colder you should be okay if there is a breeze. If there has not been a heavy frost to kill bugs wrap the meat in cheese cloth (no holes and tight ends).

[Pete]

Even in Oct, Nov and Dec it is important that you get the hide off, especially on a heavy bodied animal such as a Moose or an Elk. Once the hide is off cool out the meat. I have seen lots of folks lose their meat because they were in a hurry to get home. Hang it and cool it right out, wrap in clean old linen sheets or game bags. Remember to leave proof of species and sex on a quarter. I do not use plastic tarps opting for canavas tarps because they breathe.

[MikeB]

What about pepper for the flies?

[Steeleco]

If your aboe make yourself some game bags. I had the boss sew up 4 for me.
I used one piece 2 meters by 1 meter folded to make each bag 1 meter sq.
Use "unbleached" white cotton and sew in a draw string.

Like the others said, Oct should not be any trouble as far as heat or bugs are concerned.

[huntwriter]

What about pepper for the flies?

Old hunter tale. Bugs don't care about pepper.;-)

[huntwriter]

A lot of valued advice has been given.

Keep the meat cool and if you have to stuff the cavity full with ice bags. If it's warm ( just at or above 10C ) skin the animal and hang it in the cool breeze under trees. Wrap the carcass with cheesecloth or old bed sheets to prevent the meat from drying out. After field dressing and skinning wash the carcass with plenty of fresh water inside and out or if a river/creek nearby submerge it the water. This will cool the carcass and clean it.

[Steeleco]

Lots of guys use a mixture of vinegar and water to both clean and protect from bugs. Not sure on the percentage, but I hear it works well.

[mark]

A lot of valued advice has been given.

Keep the meat cool and if you have to stuff the cavity full with ice bags. If it's warm ( just at or above 10C ) skin the animal and hang it in the cool breeze under trees. Wrap the carcass with cheesecloth or old bed sheets to prevent the meat from drying out. After field dressing and skinning wash the carcass with plenty of fresh water inside and out or if a river/creek nearby submerge it the water. This will cool the carcass and clean it.

Wash with plenty of water??? Submerge it?? I have been told by butchers to never do this, its a major cause for bacteria to start! :confused:

you might be ok with temps by then, if not theres lots of meat coolers in the area!

[Tron]

From what I heard you can submerge an animal (hide on but gutted) in a clean running creek. This is more for if its really warm out such as a June spring bear hunt or warm September. From what I understood this is only to cool the animal after it is shot, not for storage. Ive never tried this and don't plan to.

The vinegar and water solution(20water-1vinegar) I use all the time. Seems to help build a nice crust on the meat to help prevent fly's from laying eggs.

10 deg celcius and under in the shade during the day and 0 or below at night I would not go more than about 5 days. If its not going below freezing 2-3days as long as it does not go above 10deg. If above 10 it should be in a cooler within 24hrs. If its below freezing hunt till you can't anymore. Just take into consideration the time and temp when hunting and plan accordingly. Call and reserve space in a cooler if necessary.

Like others have said the best is gut right away, then to hang and remove the hide. Remove blood shot meat, then clean with vinegar wash and pick hairs off(they are just as dirty as the ground and butchers appreciate this as well) Rap with cheese cloth or even better some old bed sheets folded in half and sewn together to form a bag and sealed tight.

What ever you do keep it clean, you will end up with much nicer meat and more of it. Don't let the meat touch anything dirty such as the ground. Butcher's appreciate care taken to keep the meat clean also they are not going to clean it, they will just cut it off and throw it away.

Good luck and happy hunting.

[huntwriter]

Wash with plenty of water??? Submerge it?? I have been told by butchers to never do this, its a major cause for bacteria to start! :confused:

you might be ok with temps by then, if not theres lots of meat coolers in the area!

Lol. If that were so then all the pork, beef and other meat you purchase in stores would be loaded with bacteria. We use thousands of gallons of water each day to wash the carcasses, starting right after the animals are shot, after they are bleed, after they are skinned, after and during gutting, after splitting and just before they go in the drip cooler we wash them for good measure with a pressure washer.

I am aware that many hunters and some butchers frown at washing game and other animal carcasses because of the bacteria myth. But there is simply no scientific proof for that believe whatsoever. On the other hand there is plenty scientific proof of bacteria contaminated meat because of dirt, spilled guts and other impurities that occured during field prosessing and transport.

It's not the water that causes bacteria growth its un cleanliness and warm temperatures. That's the reason why a carcass should be cleaned and cooled down a.s.a.p. and if that means to submerge a carcass in a cold river or creek to facilitate rapid cooling.

[BlacktailStalker]

Yeah I wouldnt submerge it.
Definitely rub down with water/vinegar,pick off any hairs that might be on it.
The rub down will help it form a "skin" and it will keep much better.
If you can hang it over a creek in the shade you should be fine. Depending on the time of year, if the temperature freezes at night it should last for over a week no problem.
Where we elk hunt it is often 15C during the day and -5 at night, that, combined with hanging it over a creek makes for a great cooler.

[horshur]

I've kept a several deer from spoiling in 30 degree high for the day weather as long as 4 days.

Used cold creek layed down among the rocks with groundsheet during the hot of the day...put out on dwarf birch during the night to get the initial heat out...after that stored the cooled meat during the day in sleeping bag in shade near creek and removed it each night to air and cool again.
This particular deer then spent 14 hours in my pack in the sleeping bag for the pack out and then the drive home...was still cool when we got home inspite the 30 plus weather.
Cut it up and wrapped and put it in the freezer ...was very good eating.

I have put a deer in a lake to help get the initial heat out as well on a horse hunt...worst flies ever on that trip inspite the good game bags there were alot of eggs...
6 hours in the sleeping bags in box on horse at about a 32 degree high temp coming out on south slope down into the ashnola...truck ride in boxes still to little fort...stuck the meat in the freezer for a couple hours...scraped off the eggs and cut it up. Was very good eating.

We always hose of our game and will wet down the cotton game bag as well if it's warm to help with cooling.

[hunter1947]

Skin the animals right away and put cheese cloth on the quarters.

Hang the meat in a shaded area were the sun don't hit all day.

The weather should be on your side at this time of the year.

[Pete]

A lot of valued advice has been given.

Keep the meat cool and if you have to stuff the cavity full with ice bags. If it's warm ( just at or above 10C ) skin the animal and hang it in the cool breeze under trees. Wrap the carcass with cheesecloth or old bed sheets to prevent the meat from drying out. After field dressing and skinning wash the carcass with plenty of fresh water inside and out or if a river/creek nearby submerge it the water. This will cool the carcass and clean it.
Washing the carcass... especially in creek water, promotes bacteria growth on the meat and really speeds up the spoiling process.

[Deaddog]

We use cotton sheets made into game bags, hang in shade, above a creek and usually have no problems, one year the temp went extremely warm +20 or so, we submerged the meat in a fast moving creek for three days, when we pulled out we made sure the meat was cut within 36 hours, we had no problems, the meat was great.... that said it is still a last resort, but I would do it again with no hesitation. DD

[Jelvis]

Deer is one animal, but a big moose is different in that it needs to be cooler because it's real thick muscle to the bone. It can feel cool to your touch on the outside surface but getting really sour near the bone, dude. Kewl I'm mean cool it out. If it's October in reg 3 you will need to hop to it, debone it, and pay big bucks to pay local butcher to skin hang, cool, half, quarter and cut into chosen proportions then wrap, box and call you to pick it up. Hey I thought I should have more T-bones what? Jelly-who?

[newhunterette]

I'm going for my first moose hunt this year in 5-02b on October 15-20. Is it usually cold enough to be able to hang meat without it going rotten or bug issues? I was up there on the weekend scouting and it being the middle of summer it's warm, but I got no experience with fall weather there

we have taken our moose in same region and have never had a problem that time of year - weather conditions change so quickly in the cariboo - clean meat and game bags, hang in the shade and usually good to go.

this past weekend we were there and we drove in at 4 degrees (6 pm) and next day was 24 degrees at (6pm) so weather changes quick in the cariboo.

beer stays cold in the lake or creeks - never the meat - bacteria grows to fast :)

[ASPEN]

Oct should be cool enough, bed sheets sewn into bags work real well.Like it's been said,keep hanging in the shade.We bring a small gen set with a big fan, air flow cools and draws out the moisture and allows the meat to skin over.Run the fan during the day if needed and at night it will be plenty coolenough! As for game cloth-imo- will not stop flies from laying eggs or protect it from getting dirty.

[newhunterette]

my ex-brother-in-law is a meat cutter and shared this info with me some time ago and I beleive I may have posted it also before but here we go again for information sake:

MEAT SAFETY GUIDELINES

aging game meat considered “red,” such as venison, duck, elk and dove, has its benefits. However, it is usually recommended to avoid aging any “white” meat, such as quail and turkey.
Safe game aging depends upon storing carcasses or cuts at a temperature range between 34 and 37 degrees. Higher temperatures will encourage spoilage and lower temperatures will simply freeze the meat and halt the aging process. For example, keeping meat at a temperature above 40 degrees is a recipe for gastronomical disaster, but freezing the game quickly will cause “cold shortening,” and the meat will become tough. Ideally, meat should be chilled to just above freezing and then held at that consistent temperature for a duration determined by the meat’s species. At 34 degrees, deer, elk cows and moose cows should age for a minimum of seven days. Bull elk and Bull Moose may require twice as long. Antelope should be aged for only three days, as the structure of antelope meat tends to collapse quickly.
Once aging is complete, be sure to remove any surface fat. Also, look for and trim off any slime due to bacteria and mold growth, especially on lean meat.
Aging meat that has no surface fat at all is not recommended. The lack of fat allows the meat to lose moisture and is likely to encourage deterioration.
It is often advised not to butcher or process game while it is in rigor mortis.
Pork should not be aged. Unsaturated fats in pork meat tend to oxidize, adding a rancid flavor to your chops.
If ground meat or sausage is the final destination of the season’s kill, then aging is not really necessary. The term “freshly ground” applies to the process as well as the flavor.
It is often suggested that removing the crop of a game bird immediately after downing the bird will prevent the meat from souring. The crop, filled with grain, has a tendency to ferment.
Fish-eating ducks may need additional soaking or marinating in acidic mixtures once aged.
A final rule of thumb when aging: If the meat is emitting an unpleasant odor, then throw it away regardless of the amount of time and care spent on processing and aging your game. Recognizing a bad smell is an important tool in the culinary skill set used for preparing wild game.

[lip_ripper00]

lots of good information I hunted 5-14 last Oct 15-30, and standing using the phone in Alexis creek,wind was blowing and temp was 70-75 degrees, Save yourself some last minute scrambling and know where their is a cold storage ahead of time

[Statler]

You should also consider putting a tarp just above the meat pole if you are using one. It will help with cooling the meat down and it will keep the rain, sun or frost off of the meat on a chilly morning. Nothing worse than meat that is exposed to frost and sun over a period of a few days whether it is wrapped or not.

[huntwriter]

Washing the carcass... especially in creek water, promotes bacteria growth on the meat and really speeds up the spoiling process.

Pete read my earlier (#21) post were I explain the myth of water attracting bacteria. We’re not talking about keeping the carcass submerged for hours or days, only long enough to cool it down. Of course you only do that if the temperature by day and night is at or above 10 C.

Unfortunately hunting is full of unexplainable myth. Not submerging game in cold water and slitting the throat on a shot animal are just two of the more bizarre myth that nobody knows how they came about.

The most important aspects of keeping meat (any meat) in edible condition is to keep it clean and bring the carcass temperature down fast and then keep it down. To achieve that goal we have to do what ever it takes to lower the temperature be that by filling the body cavity with ice packs, cover it in snow where available or submerge it in a cold water stream for an hour.

As a trained master butcher of over 30 years and active hunter for over 40 years by opinions are based on knowledge not myth or hearsay.;)

For any beginner I would strongly recommend to read or watch some of the many good books or videos available through Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shop and other outdoor stores on the subject of field dressing and field buttering before attempting to do any butchering. Over the years I have seen many disappointed faces, even angry ones, when hunters had to be told that we can’t process their game animal because the carcass was either dirty or the it started to rot due to temperature.

[Barracuda]

Lets hope that these work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tudPGNL9LK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j1rsP0VRfw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODKNpzBe1e4&feature=related

[wolverine]

I had a friend when I was in Campbell River that was a butcher and he taught me how to prep the carcass. He also told me that one of the most important things was to get the hide off as quickly as possible and to wash out the carcass. I have done this ever since and have never lost any meat or had bad tasting meat. I always carry a jerry can of fresh water to wash out the cavity when I am done but I always wipe it out clean and dry afterwards too. I don't think I'd be too crazy about submerging it for extended periods but I have washed out a spring bear in a creek before wrapping it and it came out great.

[huntwriter]

Lets hope that these work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tudPGNL9LK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j1rsP0VRfw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODKNpzBe1e4&feature=related

Good video footage right there. I only wish the guy would wash his hands in between jobs, that tried up blood on his hands does not luck very apealing and professional. Other than that good information.