How do you keep meat cool in warm weather.

[peterb]

l am planning a moose/elk hunt in August any suggestions on keeping the meat cool.
Pete

[Jelvis]

Pete, Most people would probably find in the nearest town an establishment with a wild game meat cooler. Check out the phone book for such a place in the nearest town and ask questions. Tell them when you plan on hunting in their area and they will say what they expect to go on in the area from experience. Keeping meat cool before you bring it in there is another process. What some guys do is hang their animal, skin it, put the hide on the ground flesh side up to give the blow flies a diversion from the animal hanging. Take water and vinegar mix, wipe on hanging animal to keep flies off and use pepper on animal too. Now you can take the meat off the bone so you can prevent bone rot. Use cheese cloth game bag to keep flys off. You can hang the meat, hang by a stream in the shade in the game bags. Now you can travel at night when its cooler and leave lots of air circulation around the meat. You need 72 hrs before you freeze it so rigormortis can set in and the muscle tissue can break down. Cut into desired portions, the steaks etc, then grind the other pieces into burger or if you have 25 pounds of it take it into a european sausage maker, for smokies or whatever you prefer. OK Pete Jel

[Steeleco]

^^ Good advice, but sometimes you can't get out to a cooler. I've done two fly in trips and got animals early in the week. August any bull Reg 7. We just found the darkest section of woods for shade and covered with game bags to protect from flies. Travel at night if it's a long road trip, we timed it so we were home as the butcher opened. Worked good both times.

[Deerwhacker]

When I got my first deer 2 hours into my first huning trip last september 1'st i just braught alot of insulating foam i found at work and wraped my deer up in game bags followed by tarpes and got 20 ice blocks and packed it in the back of the trailer(takes less effort than it sounds). This worked out realy well for me and when i got home 5 days later the carcass was just as cold and intact as if i arrowed it in december. Thats just my imput on what worked for me ,good luck on your hunt.

[CNE]

Most important... DEBONE IT. It's so much easier to pack and the meat cools much better in seperate muscle groups. Also in my experience it's the fat etc. that spoils first so cut it all out. The more you can clean up, the less weight you have to pack out.

[LeverActionJunkie]

here's one thing I never fully understood about the regs and boning out a critter. Is it legal so long as you retain the head and antlers etc. or how does that work? It has never really been an issue for me but it's always good to know.

[Jelvis]

Hey Lever, I hear ya sometimes things are a little confusing, especially when you want to make the proper decision, so you don't end up using the pocket book or answering tricky questions but you gotta save the meat, thats gotta be number one right?

[Kechika]

On our extended trips into the middle of nowhere I debone and place in game bags.Put the game bags in plastic bags and dunk them in the creek during the day and let them hang and air out at night.Had meat last a week this way with no problems.

[boonerbuck]

On our extended trips into the middle of nowhere I debone and place in game bags.Put the game bags in plastic bags and dunk them in the creek during the day and let them hang and air out at night.Had meat last a week this way with no problems.

Great idea. I may have to use it while on my horse back trip up north in a couple of weeks.:smile:

[hunter1947]

If you can take a deep freezer and a generator ,you can debone your meat and put it in the freezer ,i have had meat freeze up on me lots of times ,when it unthaws we butcher it up and wrap it ,never had a proublum doing this. We butcher and wrap our meat right in the bush,start the generator befor you go for your hunt and when you get back refill the tank and let it go,,when bed time comes arownd ,shut her down. We only do this when we hunt in the early season,hunter47.

[kishman]

here's one thing I never fully understood about the regs and boning out a critter. Is it legal so long as you retain the head and antlers etc. or how does that work? It has never really been an issue for me but it's always good to know.

I'd like to bring this one up as well. How do you maintain proof of sex and de-bone your critter:confused: . This is year my first deer hunt and I'd like to do it right.

[CNE]

We butcher and wrap our meat right in the bush

Can you do that??? Legaly?

[hunter1947]

Can you do that??? Legaly? Yes you can,, you keep both nuts if a bull with a 2 inch patch of hide and if a cow you keep hear parts and some hide,,,wayne.

[Jelvis]

You have to quarter an animal thats the size of a moose, elk etc to get it out of the bush, so you take the huge heavy head off too. You have to do it right? Even a big deer on dry ground no ones going to bring it out whole, you gotta cut it into smaller pieces. You leave the hide on so the meat doesn't get all messed up with gravel, dirt etc, but what can you do. Plus you got the huge liver, heart. and the brain to bring out also. Hey it's you and your hunting partners work, but it's all worth it, on the kitchen table.