Game shot and recovered next day

[eric]

Has anybody had this happen to them.
How was the meat, still okay?
Been watching Wild TV lately and it seems to happen alot to bow hunters, shot is taken in the evening and no light left for tracking, so animal is recovered in the morning.
I have never had to leave an animal over night, so curoius to know if there is any depreciation on the quality of the meat.:confused:

[TheProvider]

Better to leave an animal over night if conditions allow than risk jumping the deer. If your unsure of the shot. I've only left one bear over night about 6 yrs ago in ontario. Its was a cold night. Next morning went in early and it was exactly where I had last seen it. No meat spoilage. One reason tho was I was 2 miles from the road ;)

[madrona sh]

Buck left over night.
Warm weather (South Island Pre rut)
Hard to gut
Meat was fine

[Tenacious Billy]

I've recovered animals the following morning when shot the evening prior....meat was fine.

[Good Old Outdoors]

Just dont gut shoot it and you should be fine!

[r106]

What would be the highest temp that you would even consider leaving it overnight? Would it be different for moose,deer or bear?

[Mr. Dean]

I think your looking at it the wrong way.
Some things are done out of necessity.

Frankly, I typically don't hunt the evenings because I mostly hunt solo and am scared of the dark - That and I want to recover my game, asap.

[Good Old Outdoors]

I would say no more then 10 degrees! Definitely not if you are having a hot early season like we have the last couple years. Mid to late season i would say youre good to go.

[markt308]

we had to recover my cousins bucks the next day. I don't think I ever got any of the meat form it so I can't comment there. One eye was pecked out, no biggy. was a dandy buck. he was stoked.

[SHAKER]

My Griz this spring was shot just before dark.... Figuring I found chunks of lung on the road and he spun on his ass for about 15 feet biting at his shoulder I knew he was toast but....................... stupidly thick bush\under brush and next to no blood trail with a higher shoulder shot we left him till morning. I found him 20 yards in after going on my hands and knees look'n for ANY sign of him possibly going that direction. After all said and done he's one of the finer bears I've eaten and backstraps on the "Q" are AWSOME!

[eastkoot]

I've left lots of animals (elk) overnight early warm part of the season, not whole, but cleaned and propped open due to darkness. The next morning the shoulders were always still warm and close to being lets say, iffy, but not quite. Can't imagine leaving an elk or moose whole overnight in warmer temps. You may recover the animal but the meat has to be starting to sour from not cooling..

[madrona sh]

Elk are really acceptable to bone sour.

[Good Old Outdoors]

Agreed! If you know the area well enough i would suggest breaking out the flashlight and lanterns for a good old pitch black gutting fest. Depending on the size and species of animal i have always either located it, or dragged it out after dark. Situation dictates though, call it as you see it!

[Bow Walker]

I've had to leave a buck overnight - it was in Nov, on the South Island - it didn't freeze overnight but the meat was just fine. As has been stated it was a tad difficult to gut but only because he was stiffer than a board.

My arrow entered him just as he was taking a step forward and it caught the end of one lung and a bit of the liver. He took off, leaving a bit of a blood trail that was OK to follow, but I ran out of daylight. Found him the next morning just 20 yards from where I left off trailing.

[Husky7mm]

I left one of my first high alpine mulies over night and it was one of the best I've had. I little gross to gut but that was it. I left my gloves on his eyes and my coat on him in hopes the preds would leave him alone. It was sept 1 and slighly sleeting and windy. I hiked out in a stanfield wool shirt and sweat soaked t undernieth and was hypothermic by the time I made it to camp. ( learning the hard way) Now I make a PEErimetor around the animal and keep my cloths on. lol
2 times in the last to years friends have had there animal atten by coyotes before they found it. One was in the middle of the day within an hour. So for me now its go in with a flash light, unless its a bear, but that can be quite a trill if you an adrenalin junky and have no kids!

[Jagermeister]

I have seen animals that were recovered the next day, and I have no desire to partake.
I hunted with my dad who came through the depression. His thoughts were that you only eat meat from an old kill if you haven't had anything to eat in several days and your navel is touching your back bone. I gather he was speaking from experience as he said the meat starts to sour flavor as the stomach contents starts to decompose.
To follow a blood trail in the dark, use a dark blue lense cover on your light. Don't have a lense cover, go to a craft store and get a sheet of that dark blue transparent cellophane and fashion on out of that.

[troutseeker]

I bow shot a deer at last light once and after bumping him once in the dark I let him be. He was there in the morning, and tasted just fine. Temp was maybe 6 overnight.

[srupp]

hmmm seen a couple deer shot late in the day and the next day were pretty ripe..this was sept 10 and reaally warm weather..

had one deer shot and couldnt find late in the season meat was fine..

Brother shot a moose..left overnight...early okanagan warm...meat was sour..

warm..try and get it that night..coolish..ya have time in the am..

my .02

Steven

[Singleshotneeded]

The moose I got this year at dusk was gutted and left overnight at about 0 C. All good!
I'd be concerned if the overnight temp was 5 C or higher, and I'd make every attempt
to gut the animal and put a stick in the chest cavity to help in cooling at any temperature.
Of course you want to be up before first light and be at your animal at daybreak.

[Brambles]

The answer is different for every situation

Elk or Moose in warm weather, don't risk it

Elk or Moose in cool weather, last light to first light should be fine

Deer are a little more forgiving as they have smaller muscle groups and body mass that dont retain the heat as much. But even leaving a deer in warm weather overnight can be very risky.

Things that you can do if you find the game and have to leave it overnight for some reason is tog et the hide off ASAP, break it down and get the quarters off the ground so the air can circulate under them.

[skibum]

Remember in TV land they care about good light for the camera, they don't want to do the "pose" with a flashlight

[Rock Doctor]

I've seen it happen a couple times, but have never noticed any negitive effects on the meat.

RD

[CanuckShooter]

Get them out if you can....don't leave your animal out overnight especially not gutted if you can avoid it.

We shot a bull moose, quartered and skinned it....left it propped up on atvs etc until that evening and left it in the camper overnight at just above freezing temp..and it started to sour...

While it won't always happen it only takes once to ruin your day, so don't leave it out overnight if you can avoid it. IMHO

[Ironball]

The butcher we use says, if a animal is not gutted it will go bone sour within eight hours. We had a large moose go bone sour and the meat had a greenage ting to it , the whole moose was wasted. The gases that a dead animal will produce will get into the meat , so if you can't get the animal out at least gut the animal and prop the chest cavatiy and hope for a cold evening temperature. Another thing i learned this year is that blood shot should be removed within four hours or he has to cut more out.

Kevin

[Cyrus]

Remember in TV land they care about good light for the camera, they don't want to do the "pose" with a flashlight

....like they actually care about the meat.....

[Jagermeister]

The butcher we use says, if a animal is not gutted it will go bone sour within eight hours. We had a large moose go bone sour and the meat had a greenage ting to it , the whole moose was wasted. The gases that a dead animal will produce will get into the meat , so if you can't get the animal out at least gut the animal and prop the chest cavatiy and hope for a cold evening temperature. Another thing i learned this year is that blood shot should be removed within four hours or he has to cut more out.

KevinThis post spells it out quite definitively. I think it is imperative to get the gut out as quickly as possible.
So it comes down to the idea that if the retrieval is questionable due to darkness, then perhaps the shot should be passed, unless you have a taste for tainted meat.

[Buck]

Sept buck not found till morning was sour.If you can gut it and lay open it will be good through the night if you need to leave it.

[weatherbyjunkie]

my elk this year was shot at dusk,probably within a half hour of last legal light and not recovered until 730 am. Lost all the meat, worst smell ive ever smelled,the butcher said it was 'bone-sour'. goddam shame to lose that much meat, let alone elk..........

[porcupine]

I've shot deer at dusk (liver shot) and had them run off. Couldn't find them until the next morning and they were delicious. Harder to clean when they are cold.

[Brambles]

my elk this year was shot at dusk,probably within a half hour of last legal light and not recovered until 730 am. Lost all the meat, worst smell ive ever smelled,the butcher said it was 'bone-sour'. goddam shame to lose that much meat, let alone elk..........

what was the time of year and temperature overnight?

[Gunner]

Years ago a butcher showed me how to cool down moose or elk if you have to leave them overnight.Guts out off course,cavity propped open,then skin out the neck and shoulder or the hump on a moose and cut several times all the way to the bone.He said that spoilage of the meat will always start in the thickest areas,better to open it up to cool.It doesn't matter how it looks,let it cool,it's only burger anyways.It works for me,but I don't like hunting when its warm out. Gunner

[OutWest]

my elk this year was shot at dusk,probably within a half hour of last legal light and not recovered until 730 am. Lost all the meat, worst smell ive ever smelled,the butcher said it was 'bone-sour'. goddam shame to lose that much meat, let alone elk..........


what was the time of year and temperature overnight?

I'm wondering too. We've shot elk in the warm temperatures of September and left them overnight after field dressing them and propping the chest. Haven't ever had a negative experience.

[Fisher-Dude]

People never admit to gut shots, but some do admit to "liver" shots. :p

[sobirch]

Sounds like sour grapes after the wings took a liver shot

[r106]

good info here for us newbs

[.300WSMImpact!]

I shot a mule deer mid october, left it over night, the next day did the work, and the meat was not quite right had a bloody taste to it nobody would eat it

[Brambles]

I shot a mule deer mid october, left it over night, the next day did the work, and the meat was not quite right had a bloody taste to it nobody would eat it

Mid october, shouldn't have affected the meat. Could it have just been a skunky mulie? How long did you let it hang before butchering?

[.300WSMImpact!]

Mid october, shouldn't have affected the meat. Could it have just been a skunky mulie? How long did you let it hang before butchering?

butchered right away didn't let it hang at all

[Brambles]

As a point of interest I hung my mulie for 17 days his year, he was a little skunky before but afterwards he was perfect. I've had great results on many occasions hanging skunky mule deer for 14 days or slightly longer provided the temps are adequate, most my deer are shot in November so the weather is great for hanging, in the end they eat great, the extended hanging with good air circulation really cleans out the meat.

[Jelvis]

Because the animule was left overnight with all body fluids trapped and the blood cooled inside the veins and blood vessels and didn't drain out causes dark looking meat.
The meat is full of blood and would taste wild. Body temperature heat held in mixes with the intestines and offal causing an offensive stench and the intestine juices (ecoli) seeps through the body cavity and into the tenderloins.
Jel .. try to keep the shooting done well before darkness to avoid this sit u mick ation ..

[91Jason91]

depends on the heat also I would say

[deer nut]

Ironically, I have been told that meat will spoil in really cold conditions. The outside of the animal freezes but the inside keeps cooking! Anyone know about that?

[moose2]

In my opinion the only animals I would leave over night on purpose with out a great attempt to find them with lights would be a wolf or grizzly. Anything else that I want to eat needs its guts out and if we can't retrieve it that night I like to skin the shoulders and neck areas as well as proping open the cavity. Alot of people think the cold weather will make it better if the guts have to be left in. I don't think this matters , because this time of year when the weathers cold the hides are much thicker and keep in more heat. We had a moose and elk's neck sour at the end of Oct thats with the guts out at -10 or lower. We also lost a moose in the same temps found it at first light the next day. The meat seemed fine at first but, when we got home the next day the whole thing was lost. When you hear the stories of moose and elk hunters working all night to bring one out , this is why better safe than sorry.
Mike

[moose2]

Ironically, I have been told that meat will spoil in really cold conditions. The outside of the animal freezes but the inside keeps cooking! Anyone know about that?

Your right. Its because the hide and hair on a animals winter coat might be up to 3 times thicker than in the early fall. Very little heat will escape so the outside freezes and the inside stays very warm.
Mike

[hunter1947]

I have shot a few animals and lost them due to dark setting in went back the next morning cleaned and skinned them right away and the meat tasted as good as any other animal I had shot and cleaned right away lots have to dew with the time of the year you shoot the animal hide is longer in the latter months and shorter hair on the hid in the early months keep this in mind.

One animal I retrieved the next morning it was early Sept the temperature was freezing at night the other animal I shot the time was late Oct the temperature was around -5 temp if the temp was in the high plus temp at night time it might have been a different outcome on retrieving my animal ?????.

The weather has a big impact if you loose some of the meat when your animal is in the bush overnight without being cleaned the two animals that I had shot in the late evening and retrieved the next morning where in cool temperatures - 2 temperatures or even colder when this happened to me.

I only lost 30 pounds of meat over my 52 years of hunting due to warm temperatures that one night in mid Sept this was in my earlier days when hunting elk 40+ years ago it was very late when we got my elk back to our camp we hung the bull elk up as hi as we could get it but the neck was still on the ground.

I lost the neck meat on that side of the neck due to the neck being on the ground it was late that night so we said we would skin the elk the next morning I learned a lesson from this ordeal don't matter what time you get the animal back to camp if the temp is warm that night or even cool skin it out and get all meat or the hide off the ground if the hide is to remain on the animal that night.

If the temp is in the minus temp and you get your animal back to camp late at night with the hid on it it will be OK till you skin it the next morning this only goes minus temp if the temp is in the plus mark then take the time to skin it out that night..


MY opinion is if the temperature is in the plus one to ten temperatures at night when you loose your animal to darkness or other you could loose part of the animal or the whole animal due to warm temperatures during the night time when the animal is on the ground dead ....

[willyqbc]

The answer is different for every situation

Elk or Moose in warm weather, don't risk it

Elk or Moose in cool weather, last light to first light should be fine

Deer are a little more forgiving as they have smaller muscle groups and body mass that dont retain the heat as much. But even leaving a deer in warm weather overnight can be very risky.



I agree with brambles, the big thick muscle groups on moose and elk have a very hard time cooling down, particularly in the neck. I had a buddy hang a big bull moose in my shop one night while i was at work. The hide was left on and it had not been split. I went out to check on it the next day when I got up, and after skinning the front half found it to be green from 1/2 way up the neck back to part of the front shoulders. We are talking make your shop reek kind of green.....I bucked off probably 60#'s of meat on the fronts to get rid of the soured meat.....hinds had cooled and were fine.
It's all about getting the meat cooled off, those guys on TV leaving deer overnight in really warm climates......can't believe thats very good, but then again most of them are just donating the meat to local food banks so meat quality probably isn't their prime concern!

Just my opinion
Chris

[woodsman]

Depends on the heat. It usually gets cooler overnite. As far as I am concerned, if I am going to shoot something, I am going to make sure the meat will be properly looked after. I have shot animals at last light and it was not possible to bring them back to camp because I walked back too far into the bush. I alway open and clean out the animal and prop the cavity open to make sure it get aired out. If I am not prepared to at least do this, I won't shoot. TOUCH WOOD that I haven't lost an animal to bears, wolves etc.

[Mtn Man]

took an elk a long ways back, gutted and skinned it split the brisket a ways up, propped the chest cavity open with a stick , peeled the hide off but left part of the neck with the hide on, lots of grizz in the area and figured better get the heck out of the woods, and better the elk than me, still ended up bushwacking in the dark which i hate doing, but came back the next morning early, even a light frost, but that neck with the hide still on smelled just not quite right, it was still warm and steaming, the rest however was cold with that nice dry skin that forms, oh yea and no grizz. can't imagine leaving an animal with the hide on unless it was way in the minuses,and even worse with the guts in it, maybe some people do not care, have no nose and can't smell,or maybe no taste buds. I have never eatenn something that smells bad to find out that it tastes good except for egg salad sandwiches.

[weatherbyjunkie]

it was october 19 region 8 this year. the daytime temp was 3-5 celscius. that night didnt get below -2. ive never had a negative experience before this either. usually is fine propped open. i shot at him from the front ,it was a lung shot and passed thru the guts on it way out the side. not sure if that matters???

[dino]

It sounds like there's a few guys on here that admit to gut shooting animals or spoiling meat because they left them overnight are Ok with it yet these same members post how unethical it is to shoot at animals at long range." OH the hypocrisy".
We lost half a moose one time when we couldnt pack it out because of darkness, we left it gutted and cleaned but the side that was laying on earth spoiled.

[bcmulie]

This was the first year when I've had to leave an animal overnight. I shot (archery) my Roosevelt elk at about 4:15 pm. I tried to sneak in for a second shot, but he spooked so I backed out with the light gone. We weren't able to find him until 11 am the next day. When we dropped him off at the butcher he commented that the meat smelled like it was starting to go sour. However, he cleaned it up and I had a steak the other night that was one of the best I've had in ages.

Bcmulie

[hunter1947]

I have had a hanfull of times when the whole elk after being shot that evening lay on its back in the back of my pick up truck this is off the ground and the animal can cool ether that or hang the animal on a meat pole as long as the animal is off the ground hid is on the animal.

If the temp is just above freezing take the time to skin the animal ASAP when you get it back to your camp even if the time is in the early morning hours if you are ever in dough with what you think the temp would be that night skin it out go with you instincts on what you should do that night.

When I shoot any animal In warmer conditions the hide comes off as soon as I get it hung up on the meat pole or skin the animal in the bush where I shot it in order to pack the animal out.
In freezing conditions it is a different story a person can leave the hid on as long as it well below the freezing mark day and night till you get the animal home or to the butcher..

I will leave the hid on the animal that night only if the temp is going to be in the minus temperatures then skin the animal out first light the next morning I only lost 20 pounds of meat in my earlier learning days..

[The Hermit]

Was in on a spring black bear that was left overnight... Three of the five guys within 20 feet of gutting it puked! They were really hung over! Hhahaha! The meat was totally spoiled. Man that was the worst one ever!

Was in on an early season elk recovery following a warm night, it was strong but edible

[NaStY]

Left my last bear over night last spring due to no light. Gutted it the next morning and the meat smelled great. In fact it was the nicest smelling bear ive shot to date.

[Jelvis]

Can you imagine if leaving an animal all night wounded in the late afternoon, then it dies that evening, and rigormortis sets in, the guts are swelling and the gas is expanding inside, and that's good for the meat your eating, then think about this. In the paper. Meat Market Special.
Hey folks come on down to the meat market, we got beef cow that was wounded yesterday early afternoon and ran till it died, we haven't gutted it yet or skinned it but hey, we found it this morning, it's on special, grain fed and it's still real good for the whole family. Matter of fact it's way better than the ones done at the slaughterhouse.
Jel .. think it would sell .. ? lol.

[Moose Guide]

My first year of guiding I lost 2 quarters of moose because I didn't do enough before leaving for camp, the next time I worked till 1 am before going to camp! This year the moose (last hour of last day) fell in thigh deep water so I put it right up on its back and laid out all 4 legs, it worked like a charm but in the morning there was still some warmth in those big hams but the meat was great!

[zike]

I lost a whitetail one night, even with a flashlight I might not have caught up to it. The coyotes jumped it a couple yards past were I quit for the night and chased it for a 1/4 mile. When I got to the scene the next day, there was almost nothing left. A pile of guts and a bit of hide, I don't know how many coyotes there were there was lots of tracks.

Elk season one year a kid shot a bull, but didn't gut it. He marched back to camp, his father and the rest decided to wait til morning to get it out. It was green and stinking, the LEO came by and told them to take it home. He didn't want to catch them dumping it. It was really bad I smelled it a long way away up wind. LOL

[Gateholio]

There is nothing more important to meat quality than cooling it down quickly. Nothing. You can take a young moose and let it sit warm for a few hours and it will be foul. Conversely, you can take a big rutting bull and if you cool it down quickly, the meat will be as good as it can ever get.

Leaving something over night is a LAST RESORT option. It astounds me how often I hear about and even see on TV bow hunters shooting something at last light and then not recovering it until the next day. Sure, you may need to leave an animal a few hours to bleed out and die if not hit perfectly, but do these hunters not own flashlights? Are they so incompetent that they cannot even take up a blood trail in the dark? Can they not wait even 3 hours and then go after the animal at 9 or 11PM?

The first black bear I shot, my hunting partner was Toronto city boy. I shot a bear 15 minutes after sunset, and we waited 15-20 minutes before following it up, in complete darkness. The city boy found the blood trail, and we followed it to the conclusion. If this city boy, who is scared of bears, can find a blood trail in the dark, then can hunters not also do so?

If meat quality or meat edibility is not important to you, then I suppose it's not an issue.

The only reason I would not follow up until the next morning is if it was actually dangerous, such as the animal went down into a steep ravine or if it was a grizzly that went into thick cover.

I've mentioned this before, but Gilmore shot a moose a few years ago. We cut it up and carried what we could off the mountain. Next day we went back and all the cut up parts were nicely cooled, but when we pulled back the skin on the head to remove the antlers, the head was still warm! This was at high elevation, Nov 4, with a snowfall! There was almost nothing attached to that part of the moose. Imagine what it would have been like if we had only gutted the moose, or even worse, not followed up until the next morning!

[BCRiverBoater]

I agree with you Gatehouse 110%!!!

I have never left an animal whole over night and do not see the reason to do this. We have spent many nights packing out a heavy load until midnight. That is why every hunter should carry a headlamp.

At the very least we have gutted and quartered the animal in the dark and left all the remaining meat to cool overnight. Then when we come back in the morning to take the last of the meat we know the meat will be as good as if taking it out right after the kill.

I never leave camp without my pack, knives, saw, meat sock/bags, rope and headlamp. I leave camp expecting to shoot and kill an animal so why wouldn't I take all my gear to pack it out???

Also in the day and age of GPS's there is no reason why a person can't find there way in the dark.

[hunter1947]

We used to hunt moose up the Alaska hi way in the late 60ties we would hunt in there for the first two weeks of Nov sometimes a Arctic front would come in the temperatures would get down to -30 at night and -10 the daytime hi this is when we left the hides on the animal to help protect the meat from the cold.

When we got the meat down to the island where we lived and into a cooler we all came back in a few days to take the hide off I still had this butcher cut my meat up when I lived on the island he has been a butcher for 38 years and he said you did the right thing leaving the hid on when it was that cold..

[killer]

Ive had a couple island bucks that i could not find until the next morning,they tasted fine.Also a few years back i had a four pt mulie i had shot just before dark i gutted it and propped the cavity open with a stick.It was too large for me to drag out alone before dark so i brought a buddy in with me in am .Well the critters had eaten the entire hind quarters out of it man that was brutal to walk up to that,was all excited to show my bud .Will only leave an animal overnite if that is the only thing to do.

[hunter1947]

Ive had a couple island bucks that i could not find until the next morning,they tasted fine.Also a few years back i had a four pt mulie i had shot just before dark i gutted it and propped the cavity open with a stick.It was too large for me to drag out alone before dark so i brought a buddy in with me in am .Well the critters had eaten the entire hind quarters out of it man that was brutal to walk up to that,was all excited to show my bud .Will only leave an animal overnite if that is the only thing to do.

Yes you are right sometimes you loose most of the time you will win no meat lost I have been luck over the years the animals I left in the bush and retreved them the next day most animals that I left have been in areas with no grizzle or very few.

[moosinaround]

If you are at the animal anyways, why not try to take some of the meat with you as you leave. I would never leave the hinds or tenderloins behind for a grizz or wolf, or coyote to have fine dining!!! Take out as much as you can!! Go back the next day for the rest! Antlers are always last to come out!!! That being said, what is 1 cold night around a fire to stay and take care of an animal?/ That is part of the adventure!! Moosin

[Hook or Bullet]

I don't think the tv shows are too concerned about the quality of their meat, they are more concerned with the quality of their video. They are trophy hunting and not setting a good example by leaving animals overnight.
If you are going to shoot at something, make sure you can kill it quickly and humanly. If it is getting too dark to recovery the animal, you should at the very least gut the animal to reduce the chances of bone soaring.
Leaving animal overnight without any cooling can also ruin your cape - hair slippage at tanner.

[swampthing]

My young son shot moose in lakes at last light on 2 occasions that had to be left overnight. They were both good but I didnt dare gut them the next day, I boned out the meat. I shot an elk at last light while backpacking solo. I peeled the hide off one side and cut loose the 2 quarters and made cuts into the backstraps. I was unable to roll over the animal to do the other side. As I had seen both wolves and grizzly on the the same hillside before I shot my elk. I did the "pee"rimiter around the elk and left sweaty clothes. 500 yards away in my sleeping bag I listened to wolves howl near my kill all night. At first light on my way to the kill I spotted a lone wolf heading toward me from the direction of my kill. I got even with that wolf and got to my elk, which hadnt been touched. My hunting partners which were camped on the river far below heard the shot at the wolf and figured I had grizz trouble. They showed up in a sweat a few hours later, called me an a..hole and helped me pack down my elk. It was about 5 degrees and the meat was fine.

[walks with deer]

My dad and I shot a bull caribou at last light 6km back from road access we simply pretended it was day time we cleaned it dragged the guts the other direction wiped all the blood we could of the animal to get rid of the bloos scent washed are hands after we got the animal 50yards from were we cleaned it we both took a leak on the drag trail we slowly made are way out 50-100 yards at a time we had lights big magnum firearms and most the time dad stood guard while i dragged the animal we yelled and laughed lots and all was good got too bed at 3am who cares we still had 2 weeks of a trip sleep in and go back out.

I shot a moose at last light buy myself with my panic stricken wife and baby in the truck, i emediately returned to the truck and grabed my down bag,lights,tarps,lots of sharp steel,and my 45-70 guide gun instead of a scoped gun. first order of buisness i gutted and used my hatchet to half the bull and drug him out of the dark timber into the middle of a slash,were i could see and leave the guts for any critters to mess with before me i proceded to take all 4 quarters and head out 50m at a time keeping all my meat and gear moving towards the truck 50m at a time the 600 yard pack out only took 1 hour safe sound, it was dark as hell so i let a fire by the truck so i could keep heading for the light.

Definetly wouldnt leave a animal over night on purpose my dad arrowed a whitetail in early sept and we could not find it once it got dark, the chops were spoiled and thats it when we found it the next day. I hit a blacktail once in a rainstorm at last light when i went in the bush to find him i saw him run so i left him alone i waited another hour and used up both my battert lights looking for him i went and got my buddy and we could not locate the deer the next day my buddy found it in 5min in the light cleaned him and again chops were the only concern they cook in the guts first.

[GoatGuy]

Few times with moose, never had an issue with meat, but always cold out when done.

[THE BEAST]

it is normally okay and it is normally better to leave it over night

[GoatGuy]

Always left the guts in. If you open it up with grizz around you better get it all done. Otherwise you're asking for a shoot out.

[gcreek]

I wonder what state the beef industry would be in if abbatoirs left the guts in their daily kill overnight. Can you imagine the uproar from the meat buying public if something like that was done.

I have never given up on an animal yet and have never left the guts in overnight, what a waste of a good eating experience.

It's no wonder a big majority of game meat gets made into sausage, I wouldn't eat the shit either. Part of CORE training should include proper care of the animal after it's dead.

[GoatGuy]

I wonder what state the beef industry would be in if abbatoirs left the guts in their daily kill overnight. Can you imagine the uproar from the meat buying public if something like that was done.

I have never given up on an animal yet and have never left the guts in overnight, what a waste of a good eating experience.

It's no wonder a big majority of game meat gets made into sausage, I wouldn't eat the shit either. Part of CORE training should include proper care of the animal after it's dead.

The meat was good. Steaks and roasts, trim was ground up, no meat lost.

Not much sense in wondering about the beef industry- the meat isn't being sold to the public. Besides that I can guarantee your knowledge of tainted meat is zilch, other than an uninformed opinion. Beef producers have bigger concerns, like bse, e. coli, staph, listeriosis and on and on and on. Now there's a public concern.

[gcreek]

The meat was good. Steaks and roasts, trim was ground up, no meat lost.

Not much sense in wondering about the beef industry- the meat isn't being sold to the public. Besides that I can guarantee your knowledge of tainted meat is zilch, other than an uninformed opinion. Beef producers have bigger concerns, like bse, e. coli, staph, listeriosis and on and on and on. Now there's a public concern.

Back to the personal attacks are we GG?

The only thing you can guarantee is that you are a self-proclaimed instant expert and that I might have a few cows.

You are right about one thing though, beef producers do have bigger concerns. Know it all zobots create a lot of them.

Give and ye shall recieve.

[GoatGuy]

Back to the personal attacks are we GG?

The only thing you can guarantee is that you are a self-proclaimed instant expert and that I might have a few cows.

You are right about one thing though, beef producers do have bigger concerns. Know it all zobots create a lot of them.

Give and ye shall recieve.

If you had the ability to inform the discussion from experience or fact you would have. You didn't. Don't take it personally.

[hunter1947]

Man O man this thread has did a 360 the thread was regarding recovering you game animal the next day now its turned into store bought beef ?? :confused:..

[gcreek]

I apologize for turning it, I was just trying to compare eating experiences. I am pretty well known for how fussy I am when butchering and keeping a carcass clean and well cared for. I have been around enough deads to know what things smell like after a few hours, there is no way I would eat something that had been left uncleaned and not properly cooled out.

I have seen the results of lots of other lesser experienced folks and see lots left to be desired. Hence my comment on making sausage. If I can't eat an animal the way it is you wouldn't convince me to kill it. Just me.