Processing a Mule Deer Question

[sailpunk]

First let me say I have searched this site and not found the information I am seeking so if this has been asked and answered before I apologize and please point me to the post.

So at the end of September we will be heading up to WMU 3-12 around Pennask and Hatheume lake for a 4 day hunting and fishing trip with the boys. Based on the best weather data I have it looks asthough it will be 11 degrees C during the day and 5 at night. If I get lucky I am hoping to avoid a mad race back to town. With that in mind here are my questions:


Given these approximate conditions how long can I wait before getting it back home to butcher it?
Are there tricks for 'in the field' preservation?
Should I leave the skin on it if I plan on waiting a while before processing it?
Should I bring some blocks of ice and lay the carcass on it to keep it cool?


Any advice would be appreciated.

[Grousedaddy]

Skin it put it in the shade and those temps should be fine.....

[kako99]

Dress it out and let it start to age as fast as u can. I hunt when it's +25 out and as long as its in the shade hanging with cotton sheet around it your good for a week.

[Steeleco]

Keep it covered in a breathable fabric asap. Some folks use a vinegar spray to keeps the fly's away, but I found if it's hung and skinned ASAP then covered, your good to go. It helps if you hunt in the cooler parts of the day and if possible transport early in the AM or late in the PM.

That said, there are cutters in the area your hunting, if you get something early, take it to one of them and it may be cut in time for the drive home? If you want a list steeleco@gmail.com !!

[Duck Buster]

Given what you have said for conditions I would process the animal as quickly as posible.
- get the guts out right away
- get it hung and skinned right away to get the heat out of the meat (or do the gut less quarter and hang the skinless quarters)
- get the meat into a cold storage facility or to the cutter as soon as you can

We carry a freezer and a generator with us and cool meat in it as soon as we can ( as soon as the meat has cooled to the touch/ambient air temp), you leave the lid open a bit to alow the condesation out and do your best to alow as much air flow around the meat as you can, ( build racks, install a fan whatever you can do)

Whatever you choose to do just remember that after the shot and the pictures you are carring for your table fare for the winter. In my experiance the faster you can cool the meat the better the product, as well as keeping the meat as clean as you posibly can, (game bags, cheese cloth etc.)

I am sure you will find what works for you but nothing sucks worse than loosing meat to rot or bugs. We were in the Kootanys last year droping off an elk at the cutters and watched the butcher throwing out an entire elk that the guys had let hang for 3 days, it was completly rotten no salvagable meat. What a waste....

Good luck and looking forward to the story/pics.

[Waynewjw]

Let me add a step which will make it a lot easier and preserve the meat. Remove the guts and get it back to camp. And debone it. If your hunting with a friend(s), one guy can quarter the animal and remove the hide. A $5 blue tarp on the ground keeps the meat clean. A 2nd tarp can be used to debone on a table or tailgate, easier on the back. Pack some meat in a plastic garbage bag, lay some ice in the bottom of a medium to large cooler. Layer with ice and then the next bag and so on. Last year I fit 55 lbs. of mulie in my cooler, good to go. It stayed that way for 4 days and could have longer if I had more ice. Steaks melted in your mouth.

Goggle deboning deer. Some good video's on how to.

[Big Lew]

Many years ago I was driving the old road through Gang Ranch, heading to Mons Lake for birds. It was unusually hot even for September. I shot a real nice buck, and after processing it and wrapping it in cheese cloth, took it to a timbered ravine on the north-east side of the Fraser-Chilcotin Canyons. This ravine had a continuous cool breeze day and night. That meat remained cool for 3 days before I headed home with it early on the 4th. The meat was delicious.

[srupp]

it certainly too hot this year to leave anything hanging..it was 30 degrees up till 48 hrs ago even on Horsefly mtn. But good advice..gut immediatly remove hide ASAP quicker the better..open up the neck and chest..GOOD quality game bag sealed so no flies crawl in. hang in shade over a creek if possible...however if it doesnt cool down overnight get it butchered ASAP. cheers steven

[139grainsofhell]

Srupp advice is bang on dont cheap out on the game bags seen that mistake done before. By the end of sept and the fact that your up in pennask high altitude you will be fine for hanging.dont forget the bug spray and the pumpkin heads!!!

[BearSupreme]

If you cant find game bags you can use some old bed sheets. You just need something that will breathe and keep the flies off. Cheers

[sailpunk]

Game bags, check
Vinegar in a spray bottle, check

Thanks for all the help. I will let you know how it turns out.

PS: What is a pumpkin head?

[139grainsofhell]

It's a killer fly for the area I don't go there with out it, good luck

[deadlyshot19]

Gut and skin it immediately then you can let it hang for a couple days as long as the conditions stay cooler. Keep it in a cool area (shade is a must) and in a body sock (game bag) I suggest leaving the bones in especially if you have never de-boned an animal before you will save a lot of meat if you let the butcher do this. its just important to keep it bug free and clean on debris and hair.

[swamper]

Our local butcher sells cheescloth that comes off a roll and is like a continuous tube. I usually buy about 30' at a time and it does 3 or 4 deer depending on the size of the deer. Just slide the tube up over the deer and tie off both ends and hang in the shade. Check your local butcher shops for this stuff, its great. The other thing you might consider is freezing water in 4 litre milk jugs and placing them inside the body cavity.

[huntcoop]

....PS: What is a pumpkin head?

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSMDUlD0QCim32sLwx6wOG4eGqeMZkUm SCsO9zdxhNiYxQqkAKH

[dakoda62]

Let me add a step which will make it a lot easier and preserve the meat. Remove the guts and get it back to camp. And debone it. If your hunting with a friend(s), one guy can quarter the animal and remove the hide. A $5 blue tarp on the ground keeps the meat clean. A 2nd tarp can be used to debone on a table or tailgate, easier on the back. Pack some meat in a plastic garbage bag, lay some ice in the bottom of a medium to large cooler. Layer with ice and then the next bag and so on. Last year I fit 55 lbs. of mulie in my cooler, good to go. It stayed that way for 4 days and could have longer if I had more ice. Steaks melted in your mouth.

Goggle deboning deer. Some good video's on how to.
Just a note nix on the plastic. Any heat left in the meat will sweat out and may spoil the meat.

[HarryToolips]

Our local butcher sells cheescloth that comes off a roll and is like a continuous tube. I usually buy about 30' at a time and it does 3 or 4 deer depending on the size of the deer. Just slide the tube up over the deer and tie off both ends and hang in the shade. Check your local butcher shops for this stuff, its great. The other thing you might consider is freezing water in 4 litre milk jugs and placing them inside the body cavity.
I've done the milk jug thing works great..another good thing about the vinegar spray is I find vinegar water and a rag removes pieces of hair off your meat really well after you've skinned it..

[dingdongdenny]

you do now it is 4 point or better in that area till oct 1st?

[bearslayer01]

i would not go more than 4 days man meat may look ok but it starts to go bad from the inside out i have cut up hundreds literally 4 days max if its 11

[Sofa King]

you do now it is 4 point or better in that area till oct 1st?

why would you assume he doesn't?
he never mentioned anything about shooting any buck.
i'm sure he has the regs and knows the area.

[Sofa King]

tons of great info from everyone, as usual.
but the days are cooling quickly, and the evenings even more-so.
and that's a tad higher up as well, so you might not have to worry too much.