How long do you have once they are down?

[TeacherMan]

I have a big bull tag this year and in early Sept. and I plan on working several areas up to a couple miles off of the road. The kicker is that I do not have horses. If I can get a quad into the area I would be good but that doesn't always work that way. So how long do I really have once I shoot the animal?

I know getting the hide off and guts out ASAP are crucial, but once I quarter it should I take the time to hang the pieces I cant pack or just leave them on a tarp and  start booking them out to a cooler? I hate spoiling/wasting any meat.

Any special tricks people have to helping save the meat? I'm not a newbie by any means but I always worry about this stuff. I have used pepper on the meat to keep yellow jackets and flys off and I have been told to cut the hind quarters down to the bone to help cool them quicker.

[bearpaw]

If it's not too hot, just get it quartered, and hang it in shade with game bags on it. It will cool out good. Pee or spit around the area to discourage coyotes. Pull the gut pile a little ways off in the open so the birds go to the gutpile and hopefully leave your meat alone. Also think about where the sun will come up in the morning before you get back.

Meat will survive warmer temps than most people think, if you get it in the shade and all parted out to air out and cool it down fast. If weather is too hot, you better look for a creek.

[Mike_D]

I agree with bearpaw's thoughts.  In addition hanging the quarters, I've heard tell that deboning the meat really excelerates the cooling process.  I don't recommending dipping it in a stream or the like to cool it (unless its in watertight bags temporarily)...

anywho... my .02

[Ellensburg]

If it's not too hot, just get it quartered, and hang it in shade with game bags on it. It will cool out good. Pee or spit around the area to discourage coyotes. Pull the gut pile a little ways off in the open so the birds go to the gutpile and hopefully leave your meat alone. Also think about where the sun will come up in the morning before you get back.

Meat will survive warmer temps than most people think, if you get it in the shade and all parted out to air out and cool it down fast. If weather is too hot, you better look for a creek.

This is great advice...

If ur not gonna get it all out that day you gotta get it quartered up so it has more surface area to cool. Peeing around it is good advice. I will remember that bearpaw!

[BLKBEARKLR]

but once I quarter it should I take the time to hang the pieces I cant pack or just leave them on a tarp and  start booking them out to a cooler? I hate spoiling/wasting any meat.

Any special tricks people have to helping save the meat? I'm not a newbie by any means but I always worry about this stuff. I have used pepper on the meat to keep yellow jackets and flys off and I have been told to cut the hind quarters down to the bone to help cool them quicker.

Should always hang it so it has good ventalation all the way around, laying it on the tarp is a bad idea.

The secret to having good quality meat is getting it cleaned out, hung up and cooled down, not cold or frozen, as quickly as possible. To do this, the internal organs have to be removed, the hide has to come off, and the carcass placed in a cool environment. Without a doubt, the longer the carcass is on the ground, the greater the chance the meat will spoil. Trapped body heat provides an ideal environment for bacteria to flourish.

A big game animal's body temperature is about 100? to 106? F at the time of death. Under normal conditions that temperature will decrease at a rate of 2 degrees an hour from the larger muscle masses in the rump, neck and shoulders. Twelve hours after death the large muscles of the hind legs may still be 76 degrees or more. Therefore, it is very important to do everything you can to increase that rate of heat loss.

Options that aid in dissipating heat from the carcass include: skinning the animal, placing the carcass in a shaded area, hanging it off the ground for maximum air circulation, and quartering or partial boning. Do not place the meat in any type of plastic because plastic will hold in heat. Also, do not place the meat directly into water. This simply makes an incredibly wet and sloppy mess that is difficult to handle.

[Gutpile]

  Pee or spit around the area to discourage coyotes. 

Bad idea, If Ice or Rasbo does that every scurvy coyote in the area is gonna want to come and get laid.

[Houndhunter]

 

[alanger]

Good advice gutpile. 

[bearpaw]

I have put august bear meat in water before on incredibly hot days when there was no other choice, better than losing it. But normally by archery season it will be cool enough in the shade and fine until you get back if you get it hung in shade, and remember to think about the sun coming up in the morning. Try to carry some of those elk quarter bags so you don't have to deal with flies on the meat.

The human scent doesn't always work, but it does most of the time, coyotes are usually scared to death of human scent.

If the flies do blow some of the meat no big deal, just trim it off. Pepper does work to keep flies off and there are a few other things too, I just don't like having to pack any more than I have to when hunting.

[Ironhead]

Bearpaw is correct about the water it won't hurt the meat if it's dipped in to cool off or to wash it off. You won't want to leave it in to long as the water will help the meat deteriorate fatser.

Another thing to do if there is not enough shade is to erect a tarp high enough off the ground for good ventilation that will create shade for the meat . Hang it vertical instead of the usual horizontal way.

[billythekidrock]

Liquid game bag works pretty good at keeping the blowflies away. We have used it on a couple elk and a bear and were happy with the results.

[bugle-em]

Did this once, must have forgot to hit send, I'll try it again. Gut, skin, quarter, pepper, bag, hang in shade, cover with branches to keep birds off, hang a sweaty shirt next to it, get it to a cooler as soon as you can. Try and have a cooler lined up in advance with a way of getting a hold of them 24/7, it's not fun driving around with meat in the back of your truck in 90 degree weather, looking for a cooler!  Good luck!!

[Crunchy]

After the kill, you should at minimum gut, and maybe place a large stick to keep the rib cage open.   That will buy you some time if its getting or is dark.

I bring block ice to camp (use costco milk jugs), along with bags of ice.  We usually have 4-5 150 quart coolers in camp.  Put quarters in game bags, then large garbage bags to keep meet dry, and then set on block ice, and cover with ice bags.  Your good to go for probably 3 days.

[dave]

 I dropped a bull last year and the temp was over 80, It was in 9 pieces in 90min and in the truck heading home in less than 5hrs. the only thing I lost was the cape. it slipped. if you are looking to mount, it doesn't take long for bacteria to set in. get as much meat off the neck as you can, FAST. I will often use a creek to cool the meet.

[bucklucky]

If it is Hot I recomend if you quarter it and leave the bone in to at least plit the meat to the bone to let heat escape form the center of the quarters. Trust me, I killed my bull in about 85 degree heat last year and it was a long pack and long long day. Get it bagged and hung in the shade as said before but I would bone it if it were me. That bone sour can make or break ya. . The less you have to cool the better and that bone will hold the heat longer than anything. If you get in a situation where you think you may not be able to get the whol ething packed out that day, I would choose to bone it. It doesnt take much more time to doo.