Cooling Elk Quarters after the kill.

[Bigbulls]

I figure this Archery elk season is going to be really hot one again.  I am usually miles from the nearest town, so coolers with ice is hard to keep going all season long (two weeks).  Almost lost some meat last year even though I packed that entire elk out in 8 hours, ALL BY MYSELF! I remember the flies being really bad, took a lot to keep moving and dressing out elk with them biting and buzzing around.  Any suggestions to getting elk quarters cool in a hurry in the woods? 

[PlateauNDN]

Quarter, bag fast, keep in shade, preferably hanging, or if your near a stream or creek submerge with shade for cover otherwise sounds like you have an idea already, good luck.

[Bean Counter]

1. Skin it
2. Cut down to the bone on the quarters and 'collar' it so that air can circulate all around the bone. This is a huge source of heat and a recipe for spoilage
3. burlap or game bags. The key is pourous/breathable fabric. Don't put them in garbage bags, even if its in a large cooler with ice.

I've never submerged in a stream, but if I were, I'd do steps 1 and 2 above, then submerge in the garbage bag. As soon as I remove it, qtr would be placed in a game bag.

[bwhntr350]

 The benefit of taking the meat off of the bone highly outweighs, imo, the time saved to not do it. Get rid of all that bone, your meat will cool much faster and no reason in the world to pack bone out, unless you owe your dog a huge favor.

 I have never lost meat but nearly did two seasons ago. It never got below 60 degrees over night. Killed my elk at 10:30 a.m., boned it and hung it up. I usually cut my meat into smaller chunks but this time I decided to cut large chunks. The next day after 9 hours of me and my buddy packing it out, I started my inspection. Cut into the larger portions and the meat had a slight smell to it. I cut them all down and put them in a cooler and all was saved.

 The good thing about it is that once you get the meat cool it stays cool. Overnight, if the lows are low enough, all should be good. I have killed elk on 80 degree plus days where the overnight temps. went to the lower 40's and left the meat out there in the woods for two days. MMMM, scrumptious.

[Huntbear]

What every one above has said...  bone it out, on the spot.  get it cooled down ASAP! 

[Bean Counter]

i will echo bowhunter350

hung for five days with mid 50s temps by day and mid to upper 30s at night. even though its technically in the "danger zone" all day, the meat gets so cold at night that it can hang in the shade for days. i think ive done up to five days like this.

[deadyote]

What do you think about the citric acid technique?  Has anyone done it and is it worth it?

[bwhntr350]

The benefit of taking the meat off of the bone highly outweighs, imo, the time saved to not do it. Get rid of all that bone, your meat will cool much faster and no reason in the world to pack bone out, unless you owe your dog a huge favor.

 I have never lost meat but nearly did two seasons ago. It never got below 60 degrees over night. Killed my elk at 10:30 a.m., boned it and hung it up. I usually cut my meat into smaller chunks but this time I decided to cut large chunks. The next day after 9 hours of me and my buddy packing it out, I started my inspection. Cut into the larger portions and the meat had a slight smell to it. I cut them all down and put them in a cooler and all was saved.

 The good thing about it is that once you get the meat cool it stays cool. Overnight, if the lows are low enough, all should be good. I have killed elk on 80 degree plus days where the overnight temps. went to the lower 40's and left the meat out there in the woods for two days. MMMM, scrumptious.

 And just to clarify, I normally would not leave my meat in the woods for two days but when you kill it on a Tuesday or Wednesday and you hunt by yourself it is, sometimes, hard to find packers.

 One I killed just before dark and spent the night with it cutting it up by fire light. I never got out with the head, my bow and my pack until 11:30 the following morning. Went to my Dad's took a bath and a nap at the same time and then went out for a huge double bacon cheeseburger. There was no way to line up packers nor did I have the energy after a nearly sleepless night:(

 Just wanted to mention that it is not my practice to leave the meat, just sometimes it happens that way.

[Bean Counter]

What do you think about the citric acid technique?  Has anyone done it and is it worth it?

I haven't read much about it or tried it. I have heard about using vinegar to starve off mildew growth on the edges of the quarters. This may be fine and dandy, but it wont replace proper  temperature management. I had quarters grow a tad of external mildew but it easily trimmed off, without much waste, and everything beneath was just fine. I caution about letting any external treatment give you a false sense of security of what is going on underneath the surface.

What all of us who are beating the "bone sour" drum are trying to impress is that spoilage occurs from the inside out as much as, if not more so, than the outside in. No matter what you put on the outside, if the heat radiating from that femoral bone keeps most of the temperature of the quarter at 80 degrees overnight, you are going to have some serious internal spoilage, even if the outside is chemically treated to stay nice.

[Todd_ID]

Air circulation is one big part of it, too.  You can lose meat by leaving it sitting in the snow.  As for cooling in September: bone out then into food-safe garbage bag and submerge for 30 min then into game bags.  Build a small platform 8" above running water out of sticks and logs for the pieces that you need to leave for the next trip.  Do your packing in the dark so you can have it at the truck at daylight and get it to a walk-in cooler first thing in the morning.

[jess]

bone out and put in one gallon zip lock bags and sink in cool creek.. I do this on the high buck hunt and have had meat in the creek over a week and it was fine..

[Bigbulls]

These are great suggestions and advise, thank you so much!   


I love that dressed out your elk by camp fire light, that is hardcore!     Reminds me of the movie Predator and the end, lol.
"One I killed just before dark and spent the night with it cutting it up by fire light. I never got out with the head, my bow and my pack until 11:30 the following morning."

[Crunchy]

In our camp we have at least 5 or 6 150 quart or larger coolers with ice.  We put ice, hind quarter, ice, front shoulder ice in the coolers.  Kept them fine for four to five days.