After the shot Meat care and storage.

[wt]

I had the good fortune of killing my first bear Aug 2. I'm not sure about the care needed going forward. LEt me recount what has been done up to this point. Bear was down at 8:30am, bear was quartered, in game bags and in the back of my rig by 9:30. Meat went from game bags into plastic bags(with game bags still on)and in bucket of ice by 10:30. Meat stayed in ice in relatively cool vehicle until 2pm then it got unwrapped and un bagged and into the fridge over night. The next day at 2pm I removed meat from fridge confirmed it was not wet (it was dryish or tacky), and I wrapped it in plastic wrap where it sits now five days later.What are you thoughts on what has been done so far and what are you recommendations for processing it moving forward. Thanks

[mtndew]

Get the plastic wrap off it. Even if it seemed dry when it was wrapped, the meat needs to breathe.

[billythekidrock]

You need to butcher that thing asap. Bear suet/fat can go sour in a hurry.
As stated, get the plastic off and either butcher tonight or put it in the freezer.

Unless you have a cuber, there is not much sense in making steaks. Clean up the backstraps and wrap them whole for roasts. Cut the hams off and clean them up for roasts. Cut the neck meat up and clean it for roasts.....get the picture? Clean up the ribs and cut in half. The rest gets added to deer/elk burger or in sausage.

[windygorge]

after the kill and 6 days later you decide to ask what to do with the meat.......wow.   are you for real??

[DoubleJ]

Yea, this might not turn out so well.  Might have a bunch of dog food.  If the meat isn't edible for you like it has already spoiled (real possibility) don't throw it out.  It will still make good dog food.  Please please please, regardless of it's state at this point, please don't waste it.

[wt]

I thought putting it in the fridge (initially unwrapped) and keeping it at 45degrees would be no different than hanging it in the walk in at the butcher. Can one of you that blew a gasket speak to that? ie windygorge and  DoubleJ. Thank you for the processing tips billythekidrock and mtndew. I'll get the suit off it and freeze it ASAP. I hope it turns out well. Does bear meat never get aged like deer or elk?

[DoubleJ]

I didn't blow a gasket, I was just worried about the meat being wrapped in plastic.  Putting the meat in the fridge is the right thing.  Leaving it wrapped in plastic doesn't sound right.  Everything I was taught was to let the meat breathe.  If aging the meat in plastic is how you do it, it's probably fine.  I just worry about the fact that bear fat is not like deer or elk fat and will spoil much faster, even in the fridge, or so I'm told.

[wt]

DoubleJ, ok no blown gasket,  I thought I was doing everything in my power to preserve this game(I don't take it lightly), but it sounds like I 'm gonna learn a lesson hear potentially. I think you are correct in letting it breath that's why I did it initially until the temperature was brought down to fridge temp. But it looks like you continue to let it breath (it looked like it would dry out so I covered it). So I'm hoping to learn something from the members here, I have always taken my game to the processor the same day or next day in the past. Any helpful guidance is welcome.

[dscubame]

In the future leave any plastic out of the equation.  It is also ok to let the outside dry out and crust  if necessary.

[billythekidrock]

I thought putting it in the fridge (initially unwrapped) and keeping it at 45degrees would be no different than hanging it in the walk in at the butcher. Can one of you that blew a gasket speak to that? ie windygorge and  DoubleJ. Thank you for the processing tips billythekidrock and mtndew. I'll get the suit off it and freeze it ASAP. I hope it turns out well. Does bear meat never get aged like deer or elk?

I never "age" a bear. I try to get it cool to the bone over night and butcher the next day. If it is hot and we are camping then I will bone it and put it on ice right away and froze within a couple days.

[Hunterman]

Treat your bear just like you do your deer...GET IT TO A COOLER FASTER THAN ASAP.. In this HOT weather,,get the skin off RIGHT NOW, and cut off the fat faster than that.. DO NOT EVER PUT FRESH MEAT IN ANY PLASTIC,,,EVER!! Unless you boned this bear out, chances are it will be bone soured, and spoiled.. Bear meat will go bad faster than fast..This is going to be a hell of a learning experiance for you..You should of asked these questions before you went bear hunting..

Hunterman(Tony)

[billythekidrock]

  I just worry about the fact that bear fat is not like deer or elk fat and will spoil much faster, even in the fridge, or so I'm told.

Try this little experiment:
Take a piece of beef fat and rub it between your fingers and notice how long it takes to melt. Do the same with deer or elk and then try it with bear fat.

Bear fat will melt almost immediately.

I have had well wrapped deer/elk roasts with a little fat that after 2 years were just fine, but 2 year old bear roasts wrapped the same was not very good. Obviously you want to remove as much fat as possible, but sometimes it is near impossible.

[DoubleJ]

DoubleJ, ok no blown gasket,  I thought I was doing everything in my power to preserve this game(I don't take it lightly), but it sounds like I 'm gonna learn a lesson hear potentially. I think you are correct in letting it breath that's why I did it initially until the temperature was brought down to fridge temp. But it looks like you continue to let it breath (it looked like it would dry out so I covered it). So I'm hoping to learn something from the members here, I have always taken my game to the processor the same day or next day in the past. Any helpful guidance is welcome.

Here's what I do with my game.  Some agree, some do it different.

1.  Kill it (goes without saying)
2.  Get it cool as soon as possible.  Sometimes you're close enough to home to just gut it and get it in the fridge, sometimes you need skin it, bone it out and ice it down on the trip home.  Just get it cool as quick as possible.
3.  I age mine in the fridge.  I think it's called wet aging.  I normally get it home, skin it, bone it out, put into game bags and put in the fridge.  I have 4 shelves in my "deer aging fridge" (just a fridge I kick the beer and soda out of to age an animal) and I put one bag on each shelf and spread the meat out as much as possible inside the bag
4.  each bag gets flipped over once a day so the bottom doesn't sit in fluid more than a day.  I do this 5-7 days.  It's important to me to keep the meat at 36-38 degrees (As taught by my dad)
5.  Between 5-7 days, you smell the meat.  When it just starts to have that "twinge" of smell where you think it might be going bad, it's time to process and freeze within the next 24 hours.
6.  Cut and wrap and freeze.  If using vacuum seal bags, partially freeze your steaks, roasts, etc for 2 hours BEFORE bagging.  Ever vacuum seal a chunk of meat and see the blood in the bag and then when you thaw it out the blood is everywhere?  That's because the vacuum sealing sucks the blood out of the cells and then the meat sits in that spilled blood.  Partially freeze the meat first and then vacuum seal and the vacuum won't suck the blood out of the meat.
7.  As far as drying out, each piece of meat will have some dried meat on the outside of it.  It doesn't go too deep in that amount of time.  When you're cutting your meat into roasts and steaks, just trim that dried meat off and throw it in the burger pile.  No harm.  Your roasts are still big and the dried meat is fine in burger.  You won't even notice it.

[DoubleJ]

As far as bear, I don't know for sure about aging or anything.  I've never shot one but, based on my deer experiences crossed with the info on this board, I wouldn't wrap it in plastic and definatly get the fat and bone out

[billythekidrock]

Uh, I don't agree with letting a piece of meat rotate in "fluid" for 5-7 days. That is a good way to promote bacterial growth.

You would be better off hanging it overnight somewhere a tad warmer, BUT dry. We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

[windygorge]

  wt.  no gasket blown, but you sounded like you were ho-hummin about what to do with it.  to me it sounded like" ok, like i just like shot this little bear, and well, its hangin, no wait, its in my fridge wrapped in plastic....just wonderin what you guys think i should like um do with it"      
 heard you don't need to age wild game, so i don't.  places in the web say you do (for weeks).  i have friends that do, and im sure tons of people do in this forum.  for me, i get it home and the only aging that happens is while its waiting its turn to get butchered. i have waited to butcher elk, only because i was working and couldn't get to it.  so it hung a few days while fans were blowing.  if it is really warm out, i take it over to a friends house who sets up his a/c unit in his garage.  sometimes it takes a couple nights to do an elk, so it will hang until i get to it.  does it make the meat better, more tender.  not for 5 days.  for that short of time, it doesn't matter.  aging is more for beef cattle, and it takes twenty somethin days.another thing i do is cut allfat and silver out of my elk and deer. if i can't, it goes to grinder.  if i was lucky enough to get a bear, there would be no fat left on the meat after butchering.  if i can't cut it out, it goes to grinder.  never killed a bear, so im speaking only about deer and elk.  i do know however, never ever wrap your game in plastic.  and it boggles my mind when i hear people still put quarters in garbage bags to pack out their game.  let it breath.  when it holds moisture, it will promote bacterial growth, which leads to spoilage.  plastic is the ideal incubator for bacteria.  thats how i skin my cat, and im sure others do it different.

[KFhunter]

Uh, I don't agree with letting a piece of meat rotate in "fluid" for 5-7 days. That is a good way to promote bacterial growth.

You would be better off hanging it overnight somewhere a tad warmer, BUT dry. We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

Same here - no "twinge" to the meat, yuch
 
regarding that twinge I know what your talking about, the other day my wife brought home some steaks from walmart with a 50% off sticker or some such - I opend the plastic and got to experience your "twinge" - I didn't like it 

[windygorge]

 We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

yea, do the vinegar thing to.  kills any bacteria it makes contact with.  also torch the quarters to get rid of hair that can't be wiped off.

[DoubleJ]

Uh, I don't agree with letting a piece of meat rotate in "fluid" for 5-7 days. That is a good way to promote bacterial growth.

You would be better off hanging it overnight somewhere a tad warmer, BUT dry. We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

I knew that would sound bad.  There's really no fluid to speak of.  Just came out wrong

[DoubleJ]

Uh, I don't agree with letting a piece of meat rotate in "fluid" for 5-7 days. That is a good way to promote bacterial growth.

You would be better off hanging it overnight somewhere a tad warmer, BUT dry. We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

Same here - no "twinge" to the meat, yuch
 
regarding that twinge I know what your talking about, the other day my wife brought home some steaks from walmart with a 50% off sticker or some such - I opend the plastic and got to experience your "twinge" - I didn't like it 

Works for me.  5-7 days is about right.  Venison tastes better and is more tender.  I have tried mine side by side with non aged venison and I greatly prefer mine.  Like I said in my post, it's not for everyone but I know I'm not the only one that ages venison

[ghostshell]

Treat your bear just like you do your deer...GET IT TO A COOLER FASTER THAN ASAP.. In this HOT weather,,get the skin off RIGHT NOW, and cut off the fat faster than that.. DO NOT EVER PUT FRESH MEAT IN ANY PLASTIC,,,EVER!! Unless you boned this bear out, chances are it will be bone soured, and spoiled.. Bear meat will go bad faster than fast..This is going to be a hell of a learning experiance for you..You should of asked these questions before you went bear hunting..

Hunterman(Tony)

agreed... wow man cant beleive there was no research prior... what a waste of a animal...

[Plainswalker]

If nothing else, you can put this down as a "learning experience".  Like many of my "learning experiences" in life, it either comes with a healthy side of embarrassment, or in many cases, actual physical pain.
 

[wt]

Meat up date: It's in the freezer vacuum packed and  I sampled each quarter. Yummy!!!! I'll. Still make some changes next time.

[DoubleJ]

Glad to hear you saved it.  Good job.

[JLS]

Uh, I don't agree with letting a piece of meat rotate in "fluid" for 5-7 days. That is a good way to promote bacterial growth.

You would be better off hanging it overnight somewhere a tad warmer, BUT dry. We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

The standard for bacteria is that life begins at 40.

[JLS]

wt,

Next time, I'd recommend putting the meat on ice, but not wrapped in plastic.  The heat has to escape the meat, and the plastic will hinder that.  You can successfully submerge meat in a stream in a plastic bag to cool it, but for icing I would put your ice in the bottom of the cooler, lay plastic between meat and ice, and allow some air space around the meat on top.  Drain your water as needed.

Not sure if you boned the quarters initially, but this will help cool the meat much faster.  Souring always takes place along the bones first, usually the femur (big leg bone) because there is so much muscle mass to trap in heat.

Cooling in a refrigerator for five days will not hurt a thing.  In a controlled temp environment like that I would not hesitate to leave it for a week or more if I needed to.  The University of Wyoming has done a lot of research on wild game meat care.

Glad it turned out good, and congrats on the bear!

[DoubleJ]

Uh, I don't agree with letting a piece of meat rotate in "fluid" for 5-7 days. That is a good way to promote bacterial growth.

You would be better off hanging it overnight somewhere a tad warmer, BUT dry. We mix 50/50 water and vinegar to rub down the animal. Then use a clean towel to dry it off. Then put it back in the fridge.

The standard for bacteria is that life begins at 40.

That's what I learned.  Keeping my meat at 36 degrees for a week is fine and works for me.  Always has with no problems.  To each their own.

[JLS]

If it's cleaned well and wrapped in a clean game bag or something to prevent excessive drying, you could leave it for two weeks and it wouldn't hurt a thing.  I would trim away any excessive bloodshot meat if you do this.

[DoubleJ]

If it's cleaned well and wrapped in a clean game bag or something to prevent excessive drying, you could leave it for two weeks and it wouldn't hurt a thing.  I would trim away any excessive bloodshot meat if you do this.

Blood shot meat goes into the dog snack bag.  Never eat that stuff.  I keep a dog snack bag where the fat, bloodshot meat, and bones go.

[wt]

Thanks for the info jls. It sounds like you have some experience and science behind your advice. I don't  know it all About food handling but once upon a time I did have a food handlers permit and there is a safety zone for preserving food, a properly operating fridge should keep you in it is what I thought . Besides meat is kept in display cases routinely for a week at a time. Billytkr had some great bear processing advice also, Like I said n my previous post I sampled the meat from each quarter and said it was yummy..... I wasn't kidding , it was delicious!  I had heard of bear being potentially not so good but this was great even with out seasoning. I may never hunt for big bears. But who doesn't like a big pumpkin head! Thanks again for the constructive advice please continue to post fyi next time.

[JLS]

wt,

I think I misunderstood your original post.  If you had the meat completely submerged in ice, it's okay to keep it in plastic for a while.  Just don't do it for long periods.  Bacteria needs moisture to grow, and keeping it in plastic provides the conditions it needs.

[windygorge]

Meat up date: It's in the freezer vacuum packed and  I sampled each quarter. Yummy!!!! I'll. Still make some changes next time.

 

[WaltAlpine]

I have experienced one deer and it went this way, last Oct, day two... and it tasted excellent...one reason I am hooked on hunting.
Shot the deer at 8 AM Sunday.
Boned it out on the spot without gutting it. Spread it out on coats and extra shirts, etc to cool off.
Carried the meat down the hill, and had it in game bags and in the cooler by 12.
Drove home the next day, Monday and put it in the fridge.
Cleaned it up, what little cleaning there was to do, and cut it up Tuesday night.

No plastic, no hanging/aging on purpose, other than the two days to get home, but was always kept cool and dry.
It was all excellent. Roasts, steaks, ground for tacos, soup, etc. We just treated it like beef. We were with an experienced hunter and just followed instructions until we drove away from the campsite. We went with our guts the rest of the way.
If there is anything I am missing, let me know. Like , even what we may have sone right... It seems like we must have done the right thing.

[DoubleJ]

5.  Between 5-7 days, you smell the meat.  When it just starts to have that "twinge" of smell where you think it might be going bad, it's time to process and freeze within the next 24 hours.

LMFAO. First time reading this old thread.  Eventually the "twinge" will turn into the death "twitch" if consumed prior to freezing.

I agree no aging needed. Get all animals cool ASAP which sounds like happened with this bear and cut em' up.

Been doing it for years with no issue.  The bacteria that grows in and on meat kept under 40 degrees for a week isn't bad bacteria.  No threat of illness.  It's science and has been proven over and over.  How do you think they age that 40 day beef people pay so much for at the restaraunts?  Same way.  It makes the meat much more tender and concentrates the flavor.  Period.  So, you can laugh your f'n ass off all you want.  Doing it the way I described will do no damage to anyone.  If you don't like it, don't do it that way

This is with deer though.  I agree, I wouldn't age bear meat. 

[h20hunter]

Wow......relax.......

[DoubleJ]

Sorry.  I just got a bit upset when someone takes the total ok and valid way I do things, when I was simply offering up how I do it as a suggestion of a way to do it,  and tells people it's going to make them sick.  Everyone that takes their game to a butcher has the exact same thing done with their meat.  Most butchers are too busy to cut, wrap, and freeze the same day so they hang the animal in the cooler until they can get to it.

[DoubleJ]

I appologize.  Seems we were both a bit mixed on what the other was saying.