Maggots on elk meat... Now what?

[briancorneal]

We got the elk meat cooled pretty quick,  and as we're dividing up the meat, we found maggots (small ones).  What to do now?  Can we just rinse them off?  Is the meat still good?

[Killercolin]

How long was it after it was killed?

[FC]

Is the meat still good?

Use your nose! If it smells spoiled than it is, how long was it sitting around before this?

Maggots won't hurt you.

[briancorneal]

It was killed on the 14th 5:30 pm.  Finished boning out meat at 1:30am on the 15th and was cooling by a very cold creek bed in the shade; on ice by 5 pm that day.  Used Alaska game bags.

[Goldeneye]

Flies must have been able to get at it and lay their eggs.

If it's on the bone get the bone out of there.

If it smells sour, cut the top layer of meat off and wipe down with white vinager.  Let that sit for a while then re-check.  Sometimes the white vinager will help meat if it's close to souring.

If it doesn't smell sour, trim the top layer of meat and I would also wipe down with white vinager.

Then get it processed.

[FSTaxidermy]

Is the meat still good?

Use your nose! If it smells spoiled than it is, how long was it sitting around before this?

Maggots won't hurt you.

 

[smartazz171]

Flies must have been able to get at it and lay their eggs.

If it's on the bone get the bone out of there.

If it smells sour, cut the top layer of meat off and wipe down with white vinager.  Let that sit for a while then re-check.  Sometimes the white vinager will help meat if it's close to souring.

If it doesn't smell sour, trim the top layer of meat and I would also wipe down with white vinager.

Then get it processed.

I had the same thing happen to me this year but i just found the eggs no maggots.  just rinced of and good

[boneaddict]

eggs are common, maggots not so much.   

[steeleywhopper]

Don't know if I could stomach eating that stuff.

[h2ofowlr]

It is fly eggs.  If there are a lot of flies around you will see them in about 15-20 hours maybe less.  They are just eggs.  Wipe down with vinegar water mix or fillet the hardened skin off.

[mtbeav]

It is fly eggs.  If there are a lot of flies around you will see them in about 15-20 hours maybe less.  They are just eggs.  Wipe down with vinegar water mix or fillet the hardened skin off.

and don't tell the wife

[jtw]

Most importantly. . .

don't tell the wife

[bobcat]

It is fly eggs.  If there are a lot of flies around you will see them in about 15-20 hours maybe less.  They are just eggs.  Wipe down with vinegar water mix or fillet the hardened skin off.

and don't tell the wife

Good advice right there!   

[remington300mag]

I can not believe anyone on here would actually eat meat that has maggots on it!!! I have eaten some strange things....some gross things....but never maggot invested meat!
Tell me if this is true......I was told that maggots will not eat fresh meat, but only eat meat that has turned.....that is one reason they used to put maggots in the wounds of soldiers to keep the spread of gange green from happening???

[FC]

Maggots only eat dead flesh, not necessarily rotting.

[Kc_Kracker]

It was killed on the 14th 5:30 pm.  Finished boning out meat at 1:30am on the 15th ..... on ice by 5 pm that day.

so it was 12 hrs before it was processed? wow that a good while in the heat, hope you save most of it!!

[flyguide]

Eggs are not a big deal, eat it.  I have had that on a couple of bulls no big deal to me.  Flies will get through any tiny hole in a game bag nothing you can do.

[Blacktail Sniper]

Serve it with rice....   

[remington300mag]

Serve it with rice....   

(((LMAO)))  Literally laughed out loud......

[bobcat]

Serve it with rice....   

(((LMAO)))  Literally laughed out loud......

    

[WAcoyotehunter]

Eggs are not a big deal, eat it.  I have had that on a couple of bulls no big deal to me.  Flies will get through any tiny hole in a game bag nothing you can do.

  I bet you're seeing eggs, not maggots.  Rinse it off, trim it and eat it.  As long as the meat doesn't smell sour, it's fine.

[RG]

 

Serve it with rice....   

[Bunny Thumper]

Our camp has killed many elk in September heat since 1984. Your time frame for boning and getting the meat cooled is fine, I'll bet what you see is blow fly eggs, are they in little piles and short rows? If so just fillet them off or wash them off, don't wipe them or they will stick all over the meat. Should be fine, but yes don't tell your wife!

[huntnnw]

my elk friday had giant flies on it in minutes of finding it

[h2ofowlr]

Our camp has killed many elk in September heat since 1984. Your time frame for boning and getting the meat cooled is fine, I'll bet what you see is blow fly eggs, are they in little piles and short rows? If so just fillet them off or wash them off, don't wipe them or they will stick all over the meat. Should be fine, but yes don't tell your wife!

This is what they are.  We ran across this with our elk.  We had it out to the rig by 9:30 that evenning.  Hung it over night and started processing the elk first thing in the morning and one shoulder and a hind quarter had a few spots with the eggs.  Just wiped them off.

[huntnnw]

Grind them in with the burger..extra protein

[Heredoggydoggy]

Maggots will only eat rotted flesh.  As long as the meat gets processed before the eggs hatch, you're fine.  You probably eat worse than tha every day and don't know it.

But yeah--don't tell your wife about it!   

[Chesapeake]

Fly eggs can hatch into maggots in a day or so in warm conditions. You likely had eggs on the stuff that first evening. If you didnt clean them off they could be maggots by now.

Maggots in just a few days would indicate you didnt keep the meat cool.

Like others have said, I use my nose, look for browned meat, bad smell, ect....

[farmin4u_98948]

Any meat that will bother you being in the area with the *censored*s.  opps. Maggots  just make pepperoni . Its all good...

[Threewolves]

Scrape them off, cut into the meat a little like an inch, if none are found-good, if you find any cut in another inch. Go until you can not find any. And again just scrape them of. fUsually the meat is still good. Eggs will hatch on about any meat fresh or not. Don't sweat the small stuff. Take Care, Paul

[Curly]

Serve it with rice....   

 

[jackmaster]

nothin wrong with the meat scim them off, wipe down with a cold water vinegar mix and all will be fine, this happens with bear meat in august, you get the egg clusters and such, isnt no biggie, ya just gotta not think about it after its proccessed and your eatn it  second and third the not telling the wife....EVERRRRRRR....

[Curly]

Actually, this thread is a good example of why the wife should not ever read stuff on the message board.  Can you imagine if she was looking at the site and just saw the title of the thread?  

[Blacktail Sniper]

Actually, this thread is a good example of why the wife should not ever read stuff on the message board.  Can you imagine if she was looking at the site and just saw the title of the thread?

YEAH!!  Then after reading all the comments, bet you couldn't pay her enough to ever eat ANYTHING with rice again!!!   

[h20hunter]

Maggots make great fishing bait. Just saying....you have options.

[Kc_Kracker]

oddly my wife was just reading over my shoulder and said "tell him serve it with rice" and walked away laughing... damn im lucky 

[mtbeav]

oddly my wife was just reading over my shoulder and said "tell him serve it with rice" and walked away laughing... damn im lucky 

  Do u think she will ever eat any game u serve with rice?

[mdbuck5x5]

  That "serve it with rice" comment has to be the post of the year! I can't stop laughing!

[briancorneal]

I eat everything with rice, so I'm already good to go.   

[Bearhunter]

It does not matter if the meat is rotten or not, if a fly lands on raw meat and is given the chance to stay there long enough to lay some eggs it will, the warmer the weather the quicker they will develop into maggots and then they feed on decaying flesh.  White Vinegar is a great way to clean them up, pepper is a great way to help detour flies from landing.  The best method if you are alone for boning meat, is to skin back only the quarter you are working on at a time...  That way then the whole side is not exposed (only minimal flesh exposed) and they wont have anywhere to land a lay except were you are working and then you can ward them off.  Not to be critical, but 8hrs is a good amount of time to bone an animal out, if you can shorten that time in have or even better 2hrs your exposure time will be greatly reduced and you should not have issues.  Practice will make you effecient, no disrespt to you and Congrats on the animal, it will be fine as long as there was no souring

[Goldeneye]

I eat everything with rice, so I'm already good to go.   

I wonder if a cooked maggot pops when you bite into it?   

That part might bother me.   

[bullchaser]

It does not matter if the meat is rotten or not, if a fly lands on raw meat and is given the chance to stay there long enough to lay some eggs it will, the warmer the weather the quicker they will develop into maggots and then they feed on decaying flesh.  White Vinegar is a great way to clean them up, pepper is a great way to help detour flies from landing.  The best method if you are alone for boning meat, is to skin back only the quarter you are working on at a time...  That way then the whole side is not exposed (only minimal flesh exposed) and they wont have anywhere to land a lay except were you are working and then you can ward them off.  Not to be critical, but 8hrs is a good amount of time to bone an animal out, if you can shorten that time in have or even better 2hrs your exposure time will be greatly reduced and you should not have issues.  Practice will make you effecient, no disrespt to you and Congrats on the animal, it will be fine as long as there was no souring


Great comments vinegar is a great Tool also look into the gutless method it works wonders for keepinG things cleen and quick