Boned out processing question

[wooltie]

Hey guys!

Been reading all the great info and have a question regarding hanging time / processing boned out meat.

My buddy and I are off to my cabin for a week during modern this year on the peninsula.  The packouts should be easy, with a 5-5 mile walk back to the truck, and a short drive (20-30 min) back to my cabin.  At first I was going to bone out any deer we get, but now I think I may just remove the rear hinds, and bone out the rest with everything going into game bags.  We'll be there Sunday through Friday and I have an uninsulated garage plus fridge in which I can place the meat.

I am looking for advice regarding what should be done with the meat during the week. 

We will be there Sun-Fri, or until we both get our deer.  Getting the meat off, into bags and into the garage in reasonable time is not an issue.  But suppose we get one deer on Monday, and the other Friday (the we leave Saturday morning), etc.  Just want to avoid spoiling any meat.

Thanks.

[SFD2015]

I think you are going to get a whole heckauva lot of replies and opinions on this (See the aging deer thread).

First, the meat needs to stay cool, so it depends on the weather. We usually use an igloo cooler on our meat for a couple of days if the temps aren't cool enough (wrap the ice in plastic and double layer the meat and plastic). PERSONALLY (and I say this because I don't age my deer longer than needed to get it to our processing area and packed and frozen), I would de-bone and process it right there in your cabin and freeze. Not saying grind and season etc, but cut and wrap then straight to the freezer (I am assuming that because you said you have a refrigerator there is at least a freezer as well).

If you hang it, you need to get the meat below 40 Deg F. Also, if you hang it, I would bring some vinegar to coat it to keep the flies off. 5 days is to long without consistent temps being below 40 Deg.

[300rum]

5 miles is a long way to carry out bone.  I prefer to bone out on the spot, it only takes 30 minutes or so. 

[JLS]

Life begins at 40.  Keep the meet cool.  You can safely hang it at 60 degrees for 72 hours.

If you are hanging quarters, I would leave bone in.  If you are going to throw them on ice in coolers, I would bone out.    If you are going to process immediately, I would bone out.

Good luck.

[deltaops]

Hanging and storing will be my issue as well, but someway or another I will make it happen. We leave on Oct 10th to set up. 4 of us will be going together, all family and 1st hunts. So far the weather is looking ok, mid 50's for highs and high 30's for the low.

My main issue is if one or two of us take down our deer, that will leave two or maybe three of us left to get ours. It could be a few days or it could be quick. The main concern is the drive back to the west side. I do not have the funds to buy several big coolers to store meat in. I do have a med size cooler and a couple small ones. The other thing I was considering is that in our Small motor home, under the back seat is a huge storage spot. I was thinking of lining that with plastic and throwing the meat in that with ice covering it.

I can see it now, driving home with the ice melting and blood mixed with water dripping out the back. Someone sees this and calls the cops. That outta be a great discussion. 

[wooltie]

I can't guarantee garage temps consistently under 40; and we may be there more than a few days, so any meat will have to be in a safe state until it's cut, wrapped and in the freezer.

So the process might look something like this:

1.  Bone out, meat into game bags.
2.  Return to home base.
3.  Remove meat from bags
4.  Wash off meat with water and pad dry.
5.  Put meat in coolers on ice, barrier the ice to prevent it from contacting the meat? or
6.  Cut, package and put in freezer until you pull the thing out for a tasty dinner.

There's also a butcher shop not far, which I could drop off the boned out meat for cutting and packaging at some point after the kill--maybe the next day.  I could have a deer cut/wrapped for $00.69/lb.  I'd pay that.

Sounds like some people let the meat age in <40 degrees for a number of days before cutting, packaging and freezing, while others go straight to the freezer.

[TheHunt]

wooly uses the same process I use.

[Ductsquatch]

I can see it now, driving home with the ice melting and blood mixed with water dripping out the back. Someone sees this and calls the cops. That outta be a great discussion. 

Will make for great stories around the campfires for years to come..

[carlyoungs]

I know a guy who got pulled over on i90 for blood dripping out of his truck.  The cop checked it out and let him go.

[MagKarl]

I have never had problems with wet meat, provided the moisture came from clean ice.  I have packed several deer and elk in coolers with ice for many days, just kept the cooler drain open and keep adding ice as needed.  It takes a lot of ice in the beginning till the meat is really chilled well, then the melt slows way down.  I like to have my coolers on a slight slope or propped up on one end with a 2x4 to encourage draining.  I believe the key here is I have enough ice in there that the meat is "hurt your hands" cold when I'm pulling it out of the cooler later at home and cutting it up. 

[bow4elk]

Your two primary objectives are cooling meat as quickly as possible and keeping it clean.  Boned meat layered with cubed ice in coolers works very well just as MagKarl suggests.  This method is proven and on deer sized animals, you won't see a lot of rapid ice melting as you will on elk or larger masses of meat.  If coolers will be in direct sunlight (during early season, for example) cover them with a couple old sleeping bags to add insulation.

Water and meat are a bad combination in warm weather where moist, warm meat is a breeding ground for bacteria.  I cringe every time I see a deer or elk whole in the bed of a truck with the hide on in September too.    I have made it standard practice to split the hams all all big game, even during late season hunts.  The upper hind leg holds a lot of heat for a LONG time.   Bone sour is common on elk and most people don't even know it until their meat comes back with a strong flavor.  You need to open up those hams and remove or expose the femur to allow all that heat to escape.  You'll be glad you did!

[Ductsquatch]

OK............
Stupid question maybe........
Where does all this ice come from? When I go out for extended period of time.......five days or so and I got water.....that's IT!

[bow4elk]

OK............
Stupid question maybe........
Where does all this ice come from? When I go out for extended period of time.......five days or so and I got water.....that's IT!

One word: YETI   

Or fill your coolers with cubed ice and insulate them with a couple opened up sleeping bags.  I do this for elk and the $30 on ice is worth it when your first load out is 2AM and you arrive at your truck with all the ice you need.  It will last over a week if well insulated, even in Sept.  Sometimes I put a 1" styrofoam plank under the coolers too, for extra insulation.

[bow4elk]

I wasn't very clear in that post - I buy ice before I go so I have it on hand.  Like I said, it's pretty cheap insurance.  If you don't use it, you're out $20-30.  If you kill an animal, you just saved a ton of time and meat!  I wrote an article on my blog called Field to Freezer...you should check it out to see my process.

[300rum]

I would never, ever take ice like that before a hunt.  That's like taking a net with you when you go fishing, or bananas on a boat.  You just don't do that sort of thing, ever.