How do you process your game animal?

[lamrith]

New hunter here, had 1st long hunting weekend last weekend in which an animal was taken by one of the group.  This was the 1st time I had seen a game animal "processed" from shot to freezer and I wonder how different people do it and handle their take, especially after you get it out of the field.

This one was gutted in the field and drug to truck.  Got to a midpoint of the drive where had water and they rinsed the chest/stomach cavity out to get the blood and any remnants rinsed out, then off to camp.  There it was hung and sat a few hours.  They started skinning it, seemed like didn't know how to attack it, so got back 1/2 skinned then changed to bottom half and skinned there, meanwhile the hind quarter meat was open air and died out.  got a hard coating on the meat?  Then went back to back half and trimmed more.  Then skinned down and  to neck and went after the backstraps.  Then cleared shoulders and removed front quaters.  Then tenderloins, then rear quarters.  Then went for the neck meat and removed the head.  Just did not seem efficient the way it was done, so hoping some of you could share how you handle your animals, order you go at them etc.  To me it makes sense to skin the front half 1st (since hanging by back legs) but then you have cap to deal with?  Having the rear half out of skin dried out the outer layer of meat which leads to wastage?

I have watched a few youtube videos and the gutless method looks very good for me as a solo hunter.  Much easier to pack out alone, than trying to drag a gutted deer?
Maybe gutless field qtr it and straight into bags and on ice/freezer?
How log to wait to cut into steaks/burger?

[Kc_Kracker]

samurai sword...

[hntrspud]

Depends on the situation. If I can get the animal out whole, then I gut them in the field, take home, hang the by the rear legs, and skin down. When done with the rear legs alot of the time you can just pull the hide off the carcass down to the front shoulders and skin from there down the neck to the head. If its deer, I just debone it then and there. Elk, I let cool off for a few days, in a cooler or a make shift cooler, i.e. chest freezer with lid held slightly open. From then, its all in how you like your cuts. I do it all myself, so I make some roasts, steaks, stew meat etc. Then have alot of grind for sausage, pep sticks etc.

[Bullkllr]

 

Generally, I can take much better care of the meat- and finish with a better cleaner product by leaving the carcass in as big "pieces" as possible in the field. That could mean everything from whole/gutted if conditions allow to boned out/gutless if they do not...

The situation you are describing (sounds warm) calls for gutting/transporting quickly (sounds like that happened) to hang/skin asap to allow body heat to get out. I skin as described above given the chance. Sounds like skinning was slow? Skin generally comes off easier when the carcass is as fresh as possible. If hindquarters were drying out a) it was hot/sunny and/or b) took too long. Better to find a shady spot if it's warm anyway.
Warm/hot conditions really put a priority on getting the hide off and meat cooled quickly in any case.

Since it was warm, breaking down the carcass to get into the cooler was a good idea. Hanging from hind legs I would probably say the order of breakdown was pretty normal- start with front legs, then backstraps, rest of the body meat, hindquarters obviously last. I would probably leave the hindquarters whole if possible- cut the spine just above and cut lower legs off to- to separate and break them down at home because that's a lot of good steak meat. Whole operation gets way easier and faster the more times you've done it or seen it done by someone who knows the steps.

After getting meat home I use a spare fridge to "hang" for a couple days before final cutting. I have a removable frame and can hang up to elk quarters. I typically cut into as many steaks as possible, maybe a pot roast or two, stew meat, and grind (cutting deserves whole other topic).

For what it helps...

[Mfowl]

I've only done 2 animals, both elk, both meat hunts. I used the gutless method in the field. Skinned the animals fully, used hide as a "tarp" for the carcass. Removed the quarters, straps, loins and all other meat from flank and neck and put it straight into bags. Then straight into 125qt coolers. Cooled it there during the day, hung it in camp at night since I was helping others continue to hunt. When I returned home, I processed the straps/loins myself and took the quarters/loose meat to the butcher for ground, pep and jerky. Until I get a trophy animal I will continue to do thisngs this way.

[Bean Counter]

Depends on the situation. ...

That.

Bacteria and spoilage are hastened by two factors: temperature and moisture. Temperature being far more important a factor than moisture. Here's a mantra for you:

Cold + dry = ideal
cold + wet = ok
warm + dry = bad
warm + wet = worse

You need to adjust your processing tactics according to the climate in which you are hunting. I've never done a midwestern deer hunt but I'd imagine you can shoot a deer overnight and leave it lay there in the snow and pick it up in the morning with no spoilage. I just arrowed an elk in warmer Arizona on Monday and that is a horse of another color. Further, because elk are bigger than deer, they retain a much higher amount of heat internally. Even if its cold out, its not enough to just skin them. The hind quarters should be opened up some so that heat can circulate around the femoral bone, which radiates a ton of warmth into the surrounding meat.

I arrowed my bull around 6:30 at last light. I had about 3 helpers and I stayed up until 6:30am after most of them went to bed before midnight. I wanted the meat deboned, in my cooler, and the hide caped. A whole deboned elk will fit into a 165 quart cooler with room for ice. A 65 quart cooler is enough for most deer along with room for ice. Its best if you have layers of meat with ice in-between each layer while the meat is still warm from its fresh kill status. The warm meat will melt the ice into a bloody mess of water, and you should drain it and refill with fresh ice. That means several bags of chipped ice, drain, refill and repeat. After all the meat has all gotten cold you can switch to blocks of ice.

Other considerations

• If temperatures are nice and cool and your pack out isn't too far: consider leaving the hide on for the pack out so the meat stays more clean.
• Game bags cost an arm and a leg. Consider used pillow cases at the goodwill as well as old sheets.
• Grinding meat into burger inherently tenderizes it, so there's no need to wait several days for it to "age." grind it now to lessen the risk of spoilage
• We all learned that the so-called "danger zone" for meat and dairy products is above 40 degrees. However, my buddies and I have hung deer and elk when the nighttime temperatures were in the 30s and the day time temps were in the mid 50s with no spoilage. The meat will get so cold at night that it doesn't spoil even in the warmth of the day. Just remember to  skin it and hang it in the shade. Remember those temp guidelines: 30s and 50s. I only feel good doing that if it will be in the 30s at night and max 50s during the day. If it climbs above 60 degrees, we put it in the cooler immediately.

[grundy53]

Generally, I can take much better care of the meat- and finish with a better cleaner product by leaving the carcass in as big "pieces" as possible in the field. That could mean everything from whole/gutted if conditions allow to boned out/gutless if they do not...

The situation you are describing (sounds warm) calls for gutting/transporting quickly (sounds like that happened) to hang/skin asap to allow body heat to get out. I skin as described above given the chance. Sounds like skinning was slow? Skin generally comes off easier when the carcass is as fresh as possible. If hindquarters were drying out a) it was hot/sunny and/or b) took too long. Better to find a shady spot if it's warm anyway.
Warm/hot conditions really put a priority on getting the hide off and meat cooled quickly in any case.

Since it was warm, breaking down the carcass to get into the cooler was a good idea. Hanging from hind legs I would probably say the order of breakdown was pretty normal- start with front legs, then backstraps, rest of the body meat, hindquarters obviously last. I would probably leave the hindquarters whole if possible- cut the spine just above and cut lower legs off to- to separate and break them down at home because that's a lot of good steak meat. Whole operation gets way easier and faster the more times you've done it or seen it done by someone who knows the steps.

After getting meat home I use a spare fridge to "hang" for a couple days before final cutting. I have a removable frame and can hang up to elk quarters. I typically cut into as many steaks as possible, maybe a pot roast or two, stew meat, and grind (cutting deserves whole other topic).

For what it helps...

sent from my typewriter

[lamrith]

Thanks guys!!

What about cooler vs freezer before final butchering?  I see reference to 36-40*, but is it ok to get qtrs into a freezer and frozen before processing?

[bone collector 12]

If you freeze right away you are stopping metomorphis from happening,therefore you won't have as tender of meat

[Stein]

I bought the Outdoor Edge series of videos (actually I only bought the two on game processing).  One shows an elk and the other a deer.

The process is the same for me and is pretty simple.

Shoot animal (by far the toughest part).

Gut animal (I save heart & liver so the gutless method doesn't make sense for me).  Heart & liver get their own bag.

Skin and quarter one half.  Quarters go into separate game bags and are placed on a nearby tarp.

Pull backstrap, tenderloins,neck, rib meat and anything left from quartering.  Backstrap & tenderloins get their own bag.  Other stuff goes in misc. bag.

Flip & repeat.

Meat back to truck and into coolers.  Truck into town for 6-10 bags of ice.  If it is cold and I am spending the night somewhere other than the house, I will pull the bags and hang the meat.

Get home, set up shop and process.  I don't have the facility to age or really the desire to do so.  If cared for, I never found the need.

I process the least amount of ground meat as possible.  Most of the scrap makes great stew/stirfry meat.  I cut while my wife wraps.  We use one layer of plastic wrap then the freezer paper (not butcher paper, get the stuff with a shiny side).  Ground meat goes into 1 pound plastic bags from Cabelas.  Wrap, label and put in single layers in the freezer as you go so it freezes quickly.  A couple of days later, I stack in the final spot in the freezer.

All in all, I really enjoy the process while saving a ton of money and ending up with a much higher quality of product.  A commercial butcher really can't afford to spend the time getting every last ounce and trimming up everything perfect.

We are self taught with nothing more than Outdoor Edge and Youtube for training.  I have personally never seen anyone cut up an animal or show me how.  It isn't rocket science.

Regarding the skin that develops when you hang, just get a sharp knife and trim it off.  It should be 1/16" deep or less, you really don't lose anything.  You will want to trim the outside anyway as it almost always has dirt, lint, leaves, hair or something on it.

Rules to remember:

1.  Take and make a good shot so you find the animal quickly.
2.  Gut it as soon as possible.
3.  Skin it as soon as possible.
4.  Take your time, set up a work area and keep the meat clean - this saves hours in the kitchen.
5.  Cool the meat as quickly as possible using ice, cold air, stream or whatever you can.
6.  If you can get cooling or even cold within two hours you are doing great.  Not always possible but this is the goal I always have.

[Bean Counter]

Ideally, food  should only be frozen once. Whether it's meat or anything. Freezing, thawing, and repeating will make food mushy and destroy flavor. It's better than letting it spoil and you can make up for some of the flavor loss by adding spices, but it's best to just keep it cold and not frozen.

[Bean Counter]

4.  Take your time, set up a work area and keep the meat clean - this saves hours in the kitchen.

Good advice here. Or as I like to say: "take the time to do it right, so that it takes less time." Washing out dirt and hair is a pain in the butt.  It's nice to have a tarp to lay out like a picnic blanket and then you can put the quarters sans hide in the game bag on top of the tarp. If this isn't an option and it's going to be rough and tumble getting back to the truck, keeping the hide on each quarter might be cleaner and then skinning it back at the truck.