How long could deer stay in the back of a truck?

[police women of America]

So I want to apply for some special permits for deer tomorrow and there are some ranches that you can try to win a permit to hunt there but they are all the way in eastern Washington.

So my question is could the deer stay in the back of a truck for the whole drive home? it would be a 7+ hour drive including getting the deer to the truck. Also if it is possible what would be a good way to keep the meat cool and dry?
and here's another question what's the best way to carry the deer back to the truck? (after gutting it of course)

thanks!

[Woodchuck]

All depends on temps, just be safe and buy a big igloo cooler and pack it with ice for the ride. 

[Colville]

Gutted and Skinned.  In a tarp and packed inside and out with bags of ice. Should do just fine. Otherwise, quarter and use ice chests or bone it out and do the same.  With no hide/insides you can cool em right down. Check the ice when you make the usual stops.

[police women of America]

Gutted and Skinned.  In a tarp and packed inside and out with bags of ice. Should do just fine. Otherwise, quarter and use ice chests or bone it out and do the same.  With no hide/insides you can cool em right down. Check the ice when you make the usual stops.

could I still do that if I left the hide on? I doubt I could find a place to skin it.

[police women of America]

All depends on temps, just be safe and buy a big igloo cooler and pack it with ice for the ride. 

thanks! 

[Tony]

Be on the safe side and use a cooler with ice.

As far as how to get it back to the truck, invest in a good pack frame and everything needed to quarter it up.

[vandeman17]

Like others side, the two keys are 1) getting it gutted and cooled as soon as possible. 2) Temps when shot and for the drive home. During the later part of the year, we have no issue with our deer going bad and that includes long drives home from Montana. One thing that we try to do is prop the body cavity open in the back of the truck to keep air flowing and that will help keep it cool.

[bobcat]

Skin it and quarter it on the ground, then pack it on your back to the truck. Put meat in cooler with plenty of ice.

[LeviD1]

Skin it and quarter it on the ground, then pack it on your back to the truck. Put meat in cooler with plenty of ice.

 
or even gut it, drag to the truck. Skin it on the ground and quarter it then Pack it in ice. Im almost confused on how this is a real question though? Unless you have not been hunting before i gues. If theres a will theres a way!

[vandeman17]

I have killed a few deer in my day and have never once put them on ice. Never had an issue with spoilage.... If its cool, we immediately gut and get the cavity cooled down. If it is warmer, we do the same but also skin the get all the heat out. As long as its not in the direct sun or in an enclosed area we have been good to go. Everyone has their own method and as long as it works for you, keep doing it. 

[Stein]

I always gut, skin and quarter.  Put it all into game bags and on ice as soon as possible unless it is below 30 degrees.  I spend so much money on hunting that another $10 in ice really seems foolish to not invest.

[fish vacuum]

There's a post at the top of this forum on how to bone-out a deer. Boning out a deer allows you to just pack the meat out. The meat can ride in coolers with ice for the trip home.

[Westside88]

When hunting away from home it's a good idea to check out options for hanging deer in a cooler also. I haven't had to do it, but it's good to have a plan. Then if needed it could be quartered and transported in a cooler

[police women of America]

Skin it and quarter it on the ground, then pack it on your back to the truck. Put meat in cooler with plenty of ice.

 
or even gut it, drag to the truck. Skin it on the ground and quarter it then Pack it in ice. Im almost confused on how this is a real question though? Unless you have not been hunting before i gues. If theres a will theres a way!

the question is very real. I'm the first one in my family to take a interest in hunting so I just need to learn a few simple things before this hunting season.

[police women of America]

thanks for all the great answers!

[h20hunter]

PWoA...if you get the chance to see or help with a deer being dressed, broken down, anything like that before you are the one in charge by all means take advantage of it. Nothing beats hands on experience and if you are out in the field you will worry less about doing it right and more about just getting it done.

[elk247]

PWoA...if you get the chance to see or help with a deer being dressed, broken down, anything like that before you are the one in charge by all means take advantage of it. Nothing beats hands on experience and if you are out in the field you will worry less about doing it right and more about just getting it done.

That's great advise. Do you have friends that can show you the ropes? Granted the feeling of doing it all on your own is a good one and some of us choose to solo hunt but in this community many take great pride in introducing new people to our sport. Finding a good hunting partner is usually a good idea for a beginner not only for safety sake but for quicker recovery and care of game animals.

[Woodchuck]

PWoA...if you get the chance to see or help with a deer being dressed, broken down, anything like that before you are the one in charge by all means take advantage of it. Nothing beats hands on experience and if you are out in the field you will worry less about doing it right and more about just getting it done.

[police women of America]

PWoA...if you get the chance to see or help with a deer being dressed, broken down, anything like that before you are the one in charge by all means take advantage of it. Nothing beats hands on experience and if you are out in the field you will worry less about doing it right and more about just getting it done.

That's great advise. Do you have friends that can show you the ropes? Granted the feeling of doing it all on your own is a good one and some of us choose to solo hunt but in this community many take great pride in introducing new people to our sport. Finding a good hunting partner is usually a good idea for a beginner not only for safety sake but for quicker recovery and care of game animals.

my dad will be going with me since I'm still a youth. And I need someone to help me carry the deer out 
this site has been a great help I think I'm prepared to go hunting either then a couple small details.

thanks for all the answers! they are greatly appreciated!   

[h20hunter]

Now listen here young lady.......you grab that sucker by the antlers and get to pulling! Cold? Pshaw.......you will warm right up after 'bout quarter mile!

 

Hopefully we will see a success pic this year from you....a little blood swipe to the cheek to welcome you to the club. Best of luck to you both this year.

[Buckmark]

Lots of good advice given, just keep it simple and follow the proper steps.
1) Kill a Deer 
2) Field dress it, with dad there he can show you the way or help instruct you as you do it. There are some good videos on how to do it and having a pocket guid with pics can help also (if you have ever cleaned a fish you can dress a deer)
3) Skin it, best way is hanging, but if that is not an option then on the ground works (have a tarp) and get it in a game bag to protect from bugs, dirt etc.....
4) This is trickier not knowing the situation, are you staying longer to let dad hunt or heading right home? Is there shade and what are the night time temps?

Now to answer the question of the 7+hr truck ride home, a dressed, skinned, game bag on deer is no problem with that drive (as long as its not in direct sunlight) tarps are your friends for that and rain.

A real experience along your question: In Sept of 2013 h20 and his brother inlaw came over to my place to do some deer hunting, archery season with temps in the 60's during the day in the sun, cooler in the shade. The date was Sept 20th 2013, the BIL arrowed a deer the first evening hunt out around 5pm, we dressed and transported it to my place to hang on the meat pole and skin figure about 7pm. The meat pole is in an area with shade during the day, we skinned as the sun set, evening temps were easily in the upper 30's skinned and game bagged the deer hung all night. We got up and hunted the following morning for h20 till around noon when they had to packup and head out which they did about 1pm, at that point the deer had been hanging skinned about 18hrs no problem.
They loaded that deer whole (skinned and bagged mind you) into the back of a chevy HHR and headed home/to the butcher approx 6hr drive.... That deer had no problems and im sure he can confirm it ate just fine with no spoilage.. No ice, no quartering (unless needed to pack to the truck), proper field care and cool down..

[Quackwhacker]

Definitely utilize YouTube for methods on gutting, skinning, and quartering. I seldom need to quarter a deer before hanging. If you are hunting an area with trees, you can find a big limb or old hanging pole to use. Just need a rope and gambrel (leg spreader) to do the skinning.

I would gladly hang your deer in my shop and help you process it if you are passing through Moses lake. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you get one on the ground.


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[jackelope]

Skin it and quarter it on the ground, then pack it on your back to the truck. Put meat in cooler with plenty of ice.

 
or even gut it, drag to the truck. Skin it on the ground and quarter it then Pack it in ice. Im almost confused on how this is a real question though? Unless you have not been hunting before i gues. If theres a will theres a way!

Youth Hunter learning as she goes.  We all had to learn at some point. Let's use our experience to do what we can to help

[rtspring]

Shoot deer, then get ice!!!  Id rather be safe then sorry..   

Ive always shot a animal, gut it, skin it, quarter it and then run for Ice or a cooler then ice..   Never had one issue

[Bullkllr]

Truck bed surface can warm considerably from exhaust heat on a long drive. I try to keep a couple old foam camping pads handy for under the meat insulation if is it's not in a cooler. Sometimes throw one on top if the meat is cooled and temps are warm.

[PlateauNDN]

Shoot deer, then get ice!!!  Id rather be safe then sorry..   

Ive always shot a animal, gut it, skin it, quarter it and then run for Ice or a cooler then ice..   Never had one issue

  

[Bigshooter]

I do not like using ice because i do not want to get the meat wet.  If it's warm enough that you are worried about spoilage use dry ice.  Walmart sells it.

[Colville]

The bigger problem than how long the deer will be 45 degrees on ice in the back of a truck doing 60 MPH is how long it stayed hot.  Hide keeps that deer at 90+ degrees for a long while. Once the hide is off and insides are out, a little ice and you can get the meat to air temp pretty quick. A car ride isn't going to ruin meat at that point.  The deer that people say suck are shot in warmish temps and kept hide on for a good long while insulating the meat or are kept from truly cold temps for a day or more.

My uncle worked in meat packing.  Ask a meat packer or butcher how fast a cow or pig goes from 98 degrees and down to to hanging temp, and what that temp is. It's your answer.  You won't acheive hanging temps, but it's a short drive all in all.

[Eli346]

Look up the 'Gutless Method' on You Tube for taking care of your animal. I'm a big fan of it since I started quite a few years ago. It will keep it a lot cleaner for a long drive home. Good luck!

[NWBREW]

Here is something else to consider PWOA. I have found that if you are driving a long distance don't let the animal lay directly on the bed of the truck. The truck bed tends to heat up to a warm level depending on where the exhaust runs underneath. I ALWAYS prop up animals or meat up off the bed. Been there, done that. just my 

[Curly]

If you do get a permit or are going hunting general season just post a message on here. I bet you will get plenty of volunteers to help show you the ropes on how to take care of the animal

[Todd_ID]

Guys,  it's not the air temperature  that preserves meat. Yes, that helps a bit. The biggest loss of most of meat comes from lack of air flow.  You can lose half an elk that lies in snow: been there, done that.  The bone/sour/heat is where the problem originates. You have to get the meat off the bone to get this process stopped in weather above 50 degrees.  Elk meat can last 10 days at 70 degree days if you care for it properly.  You'll lose every part of that deer or elk that touches the pickup bed if you throw those packs in there that night and think you'll just run it to the cooler in the morning. 

[zike]

An old frig or freezer makes a great cooler. A friend of mine was trying to figure a way to haul a moose from Canada to Spokane. I told him to find an old huge chest freezer, build a platform to keep the meat out of water and pack the moose on ice. He used that freezer on a number of trips. I shot a elk and it was to warm to hang it in the shop. So I had an old single door frig I was going to make a smoker out of.
I made a platform and put the elk and ice in it for a week then butchered it. It was just fine.

[LeviD1]

Knowing this it all makes more sense now. Just bring coolers with ice and game bags. I like to use block ice and lay them down in the cooler then put a plastic garbage bag over them so it doesn't sit directly on the ice laying the meat in the game bags on top of the plastic. If the hike from where your hunting back to the truck isn't terrible, just gut it where you find it then drag it back with the hide on it to the truck to protect the meat. It wont spoil as long as it doesn't take hours upon hours to drag. Bring a tarp with you and leave it in the truck so when you get the deer to the vehicle you can skin it on the tarp just incase things get a little crazy to keep the meat cleaner. Bone it out there or quarter it, cut the backstraps, tenderloins and misc. Other meat off and put it in the game bags then into the coolers. If there's a place to get ice reasonably close to where your hunting within a half hour then you can just buy the ice after all that.

[Little Dave]

For my son's first deer we gutted it, hung it up, skinned it.  Should have had game bags, looked like it was about to rain... but I came up with a pretty good idea.  Stopped at the local Les Schwab and asked my son to go in there and ask if he could have a few tire bags for his deer.  They all came out to see.  Worked fine for the four hour drive.

[UptheCreek]

Second on the gutless method.  Fast and easy and works great for hauling out your meat.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

It depends if the deer is dead or alive???

[Smoke]

younger years hunted down south (S. Carolina) many years... if the temp was above 70 or not leaving camp for more then 24 hrs, I'd bone it out and put in cooler on ice.. if below 70, I'd just field dress it, leaving the hide on to protect from insects, and hang in off the ground till time to leave....... then it went into the back of the truck on top of all our gear to keep if off the heat from exhaust coming up under the bed... soon as I get home, skin, quarter, soak in salt water for few hours to get the blood out of the meat (over night if home late), then butcher and into the freezer...  20+ deer over 6 years and NEVER lost any meat to spoilage

[Bean Counter]

Josie as you can see there are two competing interests at heart here: cleanliness and temperature. I've never had meat spoil based on the way I've handled it but I've probably been a bit over the top with my OCD--even to the point of passing on trophy photos when I was learning on my own 

If you keep the hide on the meat won't get as dirty, but if you leave it on then more heat will be retained and the meat will spoil faster. IMHO its generally worth the time to skin the animal and debone the femurs (which radiate a lot of heat into the surrounding meat and therefore hasten spoilage), and toss everything into pillow cases or game bags. this will keep most dust and contaminants off, and allow the meat to cool quickly.

The safest bet is to debone it all and get it into coolers with layers of ice between. Cold and dry is ideal but cold and wet (from melting ice) is far better than warm and dry. Drain the  water (melted ice) out after the first day or so after the meat has cooled and then relayer more chipped ice inside so that you have layers of meat against ice and not meat against meat. I've made it a week like this and been fine. Again, I'm a bit OCD but didnt have any spoilage.

I've gone by a 30/60 rule that has worked well. If it gets into the 30s at night it can hang so long as the temps don't hit 60 degrees during the day. I've hung deboned, skinned meat in bags for several days when its been mid 30s at night, getting the meat so cold that as long as it stays hanging in the shade it hasn't spoiled on me when temps reached into the mid 50s by day.

[Bean Counter]

Oh yeah, if you're pushing it for one reason or the next and driving home with meat in the cooler in the bed of at truck and its warm out, tape up the edges of the cooler to keep warm air from going into the cooler as you drive 

[HunterStrait]

Depending how warm it is the day you harvest a deer, its best to quarter it up and put it on ice if the drive is going to be that long. But the meat needs to remain dry.

[police women of America]

thanks for the answers!

[Magnum_Willys]

Depending how warm it is the day you harvest a deer, its best to quarter it up and put it on ice if the drive is going to be that long. But the meat needs to remain dry.

   block and cube Ice in garbage bags.

[BLDtraLR]

I've killed many deer in early archery season in N. E. washington with some hot to warm temps and a 6hr plus drive home. Was taught By a wise old man. You want to cool it FAST!!!. Gut,Skin, Hang.  Get it in a meat cooler quickly as possible.We bring our deer back whole after hanging for at least a day in the meat locker even if we have to stay an extra day. We wrap them up in an insulated tarp and pack the cavity with dry or regular ice, I know it sounds crazy but it holds the cold in. Than we put the deer on wood pallets in the truck to keep them off the bed and also to let air flow. Drive at nite or early morn.

[wapiti hunter2]

the question is very real. I'm the first one in my family to take a interest in hunting so I just need to learn a few simple things before this hunting season.

There are other threads on meat care but the crux of it is to get the meat cooled down as fast as possible and keep it cool. A lot depends on the weather but it is almost never a good idea to keep the hide on. Skin it as soon as practical. You are only asking for trouble if you try to drive across the state with the hide on. Unless it is freezing outside. The other advice here is good. Get good quality reusable game bags to put the skinned meat in then get it to a processing place or cooler asap.