Keep the meat and beat the heat!

[elkchaser54]

So Archery hunters, once the elk is down and quartered up, what is your guys' tips and tricks to keeping all that meat ready for processing when you get home?  At what temperature is it okay to keep meat outdoors vs in a cooler? 

[h20hunter]

Aren't they like a duck or pheasant....you just hang them by the neck until the head comes off?

[Bean Counter]

Work all night to get it skinned, quartered, deboned, and in the cooler. Unless its mid to hi 30s at night, in which case I will stop at skinning and deboning. Hang in burlap or breathable game bags and call it good. More bags are better so  the meat can cool.

[bowhunterforever]

Tag

[vandeman17]

get cape off as soon as possible and hung up to cool. If possible, hang over a creek as the air temp will be much cooler. Ice/cooler is best but this options works well if those aren't available

[WapitiTalk1]

The animal’s own body heat is the number one cause of meat spoilage; you’ve gotta lower the temp and do it as quickly as possible in warm weather to combat bone sour.   Study and know how to bone out an elk using the gutless method (horse packers seem to prefer four quarters which works fine as you’re game animal is almost immediately on the move out of the backcountry on the way to the processor or camp coolers but the quarters are still cooled first).  Boning out your elk starts the cooling process faster than leaving quarters intact.   Get your boned out meat into quality game bags and to shade as fast as humanly possible (hang game bags to allow air to flow around meat)… laying the game bags on logs over a cool mountain stream is money.  Get your meat cooled down to below 60-65 degrees, keep it that way, and it’ll be fine for 24 or more hours easy.  If you do have the ability to lay it over logs, over a cool stream in the game bags or even better, set the meat in the creek itself in “waterproof” contractor sacks and get/keep the meat temp down to 50 degrees or less…. you’ll have no issues keep your meat from spoilage for many days.  Oh, chili powder works better than pepper for keeping blow flies and meat bees off your game.   

[hogslayer]

I shot a bull last year and was 10 miles out.  I shot it at 9 am.  As soon as that bull hits the ground you need to de-bone it.  Get the meat in game bags.  I don't lay it directly on the ground because it doesn't allow air to cool the meat that's touching the ground.  I put some tree branches down first then lay the meat on it.  Of course a cool spot next to a creek in the shade is ideal.  Bring two 35L dry sacks in case things get
Really hot and you can put the meat in the dry sacks and put it in the water.  I then have 2 165 quart coolers in the back of the truck that are full of frozen water jugs surrounded by ice.  When I get the meat down I will elevate the cooler and leave the drain open and place a garbage bag over the ice and lay the game bags out over it.  If you are carrying the meat in your back pack, leave it in dry sacks for two reasons. One is that your bag won't get bloody, second is that along the way if you want a break take the meat out and put it in the creek to cool it down.  Or if you like to over do it carry as much as you can for as long as you can and then put half in the creek and come back and get it on your second trip. 

[Johnb317]

   hide off, quarter, remove tenderloin, blackstrap, and get it hung.
If heat of day, hanging over water, or find dark cool place in forest.
(Pray for a cold night?)

If planning to butcher, wrap, and freeze yourself, a good trick is  to freeze the meat in a cooler.
(Layer dry ice in the cooler).  If you put it all in the freezer at once the meat won't freeze fast enough.

Now to get the elk!

[Cylvertip]

When I get one on the ground, I build a meat pole to hang all the quarters from to ensure the best air circulation.  If I can , I build it over running water for the cooling benefits discussed above.  In most of our elk country, here are lots of 4"-6" diameter trees to cut and tie between larger trees.  Add a few leaning poles and you can throw back straps and neck meat on top of those too

[jrebel]

Never seen a Sept elk hunt where hanging an elk was acceptable.  I have hunted Washington Archeyr Elk for 30 years.  Once you shoot one there is no rest till it is in the cooler.  We gut ours and get the hide off ASAP.  We typically quarter and our elk to pack out.  As we quarter ours we wrap the meat in sheets and hang in the shade.  Once it is all packed to the truck we head straight for the house where it can be placed in the cooler.  With all this being said....you have time as long as you get it skinned, guts out and hung in the shade.

Shot my elk at sun up last year.  Waited an hour then tracked her.  Found, skinned, gutted and quartered her.  It was a very hot day.  Had her packed out and back to camp at 1300 hours.  Grabbed a pop and headed for home.  She was in the cooler by 1500 ish.  She hung for 10 days at 38 degrees and was butchered.  She is delicious!!! 

[CoryTDF]

I built a 10X10 meat cooler.... is there any other way:dunno: LOL

[WSU]

Never seen a Sept elk hunt where hanging an elk was acceptable.  I have hunted Washington Archer Elk for 30 years.  One you shoot one there is no rest till it is in the cooler.  We gut ours and get the hide off ASAP.  We typically quarter and our elk to pack out.  As we quarter ours we wrap the meat in sheets and hang in the shade.  Once it is all packed to the truck we head straight for the house where it can be placed in the cooler.  With all this being said....you have time as long as you get it skinned, guts out and hung in the shade.

Shot my elk at sun up last year.  Waited an hour then tracked her.  Found, skinned, gutted and quartered her.  It was a very hot day.  Had her packed out and back to camp at 1300 hours.  Grabbed a pop and headed for home.  She was in the cooler by 1500 ish.  She hung for 10 days at 38 degrees and was butchered.  She is delicious!!!

This has been my experience.  You have time (as in all day and night) if you get it quartered with the hide off and somewhere in the shade that the air can circulate.  I've done with temps in the low 80's. 

[MtnMuley]

Get the hide off or boned out asap and get into the shade to hang. I use creeks if they're near in kifaru quarter bags. Some dislike this idea, but I've had great luck keeping meat prime when the temps are soaring. Hide off and in the shade are the most important. Not much worse than having your game spoil.

[Tbob]

Cool thread. Always learning!

[xXLojackXx]

I'm a big fan of getting your meat hanging over a creek, building a bridge and laying meat 1-2' above the creek in game bags, or hanging in the shade during the peak hours of heat. Then doing the heavy packing at night when the temps are 30-40 degrees cooler.