First deer ever, and some questions about meat

[simpleperson]

First off: thanks for the members here! This would not have happened without your help!

Took my brother out hunting yesterday. First time either of us have gone deer hunting. Arrived at the gate at 5:00 AM and hiked 3 miles in. 30 minutes after legal shooting hours, we had a dead deer -- unbelievable! Just started walking through the edge of some clear cuts, and there he was, a spike buck. After gutting, the hike back was brutal. We had no idea how heavy it would really be. We tried everything from dragging it, to ultimately tying it to a tree and walking back.

The unfortunate part of this story is that we had no idea what we were getting into when it comes to taking care of it afterwards. We had watched many youtube videos, but there's nothing like getting your hands dirty. It took many hours to get it on ice. We didn't skin it till we got home around 2:00 PM. Also, the shot went through the lungs, but, unfortunately, through the stomach too. We ended up discarding all of the midsection of the animal, besides the backstraps. The meat was quite a bit more gray than we were expecting as well. In the end, we had to wash it off really, really well, as best we could when we got it home. The parts that we salvaged didn't smell off, a bit more "wild" smelling than beef, but certainly not strong and gross like the guts we pulled out of it. We are planning to take it to a butcher to get cut and wrapped.

Two questions:
1) Does it sound like the meat is ruined?
2) Any recommendations for what to ask from the butcher? I think I'm going to ask to use beef fat when grinding.

Again - thank you everyone for such an invaluable resource.

[yakimanoob]

Congrats on the deer!  I'll let more knowledgeable folks answer your questions about the meat, as I killed my first deer yesterday as well . 

I shot mine about 1k feet into a steep canyon and my friend and I packed it up to the truck.  It was LOTS of work but we made it fine.  It would have been totally impossible to get the entire deer (3x3 mullie) out of that canyon.  We quartered it, pulled the backstraps and tenderloins, and trimmed off some of the other obvious meat, and packed it out in game bags. 

This was the most helpful instructional I found on the method we used:

Congrats again!

[Squidward]

Congrats on the 1st deer for both of you guys. if you got it cleaned up good it should be fine, smell it. when taking to a possessor you'll want to make sure it's clean, as any hair / dirt on it when you take it in. most likely will be there when you go to eat it. 
I've eaten a few deer that had some guts spilled inside, however I did die. LOL

[Hilltop123]

Sounds like  you greenhorns, did just fine. I also second, the make sure it's clean comment, clean carcass in, clean meat back. If in the future, you plan on hunting those kind of distances from your rig, invest in a pack board and learn the guttless method. I'd rather pack one five miles, than drag one a mile. Oh and post a pic, we would all love to see your deer!

[yakimanoob]

   pics or it didn't happen 

[Wetwoodshunter]

Awesome job on your first harvest. in a situation like this I would go through the meat and anything that is grey or has visible bloodshot trim off the meat. You can use white vinegar mixed with water 50-50 in a spray bottle and paper towels to try and wipe down the meat and get the junk off. You don't want to soak the deer with liquid use the bottle sparingly, the spray method works the best for dirt and non-hair contaminants. For me hair seems to be easier to get off by picking it off, your effort will increase the quality substantially.

If you leave grey meat it will turn the meat next to it and spread quickly, also often the inside of a grey area has not spoiled. So as you cut off grey meat you may uncover good meat and less than you anticipate has spoiled. Once its trimmed deer meat doesn't spoil very quickly, you just need to keep it cold and dry.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck in the future, it gets easier from here. Losing some meat to spoilage is part of hunting, the key is to minimize it.

[simpleperson]

Ending up cutting out the gray parts and ended up with 35lbs of meat from the butcher. We were super conservative with it so that we didn't get anything spoiled. I'm sure we can do better, but definitely some lessons learned!!

Can you recommend a pack board? Never heard of this before

The plan atm is to build a small cart we can tow behind mountain bike, allowing us to get further in and easier trek out.

[SureThing]

I use a large internal frame backpack. You can ditch the pack and game bags with your bike. You can pack out a whole deboned deer in one trip. If you are after elk or packing in a camp the bike cart is a good idea. After you gut, skin, debone and put quarters in game bags you can take the first quarter to your vehicle then pick up your trailer and haul out the last three quarters in one trip. One in the pack and the other half in the trailer. Be careful going down steep hills with a heavy load like that. You will need brakes on the trailer or just walk it down and up steep hills or it will get scary fast. Congratulations on your deer.
Another thing to think about is if you can't get the meat to a cooler quickly and it is above 55 degrees outside you can always put your deboned meat into a large cooler and ice it down. Drain the water a blood out of the cooler once or twice a day. You can do that for about a week and it will actually make that backtail deer taste much better.

[bobcat]

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Alaskan-I-Pack-and-Frame/1229743.uts?dest=%2Fproduct%2FCabelas-Alaskan-I-Pack-and-Frame%2F1229743.uts%3F&redirectURL=%2Fproduct%2FCabelas-Alaskan-I-Pack-and-Frame%2F1229743.uts%3F

[Bucks2Ducks]

Good looking Buck! I've done the tree thing back to the rig once before, never again! Invest in a nice pack, and leave the bones in the woods.

[Hilltop123]

I used the term pack board, generically. Any pack designed for large, heavy loads, either internally framed or externally. The bike trailer idea is a good one, if I hunted gated logging roads, that would be the way I would go. Should be a lot on Youtube for ideas.
  I want to commend you and your partner, not to many new hunters venture that far from there vehicle. Most are intimidated, either by the unknown, large predators or being in the dark, the woods can be scary if your unfamiliar with some of the noises the woods make in the dark or the task of getting your game back to your vehicle. Not an easy task, as you have learned.  In doing so you left much of the crowds behind and had a enjoyable, memorable and successful hunt. You have learned things that some take years to learn, you now have a better idea as to what to bring and what was just extra unneeded weight best left at home or in the vehicle. I'm a huge proponent of the idea, "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it an not have it", but this philosophy gets thrown out, when doing pack in hunts. Weight, space and need become the determining factor.
 Again congrats, now you have a year to fine tune, retool, equip, scout and get ready for next year!

[simpleperson]

I used the term pack board, generically. Any pack designed for large, heavy loads, either internally framed or externally. The bike trailer idea is a good one, if I hunted gated logging roads, that would be the way I would go. Should be a lot on Youtube for ideas.
  I want to commend you and your partner, not to many new hunters venture that far from there vehicle. Most are intimidated, either by the unknown, large predators or being in the dark, the woods can be scary if your unfamiliar with some of the noises the woods make in the dark or the task of getting your game back to your vehicle. Not an easy task, as you have learned.  In doing so you left much of the crowds behind and had a enjoyable, memorable and successful hunt. You have learned things that some take years to learn, you now have a better idea as to what to bring and what was just extra unneeded weight best left at home or in the vehicle. I'm a huge proponent of the idea, "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it an not have it", but this philosophy gets thrown out, when doing pack in hunts. Weight, space and need become the determining factor.
 Again congrats, now you have a year to fine tune, retool, equip, scout and get ready for next year!

Thanks a ton! Not just you, but everyone on this thread. A ton of very helpful information here.

It was a very surreal experience in hindsight. Definitely walking through pitch-black woods at night with only one headlamp was a bit creepy, and the weight of the animal was surprising, but it was an experience to cherish!

We hope to hunt for elk, but are probably even less equipped in knowing what we're doing! But we have been joking that even if it's 4x harder to hunt elk, and it took us 30 minutes to get our black tail, math would tell us we would have one in just 2 hours.

[simpleperson]

I use a large internal frame backpack. You can ditch the pack and game bags with your bike. You can pack out a whole deboned deer in one trip. If you are after elk or packing in a camp the bike cart is a good idea. After you gut, skin, debone and put quarters in game bags you can take the first quarter to your vehicle then pick up your trailer and haul out the last three quarters in one trip. One in the pack and the other half in the trailer. Be careful going down steep hills with a heavy load like that. You will need brakes on the trailer or just walk it down and up steep hills or it will get scary fast. Congratulations on your deer.
Another thing to think about is if you can't get the meat to a cooler quickly and it is above 55 degrees outside you can always put your deboned meat into a large cooler and ice it down. Drain the water a blood out of the cooler once or twice a day. You can do that for about a week and it will actually make that backtail deer taste much better.

Interesting, do you mean to just put the deer meat straight on ice in a cooler (no bags), and just let it drain several times? Won't that purge the meat of all color?

[jackmaster]

Where are you located? I don't have time to read all the replys to see if anyone asked, but if your close to graham I will run over and help you out after work, do not take that deer to a butcher, do it all yourself, there is nothing difficult about it and you really can't mess up

[JakeLand]

Take jackmaster on his offer you could learn some very valuable and hard to find knowledge! Even if you have to drive it's worth it

[jackmaster]

And do not put water or ice directly on the meat, just hang it in a cool spot in your garage, wipe it down and clean all hair off the meat, use a I use a 50/50 vinegar water solution and wipe it down, not soak it down , wipe it down, important thing is to just keep your he meat cool, we have let our deer hang until there was a film of mold and then wiped it clean and cut it up, but your is a spike, it's already nice and tender

[DaveMonti]

As far as a cart goes, I suggest buying a bike trailer that is used for kids.  These are made with very lightweight materials (wood will be heavy) and you can probably get one off of Craigslist for under $100.  They really make a huge difference once you hit a logging road.  You can put the deer in whole and it's great for hauling your rifle, bow, and other gear while you pedal.
As someone said, there are a lot of examples on youtube and elsewhere on the internet, but you won't have to do any heavy modifications for it to work. 

[Wake1]

if your hunting with mountain bikes just load it up on the frame with the ass behind the seat and the head over the handle bars. Use some parachute cord and tie it on. I have packed out many deer that way.

[Angry Perch]

I used the term pack board, generically. Any pack designed for large, heavy loads, either internally framed or externally. The bike trailer idea is a good one, if I hunted gated logging roads, that would be the way I would go. Should be a lot on Youtube for ideas.
  I want to commend you and your partner, not to many new hunters venture that far from there vehicle. Most are intimidated, either by the unknown, large predators or being in the dark, the woods can be scary if your unfamiliar with some of the noises the woods make in the dark or the task of getting your game back to your vehicle. Not an easy task, as you have learned.  In doing so you left much of the crowds behind and had a enjoyable, memorable and successful hunt. You have learned things that some take years to learn, you now have a better idea as to what to bring and what was just extra unneeded weight best left at home or in the vehicle. I'm a huge proponent of the idea, "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it an not have it", but this philosophy gets thrown out, when doing pack in hunts. Weight, space and need become the determining factor.
 Again congrats, now you have a year to fine tune, retool, equip, scout and get ready for next year!

Thanks a ton! Not just you, but everyone on this thread. A ton of very helpful information here.

It was a very surreal experience in hindsight. Definitely walking through pitch-black woods at night with only one headlamp was a bit creepy, and the weight of the animal was surprising, but it was an experience to cherish!

We hope to hunt for elk, but are probably even less equipped in knowing what we're doing! But we have been joking that even if it's 4x harder to hunt elk, and it took us 30 minutes to get our black tail, math would tell us we would have one in just 2 hours.

If you guys get an elk on the first day, I'm selling all my hunting stuff!

[fish vacuum]

Good job getting your first. You're right about getting your hands dirty to really learn what you're doing.
I hunt with an internal framed pack. Bone out the deer, put the meat in game bags, then load it into the pack. To keep things cool, I put the meat (still in game bags) in a large cooler with ice. Do not cover the meat with crashed ice like you would a cooler full of beer! First, put some upside down Tupperware containers in the bottom of the cooler. This keeps the meat off the bottom where any liquid will settle. A few frozen milk jugs are the best way to go for your ice.

Cheap kid bike trailers off Craigslist usually have a 100lb weight capacity. That's plenty for a pack loaded with boned out meat.

[brew]

[
Two questions:
1) Does it sound like the meat is ruined?
2) Any recommendations for what to ask from the butcher? I think I'm going to ask to use beef fat when grinding.

Again - thank you everyone for such an invaluable resource.
[/quote]obviously you want the meat to cool down as quickly as possible...first step is taking the guts out.  even if you have never done this before its basically pretty self explanitory---take everything inside the carcass out.  ive seen people pop the stomach contents (which sounds like happened with the shot), purge the intestines and spill the bladder on deer.  i've also done the vinegar wipe down method with success.  yes the hide does hold the heat in so that is the next obvious thing to take off.  i've never lost a deer due to the outside temp as i have let them hang for a couple/3 days in the current temps we have had--as long as they are not exposed to direct sun.  another thing you may consider is there is always someone posting for sale/free a refridgerator and quarter them up and putting them in that for a week or so using game bags, not garbage bags-they need to breathe.  cutting them up is easy but time consuming...you don't want to leave any silver skin on the pieces you cut to eat...this gives it the gamey taste and you can't chew it anyway...i know a lot of people say to not use water to clean it but a few years back my buddy had a cow elk tag for the cowiche unit and shot one with his muzzleloader on a hot early October day.  we were camping and didn't have big coolers for the meat so we just put the quarters in game bags and put them in the Tieton river under a bridge on Hwy 12 where the sun couldn't get to it and hauled them out the next morning and headed home...meat was fine...i've used my garden hose to clean off numerous deer i've shot, hung them to dry/age and have never had a problem...would not want the meat to sit in water though, think that would create problems.  congrats on the successful hunt

i've always added pork fat to my venison when needed...never used beef

[simpleperson]

Where are you located? I don't have time to read all the replys to see if anyone asked, but if your close to graham I will run over and help you out after work, do not take that deer to a butcher, do it all yourself, there is nothing difficult about it and you really can't mess up

Dang, it's too late - already took everything to the butcher. Thanks a ton for the offer!

[Humptulips]

Check out the Cabalas game hauler if you are looking for something to haul deer or elk behind your bike. I've hauled out many deer and elk with it.
Too bad you didn't have someone to show you how to make a pack out of that deer. No need for a packboard for a spike especially if you had had a cart on the road. You will need the board if you are after elk.
I don't think much of the idea of boning it out in the woods. I'll leave it at that.