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Author Topic: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler  (Read 4489 times)

Offline Stein

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How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« on: June 22, 2017, 07:58:23 AM »
Assuming great conditions, animal found, gutted and quartered right away, on ice within 2 hours of shot.

I have a scenario where the only chance to use my doe tag would result in it potentially in the cooler for 7+ days.  I think the longest I have had an animal on the ice was maybe 2-3 days.

Offline 92xj

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2017, 08:01:20 AM »
7 days is fine as long as you keep the meat in the ice or above, keep water off of meat, pull the drain plug often to keep any water build up out of cooler. Add ice as needed and keep meat in top half of cooler. Your meat will be fine.
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Offline lord grizzly

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2017, 08:01:43 AM »
in a cooler on ice? I imagine it will be fine. id drain the water regular and keep fresh ice in there. I've hung bucks for 14 days in the mid-high 30's and they turned out great. like I said my bigger concern would be making sure it wasn't just sitting in water the whole time.

Offline lord grizzly

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2017, 08:02:12 AM »
great minds think alike

Offline TheHunt

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2017, 08:06:14 AM »
I have had it for 5 days when taking elk from Arizona to Washington and taking time to site see.  Just keep it water from standing in the cooler and keep the ice on it.
275 down 2

Offline baker5150

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2017, 08:08:22 AM »
I cut a stainless steel mesh rack to fit in my cooler to keep the ice and meat separated.  It sits down tight about 4" above the floor of the cooler, lets the blood drip into the ice and keeps the water off the meat.  Works great.  I just keep the drain plug a little loose and the melt slowly drains off without letting any potential bugs in.
Ive kept meat for 6 or 7 days this way.  Never had an issue.

Offline jamesfromseattle

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2017, 08:58:39 AM »
People age their venison in walk in fridges for multiple weeks.  As long as you've got it dry and cold in the cooler, I think you're pretty much good to go for any reasonable length trip.  I'm in line with the others--about a week is the most I ever do, but I don't have any empirical justification for not being able to keep it in a cooler even longer.  Just never had a reason to as I've never been on a longer trip than that.

Offline pianoman9701

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2017, 10:51:44 AM »
 :yeah: Dry aging is excellent for venison and elk. You have to trim a little more off but the meat will be as tasty and tender as you've ever had. In NH, our butcher let us hang it for two weeks and it was always great.
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Offline ELKBURGER

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2017, 12:05:49 PM »
Last year I bought a used freezer to keep in the old bunkhouse at the farm I hunt. We were able to hang our critters for days then cut, wrap and freeze prior to heading home. Not too many public coolers to hang meat around those parts.

Offline pianoman9701

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2017, 12:49:41 PM »
The longest I get a butcher to promise to hang around here is a week...then they call me in 3 days and say it's ready. :rolleyes:
"Restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens based on the actions of criminals and madmen will have no positive effect on the future acts of criminals and madmen. It will only serve to reduce individual rights and the very security of our republic." - Pianoman https://linktr.ee/johnlwallace

Offline Stein

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2017, 02:02:49 PM »
Thanks, I think what I could do is ice it down good overnight so that it is real cold and then dump the cube ice, put some block in the bottom of the cooler, a piece of plywood on top and then the meat on top with air circulation.  That should keep it below 40 for quite a while.  I have an RTIC and once it gets cold it stays that way for a long time.

Offline DOUBLELUNG

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2017, 02:17:58 PM »
I really like dry ice for keeping meat in a cooler for an extended period.  Dry ice in the bottom, heavy crumpled paper over it to prevent direct contact and no need to open it to check/drain water.
As long as we have the habitat, we can argue forever about who gets to kill what and when.  No habitat = no game.

Offline Jolten

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2017, 02:43:31 PM »
I know a few hunters who vacuum seal their meat and submerge in a ice/rock salt bath and they don't seem to have a problem with the meat going bad from deer-end of elk seasons
The best equipment in the world is useless to the idiot who doesn't understand it.

Offline erk444

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2017, 10:54:28 PM »
Why rock salt?

Offline Jolten

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Re: How long would you keep a deer in a cooler
« Reply #14 on: June 23, 2017, 05:01:37 AM »
If I remember correctly it lowers the temperature of the ice somehow. We used to use that mix to make ice cream in school
The best equipment in the world is useless to the idiot who doesn't understand it.

 


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