Hot Weather and Downed Game - stop overthinking it.

[Jonathan_S]

Hello All,

Seems like the last month or so before early season deer and elk we start seeing lots of concern from new (or at least new August-September hunters) about caring for meat in high heat conditions.  Remember to get it initially cooled and off the ground so it can breath and evaporate.  After that, it's pretty darned hard to screw up deer and elk meat.  It's not as delicate as some have been led to believe.

Even in 90* weather, we've done nothing more than hang in the shade for a day/night and it's just as good as if we'd done it in 40* temps.  Bear meat requires a more complete chill and sooner so keep that in mind.

I'm proof that anybody can do it, I am an impatient and unskilled butcher but my game turns out fine every year.

Good luck 

[blackveltbowhunter]

   Great topic and info.
 

  Rapid initial cooling via boning and GOOD drainage are key in warm/hot weather. There is a reason bone out bags are usually smaller and more of them. Get blood away from meat!!! If bags are soaked consider changing if possible.

[BULLBLASTER]

 

[WapitiTalk1]

And.......keep the bugs off of the meat with good, tight woven game bags (cloth or synthetic).

[pianoman9701]

And.......keep the bugs off of the meat with good, tight woven game bags (cloth or synthetic).

...and ground pepper.

[KNOPHISH]

If you have a trophy cape get that in a cooler or you may get hair loss.

[Jonathan_S]

If you have a trophy cape get that in a cooler or you may get hair loss.

Getting it dry slows down bacteria too.

And.......keep the bugs off of the meat with good, tight woven game bags (cloth or synthetic).

...and ground pepper.

Yep whatever it takes 

[Karl Blanchard]

Preach it the Jon!  Hide off bones out as fast as you can and you've bought yourself plenty of time for getting it on ice.  Good game bags and bugs are a non issue, no pepper or sprays necessary

[DOUBLELUNG]

Great advice and post!  IF you are hunting a situation where you can load a gutted animal whole, another great option is the prop the animal on its back in the pickup bed with the cavity propped open, head to the tailgate and drive to the nearest store for ice.  In that case, I recommend NOT skinning and boning, as you can use the animal's own hide insulation to chill it with ice stuffed in the cavity.

My last bear was killed on a hot Chelan county summer day around 11am.  Fortunately it was an easy gut/drag/load, the drive to Dryden got the cooling started with convection, and I filled the carcass with 60lbs of ice.  4 hours later, she was still easy to skin, but the interior of all the large muscle groups were chilled through, and the fat had stiffened up and was easy to trim.  I only recommend this approach if you can accomplish it in under 2 hours or so if it's really hot.  That 14 year old sow was absolutely delicious, so much so that my son is frustrated I haven't killed another bear since.  Maybe next month!

[trophyhunt]

Also remember, it was touched on here already but it’s important!  If your boned out meat is sitting in blood covered bags, when you get back to camp, take the meat out and spread out to circulate air and rinse that blood off the bags. I’d take the meat out at night and spread out when there are fewer bugs and cooler temps.  I left my boned meat in bags before and hung them for a few days because town was a long ways away, the blood ruined some of the meat.  Good bags will dry out quick!

[7mmfan]

Also remember, it was touched on here already but it’s important!  If your boned out meat is sitting in blood covered bags, when you get back to camp, take the meat out and spread out to circulate air and rinse that blood off the bags. I’d take the meat out at night and spread out when there are fewer bugs and cooler temps.  I left my boned meat in bags before and hung them for a few days because town was a long ways away, the blood ruined some of the meat.  Good bags will dry out quick!

  Makes a big difference. I always try to set my meat out to dry at night and then re bag in quality cloth bags for the rest of the duration of the trip. That way I can also rinse and repeat with my backpack game bags.

[jennabug]

THANK YOU for posting this up! I'm taking notes (mentally)

[W_Ellison2011]

We always do a quick field dressing and toss the heart and liver in gallon ziplocs and asap into the cooler with ice. Deer sit in the bed of the truck with the cavity open and toss ice into it asap. That's when its hot.

[Jonathan_S]

We always do a quick field dressing and toss the heart and liver in gallon ziplocs and asap into the cooler with ice. Deer sit in the bed of the truck with the cavity open and toss ice into it asap. That's when its hot.

Yep ice and trucks are nice but even without them, deer and elk can be cooled to acceptable temps in warm temps

[Bullkllr]

I've had good results with the "spread it out at night and cover it with sleeping bags during the day" trick as well. Works for at least a couple days until you can get meat to a cooler anyway, provided nights are on the cool side.

I probably wouldn't try it in extreme heat.