AUGUST 1ST!

[PA BEN]

A bears body temp is around 100 degrees. If it's 85 degrees out he cooling down already. A dead animal doesn't generate body heat, so it has to start cooling down. I was all worried about a bear I shot when it was in the 80's, when a butcher pointed this out to me. I'm not saying it won't spoil, but you have time to get them out of the woods.

[Northwest75]

I wasn't gonna Bear Hunt this season. But two days ago a bear made a mistake of showing himself to me while trying to cross my path on the grade in Broad Daylight. Now I'm pumped up!.

[boneaddict]

A dead animal doesn't generate body heat,

The butcher is incorrect.   The decomposition absolutely creates body heat and the hide acts as one heck of an insulator keeping it in.  With the lack of blood circulation (a live bear) all hell breaks loose.  Throw in the grease and you have yourself a real issue.  Then there is the bacteria on the skin and the grease.  WHOLE new issue.  

[WDFW-SUX]

Isnt decomp an anaerobic exercise........

[PA BEN]

How much time you talking? Never the less he's cooling. Open him up, prop a stick in his chest cavity. A few hr's before you get the hide off won't hurt. Skin him out once you get him to your truck. I've hung w/t deer in 70 degree temps for 4 days up under a tree in my back yard. It always cools down at night, keep them in the shade, without the hide of course.

[boneaddict]

  =     Just my opinion of course.

[jackelope]

  leaving the hide on a bear for 4 hours in 80 degree heat = 

[Kain]

Isnt decomp an anaerobic exercise........

Thats how I get my exercise.     Working out right now...just decomposing while on the net.  Did I mention Im a beefcake.   

[JackOfAllTrades]

I've hung w/t deer in 70 degree temps for 4 days up under a tree in my back yard.

Sure, uh.. You can do that with a Deer.  Don't try it with Bear or Elk. You'll ruin the meat.

Skin it. Cool it, as soon as possible.

-Steve

[Ray]

I just start chewing on the bear right away.

[jackelope]

mmm sashimi.........

[bearpaw]

My advice is get them taken care of asap. We have killed a lot of bear on 90+ days. Unfortunately we have lost the meat on a couple bear and I will relate some circumstances.

One time we killed a bear in the heat of the day about noon. Too big to drag, we had to bone it out and did it immediately, all was good. We put it in back packs and headed out for the truck. We got to the truck before dark, opened up the backpacks and it stunk. The worst was some scraps we had put in a plastic bag because they were just small loose pieces. Much of the heat was still in all of the meat and it was all spoiled that quick. From that experience we learned to keep meat open to the air and not even put inside the backpacks, better to strap on outside of a packframe in a flybag and have it otherwise open to air out.

Whenever we kill a bear in the heat now, we cut the belly open clear up to the head unless doing a lifesize mount, gut it, then prop the rib cage open and get headed down the road. If we can get it loaded and back to the house in less than 2 hours we will skin it at the house, other wise we skin them on the mountain to let the heat out and put halves in fly bags. When traveling home it is important to try and keep the carcass in the shade and air circulation around the carcass to help the cooling process. Hang only in the shade if 70 or under, otherwise get into refrigeration as soon as possible. If needed bone it and put pans of meat in your refrigerator and let the meat age in the frig for a few days.

If you are in backcountry and need to make two trips, hang half in the shade in fly bags. If it's nearly dark and you are coming back in the morning, hang it so the sun won't be hitting it in the morning either.

If it's the middle of the day and over 70 or 80, and you can't pack it all and you know you wont get back with 2 to 4 hours, put it in a stream, it's better than spoiling.

Spit and pee on the ground around your meat and it will help keep coyotes away. Doesn't always work, but usualy does. Drag the guts a ways from your meat and leave in the open, that will help keep the birds away from your meat.

[PA BEN]

I've hung w/t deer in 70 degree temps for 4 days up under a tree in my back yard.

Sure, uh.. You can do that with a Deer.  Don't try it with Bear or Elk. You'll ruin the meat.

Skin it. Cool it, as soon as possible.

-Steve

Not trying to start something I have done it with bear, I do how ever take all the fat off. I arrowed a bear at 5:30 pm in 90 degree heat and it was after 9 pm before I got him in a cooler. I arrowed a deer in 80 degree heat, found him 5 hrs after i arrowed him. Skin it. Cool it, as soon as possible, it's not the end of the world if it's hot. Go hunt, take care of the meat. Take a cooler with ice bags in it, when you get back put the ice in the cavity.

[bearpaw]

taking the hide and fat off would definitely help it last longer......ice is good too....

[PA BEN]

bearpaw: worst was some scraps we had put in a plastic bag because they were just small loose pieces.

I'm not here to bust your balls, but why the plastic bags? Loose meat goes will in agame bags.