Cooling elk down whole?

[bowhunterforever]

How long does it take to get an whole elk cooled out so it doesn't spoil/bone sour, when it's in the 35 to low 40s range at night and low 50s to mid 50s in the day and how long would you hang it for?Thanks

[Rhinoron247]

You have to get the internal most part of the animal cooled down to below 42 degrees ASAP.  Then maintain that temp or lower from then out.   Bacteria will start growing and feeding on the meat proteins immediately.  With the temps you mentioned you will loose during the day what you gained at night.  Get it to a cooler or get it a part fast.         

[Crunchy]

I think if you skin it and quarter it up you'll be good at those temps for a few days.  Long as temps dont get above 55ish.

[colockumelk]

While it looks cooler when you hang it whole.  I would quarter it if you want to hang it.  You need to get it cool ASAP.  Also you don't have to let it hang for 3 days or whatever the myth is.  If I was you I would quarter it and hang it.  Then starting the next day when your back in camp during the middle of the day I'd start cutting it up and putting it in those little white packages we all love and then transferring them to coolers. 

[mossback91]

from my experience the elk usually ends up in quarters anyways Usually pretty hard to get a whole elk to camp............lot easier to put it on your back and get it to camp........

Shoot 3 days?? some ppl say 10!!!! never know the truth on that

[MagKarl]

Never even thought about it before.  I'm paranoid that my quarters aren't cooling fast enough.  I even split the big muscles of the hams apart from the bone and each other and use some short sticks between them to get some airflow around them.     

[Matt]

I read in a book one time that they hung a bull up whole over night and the temps droped into the low 30's.  At 8 am the next morning they put a thermometer into the hind quarted to the bone and it was still in the 70's.  The bone will retain the heat for a very long time.

[coachcw]

my theroy is get it to a locker or off the bone in the first 12 hours , if possible debone atleast the hind quarters. I dont like the 55 degree mark even if it drops below freezing at night. if you bone it out dont lump large amounts of meat together tie your bag in knots every few pounds I once had a bunch of meat spoil because I had big blocks of boned meat , spoiled inside out.  .

[KimberRich]

from my experience the elk usually ends up in quarters anyways Usually pretty hard to get a whole elk to camp............lot easier to put it on your back and get it to camp........

Shoot 3 days?? some ppl say 10!!!! never know the truth on that

10 days!! Yikes!  Not me.

If it's cool enough I do like ot leave mine hang for a coule days.  I've found it makes the processing easier later.

[elkoholic]

I would recomend peeling the hams of the bone on the hind quarters, you dont have to completely take them off just cut to the bone and open them up to let air get in there....

[TheHunt]

THere is a thread on here about such a topic.   But the 55 degree mark you need to keep track.  If I am close enough to a road or can get a truck or quad to the elk then I will quarter using a sawsall.  If I am back aways I will bone it out.   

[wannahunt]

Most of the studies I've seen say that a cow elk is at it's best when aged a week and bull elk from 7-10 days. This is only if you have good conditions which means no higher then 40 degrees. I think it makes a big difference but I have only been able to hang it that long one time. The temerature usually doesn't cooperate and I have to butcher sooner. 

[Hunterman]

If you hang an elk whole or quarters when the temp is 55* you might as well take it to the DUMP. You just wasted it!!! If you hang any meat with temps that warm, don't offer to feed me any of it.. If the temp outside gets above 45* even with the night time temps. in the low 30's, get it to a cooler asap. Think about taking meat out of the frig. during the day, and putting it back in the evening. How many times will you do that before you throw the meat out??

Hunterman(Tony)

[wapiti hunter2]

It's all about the temperature.  It has to be cooled to below 40 and kept there.  35-40 is fine.  Get the entire hide off ASAP.  within a few hours at least.  i try to get it off within an hour or so.  Thats why I carry 4 knives and game bags.  Cooler is better but below freezing is not. 

[BLUEBULLS]

we always try to hang ours as long as possible, 55 degree weather with 30's at night... maybe 2-4 days. Under 40 degrees, 5-10 days.

never had a piece of bad meat, we do get them opened up and airing out as soon as we can. Boning is great but if you want to let them age then you'll lose more meat due to the glaze and hardening of the outside. I would prefer not to bone them out but sometimes you have to in order to pack out. Just keep an eye on the meat, take the tenderloins out right away and watch where they were, when the mold starts forming good then you better butcher the rest of him.

[coldsteel3d]

I'll hang mine when I am in camp, not typically longer than 2-4 days, as long as it's quartered. My bull this year I shot on a Friday morning, and it hung in camp til I got it to the cooler Sunday afternoon and the meat was in great shape.

I read in a book one time that they hung a bull up whole over night and the temps droped into the low 30's.  At 8 am the next morning they put a thermometer into the hind quarted to the bone and it was still in the 70's.  The bone will retain the heat for a very long time.

I don't know where you read this, but last year my bull hung only one day in September, low 70's, and I butchered it the next afternoon and the meat was very cool all the way to the bone. This year the temp was getting around 40 at night and upper 60's in the day and after 3 days everything was cool and the meat was perfect to butcher.