What do you do?

[Evoac05]

I am going for a whole week hunting with a few buddies and wondered what everyone else does if they are first to score a buck. How do you keep the meat from going bad if you tag out in the first day or two? I want to stay the whole trip, but don't want to jeopardize the meat. I was thinking about using a fridge or freezer as a big cooler/ice chest. I was going to lay it on it's back and fill it with bags of ice. How long will the meat last like this? Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks

[h20hunter]

I would locate a meat locker ahead of time. Hang it and pick it up on the way out. Stay, scout, varmit hunt, nap, cook a few meal, enjoy the time remaining.


Go home.........hell no.

[sirfunkeybut]

That should last a couple days, make sure you keep the meat DRY. Wetness promotes bacteria growth.

[sebek556]

meat locker is the best idea, but if that is out of the question... it really depends on the outside temp, if it is cold then quatering and packing into coolers with ice is not a issue, make sure you are clean about it though 

[Alaska316]

Meat locker, we just make a run from Bethel Ridge to Cle elum. Long drive, but he's a great butcher. Cook, scout, eat, play, sleep and most of all, help your buddies pack out their animals.

[MACNMADDY]

I've never tried it but I have a friend that goes about 5 miles in every year and they take game bags put the meat in them and then take garbage bags over the top and goose neck the garbage bag and wrap the goose neck with tape.  Then they set it in a nice cold stream and it stays for the remander of the season.  He said he has never had a problem with the meat going bad.

[400out]

get it processed ASAP! wild game is not ment to hang 

[lokidog]

I've never tried it but I have a friend that goes about 5 miles in every year and they take game bags put the meat in them and then take garbage bags over the top and goose neck the garbage bag and wrap the goose neck with tape.  Then they set it in a nice cold stream and it stays for the remander of the season.  He said he has never had a problem with the meat going bad.

Did that with a caribou in AK, put it in the rocks on the edge of a lake. 

Last year I quartered my doe and then put it in plastic bags with ice in the cooler for three or four days, everything was fine.  As said, make sure to keep it dry.  I would double bag if placing in a creek.

[seth30]

get it processed ASAP! wild game is not ment to hang 

[D-Rock425]

get it processed ASAP! wild game is not ment to hang 

the butcher in cle elum lets his elk hang for 7 to 10 days at least that's what he told me when I dropped of mine in September.
keeping meat in camp depends on the outside temperature.  If you can keep it dry and iced you should be fine.   It hard to find but see if you can find some dry ice

[Griz231]

Hang it, skin it, bag it with game bags, let it hang no more than a couple days if it's cold enough. Just get that body heat out and you r good. Quarter and put on ice

[wastickslinger]

get it processed ASAP! wild game is not ment to hang 

huh???

[westsideoutdoorsman]

get it processed ASAP! wild game is not ment to hang 

It can though for awhile.  It's still gonna be fine ...

[Griz231]

get it processed ASAP! wild game is not ment to hang 

It can though for awhile.  It's still gonna be fine ...

We've hung them for a week when the temp is right.  If it stays in the 50's during the day and drops to the mid to low 30's at night you are fine.  Just get it cooled off right away.

[AKBowman]

I've never tried it but I have a friend that goes about 5 miles in every year and they take game bags put the meat in them and then take garbage bags over the top and goose neck the garbage bag and wrap the goose neck with tape.  Then they set it in a nice cold stream and it stays for the remander of the season.  He said he has never had a problem with the meat going bad.

Done that before.

The truth is if the ambient air temp (temp in the shade) is under 65 degrees during the peak of the day than you should be fine to hang the meat in the shade. I would recommend de-boning, then the above procedure into the creek to cool immediately. After cooling in the creek for a couple hours remove it from the garbage bags and hang it in game bags in the shade. Make sure that the sun never hits the hanging bags at any time of the day. If the temps top out at 65 during the day they should be down in the 40's for 9+ hrs during the night and morning so you should be fine with this procedure for at least 7 days. I would get it out of the plastic bags though once you get done with the initial cooling process because you want the cool air circulating around the meat. The key is to get it cool and off the bone (which holds a lot of heat) ASAP and keep it clean.