Early Season Meat Care

[MR5x5]

Seeing that the elk season is moving back to early September, and reading folks concerns about meat care during that hot time of the year, I figured I'd share a technique an old timer taught me that I have used with great success.  I have used this technique with daytime temperatures in the 80's and have had zero meat spoilage.

1)  You need to know how to bone out an animal.  Pretty simple if you've never done it.
2)  Bone out said animal.  Try not to have pieces bigger than a football.  You may need to cut the sirloins and rounds down a bit to accomplish this.
3) In an area with a clear view of the sky - Build a stick bed that will hold the meat 4 inches or so off the ground.  Simply gets sticks and crisscross them to build up the platform.  The platform will need to be 4 ft or so on a side.
4) An hour or so after sundown, when the heat of the day leaves, spread your game bag over the platform and spread the boned meat out so it is not touching other pieces of meat.
5) Build another, smaller, stick bed in an area that will not get direct sunlight during the day.  I typically use a tree well.
6) In the morning wrap the meat with two space blankets and put on the "shaded" stick bed.  The cheap, paper thin space blankets are just fine.
7) Repeat process the following evening/days.

I have kept meat up to 3 full days in 80 degree weather doing this (not sure how much longer it would work??).  You'll be amazed that at the end of the day when you transfer the meat back to the "cooling" rack - it will be "refrigerator cold" to the touch.

Keys -
- Good view of the night sky.  Did you know the night sky is -100 C heat sink??
- Make sure you have minimum of a 4 inch "air space" under your racks.  You're trying to avoid heat from the ground.
- Two, did I say two, yes two space blankets. The air between them is a good insulator and the second blanket will make a near perfect IR insulator.

Variations -
If you're car camping - substitute a cooler for the "shade rack."  You'll be wanting to rinse the blood out of it each day.

Cheers and good hunting.

[Machias]

Thanks for the tips!

[BowBender87]

What about flys and nats? Last bow season ive never seen them so bad!

[MR5x5]

Fly and gnats, indeed.  You should be ok at night on all but the worst years.  If you're careful with wrapping things up, the bugs won't be able to get through the space blankets during the day.

I would be curious if a very thin meat bag or mosquito net over the meat at night, so that it is not touching would work against the bugs on a bad year.  The night sky would "see" through a mosquito net pretty effectively I would think...?

[fillthefreezer]

thanks for sharing, love the old timer tricks...

[high country]

we use a similar technique, we also bone the meat (bone sour sucks) but try to minimize cuts to the meat since it is almost ineviteable that it will mold on the exposed surface (less cuts, less exposed surface). I also try to hang the meat in as small of bags/groups as I can (less mass, better cooling). this is all at night, if it is not possible to hang the meat, I build the bough bed as mentioned. at day break, we consolidate the meat into a large "clump" and either hang it (bear country and no hunter to defend it) or pile it in the shade.....either way, we use every bit of insulation we can find....sleeping bags, clothes, boughs......everything to insulate it. once cool it stays very cool. KEEP IT DRY! flies and bees are a pain, but if you can keep your bags clean and not bloody, they tend to lose interest. if you do get a blowfly that hammers in some eggs, cut that out asap, they become maggots in no time and it all starts going gunnybag.

thanks for the space blankettip, I have carried it for years and only used it once, for my own stupid action.

[TheHunt]

thanks for the space blankettip, I have carried it for years and only used it once, for my own stupid action.

Care to share?   


One thing I have learned over the years is that if you bone out the meat and you have ice over/under the meat with the drain in the cooler wide open you can carry meat for most of a week.  I have done this as well as friends.  The meat turned out great.

[mallard79]

I just pucked up a small utility trailer and was considering building a big cooler box on it. Use the pink insulation foam and some plywood....add ice and have a drain open.....has anyone done this? Do you think it would work?

[JLS]

Mallard,

It will work quite well.  I've seen them with a small rail system built in to hang quarters from, and the guys put dry ice in the bottom.

[JimmyHoffa]

What about flys and nats? Last bow season ive never seen them so bad!

I've heard you can put black pepper on the meat and it will repel the flies, not sure about gnats.  Haven't tried it yet.

[NRA4LIFE]

Mallard,

I have built exactly what you are referring to.  It holds 350-400 lbs of frozen meat.  PM me if you want some pics.

[high country]

I have used tabasco, pepper, lemon juice....they all help a fuzz, but if there are flies around....a couple are gonna get ya.

thanks for the space blankettip, I have carried it for years and only used it once, for my own stupid action.

got myself "poorly terrain adjusted" and had a fun time digging into the bottom of my "oh sh!t" bag. it was not too big of a deal, thank god. I was all alone in the william douglas and of course, nobody had a clue where I was or due out. twas a good lesson. I remember asking myself if it was selfish to give up everyone  I love for something I love. I still wrestle with that question.

Care to share?   


One thing I have learned over the years is that if you bone out the meat and you have ice over/under the meat with the drain in the cooler wide open you can carry meat for most of a week.  I have done this as well as friends.  The meat turned out great.

[sakoshooter]

Cooking Oil
A little bit goes a long way too.
Plain ol Crisco.
Get a little on your hand and smear it all over the exposed meat. Every flying insect will immediately leave it alone.
I got this little trick from Jim Zumbo about 10yrs ago. I've used it and it works better than pepper or any thing else I've tried for flies, yellow jackets etc.

[MR5x5]

sakoshooter - Sweet tip.  I plan to toss a can of Crisco in the hunting bag.

Also, are you saying regular vegetable oil works too?

[high country]

sakoshooter - Sweet tip.  I plan to toss a can of Crisco in the hunting bag.

Also, are you saying regular vegetable oil works too?

my friends would take pics of that and have me hung in cyberspace for taking crisco on a man trip.....lol. perhaps it should be relabeld "fire paste" or "bug keeper offer"

[bowhunterty]

Pepper worked awesome. Shot my bull on Sept 11th, 75 degress at 8 am. While having quarters on a tarp, used black pepper and in did good job keeping flies and bee's away. Cooled nicely while laying on the tarp. We then deboned the meat and put into coolers with ice. Stayed cool all week at home while I cut it up. Best tasting elk I ever had.

[halflife65]

sakoshooter - Sweet tip.  I plan to toss a can of Crisco in the hunting bag.

Also, are you saying regular vegetable oil works too?

my friends would take pics of that and have me hung in cyberspace for taking crisco on a man trip.....lol. perhaps it should be relabeld "fire paste" or "bug keeper offer"

[BK]

sakoshooter - Sweet tip.  I plan to toss a can of Crisco in the hunting bag.

And just what, may I ask, are you planning on doing in deer camp?

[billythekidrock]

sakoshooter - Sweet tip.  I plan to toss a can of Crisco in the hunting bag.

Also, are you saying regular vegetable oil works too?

my friends would take pics of that and have me hung in cyberspace for taking crisco on a man trip.....lol. perhaps it should be relabeld "fire paste" or "bug keeper offer"

Pick up a couple bottles of "Liquid Game Bag" and you won't have to worry about the Crisco.

We have been using Liquid Game Bag for about 5 years now and have never had an issue. Just squirt it on and rub it into the meat (and eyes, nose, mouth if caping) after skinning and you will see a dramatic incline in flies, if not a total abandonment.

It is oil based and it will stain your cloth game bags but it does not affect the meat. I won't hunt Aug/Sept without it.

[sakoshooter]

All joking aside, Crisco(liquid)or any equivelant is usually already on the grocery list for hunting camp. I do however, have a 4oz Nalgene bottle I keep full of it mainly for meat care but it doubles for frying up fresh caught trout.
I used pepper for years. Got that tip from Jim Zumbo also. Every since he told me about cooking oil and I tried it, I'm sold. Pepper needs to be rubbed in and it won't stick to dry meat. Flies and yellow jackets would land on the pepperless areas whereas w/cooking oil, you don't even have to cover all areas as they're deathly afraid of it for some darn reason. Been using oil for over 10 yrs now with great results.

[cbond3318]

dredging up an old one here....

Has anyone used the technique described in the OP since posting... I am trying to make a plan for this years early Elk hunt, would rather not buy a cooler or run a generator and small freezer...

[Jarhead Chase]

Mallard,

I have built exactly what you are referring to.  It holds 350-400 lbs of frozen meat.  PM me if you want some pics.

I tried to PM you for pics and an estimate of building cost, but your inbox is full. There must be quite a few of us that want to see it. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Get bones out asap.  Once that is done and you have it all bagged up, look for those little pockets of cool air, that are in creek bottoms, depressions, etc. and get the meat cooling.  Once it has dropped temp, stuff it in a dry sack, or contractor bag, and submerge that in a creek.  Meat will stay cold and good for a week.

[sakoshooter]

What about flys and nats? Last bow season ive never seen them so bad!

Black pepper works well but cooking oil works better. Doesn't take much. Rub a tiny bit on some of the meat. Great for keeping the yellow jackets at bay also.