Preserving your deer in hot weather

[Seahawk12]

With early archery coming up in just a few weeks I thought it would be good to have a thread for giving advice on Preserving your deer in hot weather.
The way I learned was from reading books and advice from experienced hunters and so I will pass on that info here.
Not having a plan in hot weather can lead to meat spoilage.
You will want to try to protect the meat from the heat and flies/insects.
For the flies/insects I use an acid wash and game bags.
The acid wash is a mix of lemons, lemon concentrate and Tabasco sauce.

Before the hunt while at home take 3 lemons 1 large bottle of lemon juice concentrate and 1 bottle of tabasco sauce and mix them together. soak cheesecloth game bags in the mixture. (Don't use any kind of plastic game bags due to heat and moisture retention.) Hang them out to air dry. Once they are completely air dried put them in a zip lock bag in your pack. Put the rest of the mix in a container. (Or make more if you don't think there is enough left.)

Go hunting.
Be successful.

Once you have gutted, skinned, and quartered the animal, if you are around a water supply use the water to wash off and reduce the temperature of the meat.
Hang the meat in a shady spot preferably with a breeze, and wipe off any moisture with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Now apply the same acid wash lightly over the meat. That glaze is going to create a high acid protective layer while it is drying.  This solution inhibits bacteria growth and the citric acid burns the bugs.
Now place the meat in the prepared game bags and our ready to go.

If you have some other tips or methods for Preserving your deer in hot weather then please share them here.

[Oh Mah]

Great read thank you for posting it. 

[Jpmiller]

Go hunting.
Be successful.

The second part is usually the one where I go away!

I've always used a vinegar and water solution instead of the citric acid but soaking the bags is a good idea.

I will add that leaving the gut pile sort of close by seems to keep the wasps busy and off the carcass while you're trying to cut it up and get it out. Nothing worse than s yellow jacket sting to seize up a hand while you're trying to quarter your deer.

[wiremonkey]

Wow, awesome info. Thanks for posting. Glad I happened across this before it got buried.

[Tbar]

Getting the meat off of the bone is key in warmer weather also.  Plastic contractor bags submerged in a creek will also cool fast.  Once cooled you can wrap in your sleeping bag in the shade and it will usually hold the cool the entire day. I turn my bag inside out. Best plan is to shoot one next to a road and take it to a cooler asap but I still get the hide off immediately.

[Dan-o]

Great thread.    Great info.     


Far too much wastage from lack of preparedness in warm weather.

[Seahawk12]

I think the post kill process is something that gets overlooked alot.
Hopefully this is helpful to some people. 

[PlateauNDN]

Getting the meat off of the bone is key in warmer weather also.  Plastic contractor bags submerged in a creek will also cool fast.  Once cooled you can wrap in your sleeping bag in the shade and it will usually hold the cool the entire day. I turn my bag inside out. Best plan is to shoot one next to a road and take it to a cooler asap but I still get the hide off immediately.

You road hunter you.

[Karl Blanchard]

Removing hide and bone as soon as possible is the best way to ensure quality meat. Lean red meat is incredibly hearty and as long is it is cooled, even to air temp it will last a good while. 

I don't do anything fancy really.  Skin, debone, spread out or bag up depending on situation (bugs and shade).  Once the initial cooling has happened it either goes in a garbage bag in a creek, hung in game bags in shade, or loaded in a dry sack in my pack and hauled out to the truck where I ALWAYS have a cooler full of ice. 

If temps are crazy hot like 90+ you better plan on the last route and that is to get it out to ice.  You've got some time if you got that hide and bone out of there though.

[jennabug]

I think the post kill process is something that gets overlooked alot.
Hopefully this is helpful to some people. 

Thank you for posting this! Post kill is one of my biggest concerns.
Also, now I know to bring benedryl in case I get stung by a wasp.

[Bill W]

we used to strip off the hide, bag it and then sprinkle it with the can of black pepper we'd taken in.

[Oh Mah]

What does the black pepper do?

[Seahawk12]

What does the black pepper do?

Black pepper has antibacterial properties.

[Eric M]

Go hunting.
Be successful.

The second part is usually the one where I go away!

I've always used a vinegar and water solution instead of the citric acid but soaking the bags is a good idea.

I will add that leaving the gut pile sort of close by seems to keep the wasps busy and off the carcass while you're trying to cut it up and get it out. Nothing worse than s yellow jacket sting to seize up a hand while you're trying to quarter your deer.

Does the vinegar attract flies or does cutting it with water avoid that?

[Skyvalhunter]

Theres Several threads out there on this particular topic.