Hunting & Fishing hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

[jayd4wg]

I'm going out this afternoon for a red tag (crop damage) hunt and the weather is supposed to top out at 90ish today. won't take long for meat to spoil...and i'm thinking about doing the following based on some input from a buddy who lives/hunts in texas

immediately after confirming animal is down for good, disembowel, attach hocks to gambrel or put rope thru hocks and tie the gambrel or rope off to a fencepost/tree/etc and skin the deer using the truck (tie rock or golf ball under skin at rump and drive away, pulls deer right out of skin) with the deer laying on a clean tarp.

Cut out straps and loins, into gallon size baggies and into cooler with ice. quarter rest of animal (probably just the rear hams since i plan on ANCHORING the deer with slug to shoulder - pretty much losing at least one shoulder) and place quarters on ice to get them home. stop at mini mart on way home for more ice, draining the bloody water in the parking lot of mini mart...much to the dismay of the patrons (j/k)

did i miss anything?

 

[drmarc]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

Mount harvested deer heads on pikes to persuade other free grazers to not partake of this field and crop.....

 

[acehigh]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

When it was still hot in the fall a few years ago we just skinned 'em and put 8# bags of ice in the body cavity as they hung. You might have a little longer than you think. Just be sure to wash down the outside and inside thoroughly before butchering.
JH

 

[JCH]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

I have one of those HUGE white coolers that will hold 150+ cans. I would put the body in the cooler as soon as it was skinned with ice already filled halfway in the cooler so that it is already cold in there. I wouldn't take the time to remove anymore meat than the back straps and loins. Then get it all cooled off as soon as possible.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

thx guys. i like the heads on stakes idea...save for this is a new farm to me and i'm trying to make good with the farmer. he's got alot of land and this is going to open up some prime dog hunting too. I hope to show up today, professionally harvest 2 deer, clean up after myself real good and make a new friend in the process.

 

[rrflyer]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

We gutted them on the spot and opened them up to drop the body temp as fast as possible. Then a few bags of ice inside.

 

[kyabrams66]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JasonB</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm going out this afternoon for a red tag (crop damage) hunt and the weather is supposed to top out at 90ish today. won't take long for meat to spoil...and i'm thinking about doing the following based on some input from a buddy who lives/hunts in texas

immediately after confirming animal is down for good, disembowel, attach hocks to gambrel or put rope thru hocks and tie the gambrel or rope off to a fencepost/tree/etc and skin the deer using the truck (tie rock or golf ball under skin at rump and drive away, pulls deer right out of skin) with the deer laying on a clean tarp.

Cut out straps and loins, into gallon size baggies and into cooler with ice. quarter rest of animal (probably just the rear hams since i plan on ANCHORING the deer with slug to shoulder - pretty much losing at least one shoulder) and place quarters on ice to get them home. stop at mini mart on way home for more ice, draining the bloody water in the parking lot of mini mart...much to the dismay of the patrons (j/k)

did i miss anything?</div></div>

Nope. Sounds like a good plan. That's what I'd do.

 

[Moof]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

You missed 1 BIG thing to do tho... CALL ME UP AND I'LL FIRE UP THE GRILL!!!!

Those "BFC's" (big #%$@ing coolers) are nice on outing like this. They don't like to hold ice really long but enough for what's needed. Alot of times around here during early tree rat season, i've thrown them in a cooler of ice to keep the meat cool and not spoil also.

 

[skinney_7]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

we take elk out of our irrigated circles in mid august, i have a couple hangers made out of 3/4 inch rebar, sometimes the weather is in the 85-95 degree mark when elk are taken, I have the 4455 w/ front end loader on standy by... gut em, cut the windpipe up to the jaw (unless you plan on keeping the cape), take off both front shoulders, and lift up the carcass, take the hose and hose off everything for a good 15min - 1/2 hr (keeps it cool and cleans it up), cut it up and put in it coolers or deep freeze, for some reason its always easier said than done!!!

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

well, I sealed the deal, got a nice doe with no fawns...just finished for the night. there was a mini-mart about 3 minutes from the farm so we just loaded it onto the truck about 15 mins after it was down, and packed a couple bags of ice till we got to my house. skinned and quartered, straps are already cut into chops and in the freezer, and the hams are on ice for cutting into ground tomorrow (i'm an anarchist...i like the ground jerky). i'm tired...

the hastings slug didn't do as well as I had hoped tonight. this is deer #2 with them. the first one I have a pic of the slug in the "recovered bullets" thread. This one was picture perfect 110 yard shot at the vitals while she was standing still. They say the gun should surprise you every time it goes off...it sure did this time...but i watched her jump and kick in the air, I knew she was hit hard. Very little blood trail we found the spot she hit the wood line and walked zigzags from there in the general direction she ran. found her balled up about 50 yards into the wood line. Total run about 70 yards or so. I was hoping to anchor her but despite blowing a hole thru both shoulders and missing the shoulder blade completely she made a good run for it. Entry hole was half an inch(pinky finger), exit was 3/4 (thumb) and the lungs were soup. Slug was not recovered...but the deer was so I guess the slug did good enough

 

[JSTARSZ]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

you just never know how the animal is going to react to getting hit hard. I have hit deer in the same location and one time they will DRT and others will run 50 yards and pile up - you just never know.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

agreed...this is just the very first time a deer has gone further than 10 yards when i hit them with a 12ga slug. when I hit her, she jumped straight up in the air, kicked once and hit the afterburners when she got back on terra firma. Another oddity...at the shot EVERY single deer in the herd did the same (afterburners). Usually, they stop and look around for a second. I had no chance for a second shot to fill my buddies tag. Woulda been nice to get a double, it just wasn't in the cards.

 

[Advokaten]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

They must all have been somewhat alerted,

thats when they do that, at least talking about fallow dear that is.

I am sort of stumped here a bit, I all for a few bags of ice in the body cavity however field dressing in the baking sun and putting bare meat on ice are recipies for some really uncool unfriendlies in that meat.

Still early mornings and late evenings ought to yield lower temps and better shooting all ower, higher meat quality to as a sort of second hand offshoot.

Jason, good hunting there, my hat off for you.

/Chris

 

[JSTARSZ]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Swedish guy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">They must all have been somewhat alerted,
/Chris
</div></div>
I have to agree with that. They must have been on alert and adrenaline was high. I witnessed what you saw numerous times - hit them and they jump straight up in the air and then take off at full speed. I am left wondering did I miss it. Then I start the talking to myself, I couldn't have missed it, I hit it - no way, then I get down from my stand and start the tracking...and once I get to the first blood spot I calm down and tell myself - I knew I hit it.

 

[trilogymac]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JCH</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have one of those HUGE white coolers that will hold 150+ cans. I would put the body in the cooler as soon as it was skinned with ice already filled halfway in the cooler so that it is already cold in there. I wouldn't take the time to remove anymore meat than the back straps and loins. Then get it all cooled off as soon as possible. </div></div>

+1

 

[Bryan27]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

If you don't have one of those huge coolers and don't want to spend the money on one either, just a big rubbermaid bin with a lid can be bought at wally world for a few bucks that'll do the job of keeping the meat clean and iced down for long enough to get home.

 

[sig22940]

Re: hot weather deer harvest - how to care for meat?

The weather during rifle season has been so warm the past few years we had to deal with this in the winter. Hanging and packing cavity with ice has worked in 60 degree weather. In 90 degree weather I would get in cooler asap.