Beat Heat for Great Meat

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 7/31/2019 | T Hovey

[w1n1]

THE CLOCK'S TICKING ON GETTING DOWNED GAME COOL – ARE YOU PREPARED? In my opinion, the ability to properly care for wild game in the field is one of the most important tools a successful hunter needs in his toolbox. If you’re serious about hunting and putting quality meat in the freezer, you need to know how to care for the animal once you have it on the ground.
While there are several different ways to field-dress wild game, the suggested steps to preserve and care for the meat are essentially the same. Regardless of your hunting skill level, any hunter should expect to be successful in the field when they head out and should plan accordingly.
There's really nothing specialized about the gear required to break down an animal into manageable parts. In fact, most of the battle is making sure you have it when you need it.

BE PREPARED – It doesn't matter if I’m headed out for big game, small game or upland birds, I make sure that all my meat-processing gear is packed in the same tote and loaded in the truck before any trip.
I carry plastic bags in several sizes, disposable gloves, paper towels, paracord, rope, a tarp, meat bags, an axe, garbage bags, Havalon knives, spare blades, a cutting board, several headlamps, several pens, a roll of tape, zip ties, large and small meat carrying packs, and several bottles of water.
At the hunting grounds, I can determine what I will need for the day and pack it into one of the carrying packs and then head out to start hunting. I would rather be overly prepared in the field, especially when time is a factor.

As soon as the animal hits the ground, the clock starts. Cooling the meat quickly to avoid spoilage is your primary concern. With big game, I’ll look to drag the animal into any nearby shade if possible to keep from having to work in direct sunlight and to keep the meat a few degrees cooler.
If that's not an option, be prepared to start cutting sooner than later. Once the animal is where I’ll be processing it, I lay out a clean tarp in the shade as well. I have two goals when the knives come out: remove the meat quickly to cool it down; and keep the meat clean. Having a place to lay the meat out without worrying about dirt and leaves sticking to it will make the final processing a lot easier.

GETTING STARTED – Over the last decade or so, I have been processing all my big game using what is known as the gutless method. Rather than opening up the gut cavity and removing all the insides, we start by skinning all four legs and removing them at the hip and shoulder joint. The skin is used as a working surface as we fold it down around the animal.
We then remove the backstraps and neck meat without ever exposing the meat to the entrails. We find this method cleaner and faster. Before I start cutting, I make sure the animal is cleaned of any debris. I remove leaves and dirt and wipe away excessive blood with paper towels. Read the rest of keepging meat cool.

[Vaquero]

I hunt in November. It’s usually cool. I gut the animal (whitetail deer)immediately upon killing it. If the weather is warm It gets butchered and frozen ASAP. If the weather is cool I will wait up to the third day but no more. Venison does NOT age well like beef does.

[wastoute]

I was trained as a surgeon. I start at the perineum and push all the sphincters inside, then open the belly. No spillage at all.

[bagster]

What's all this about beating meat?

[Karma_Sherab]

I think you may be looking for the “master baiters” fishing thread

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpkUEsbhHu8

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPc7mpXvhvs

[libertylover]

I’ve had venison that was the best tasting meat I’ve ever had and I’ve had it that was downright nasty.

[Pollster1]

I took my last deer bowhunting at 14 degrees. I’m not sure it was worth it, but I did set a highly-motivated personal record for field dressing a deer. Total elapsed time from my shot to deer gutted and in the vehicle was less than 30 minutes.

[Hyman Roth]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........venison yummy

[Vaquero]

Been using hook style blades for razor handle for last decade. Opens the gut area in seconds like it had a zipper with little chance of nicking the gut.

[USS Alaska]

In PA whitetail deer rifle season lasts 2 weeks after Thanksgiving. There are other time periods {bow, muzzle loader, extra rifle season, etc} but I normally get two doe in the regular season.

If the weather is cold {below freezing} or cool, 32-45, I gut and wash them, and leave them in the shade until I go home and hang them for butchering.

If it's a warm to hot day, I will have two large coolers with dry ice, and I will skin, cut and de-bone the deer, and put the pieces in the coolers {if I plan on additional hunting}.

If it is late, I will just wrap the ice around the deer and head for the barn.

Any large game hunter will pay attention to the weather {and daily forecast} as they plan the hunt.

There are few things worse than spoiled meat because you didn't plan for conditions

[Eric in the Ozarks]

My hunting is restricted to pheasants. I like to use a Browning A-5 12 gage with 2 3/4 shells.
A hunting buddy carries a single shot .410 with a single shell in the chamber and two shells in his pocket. He nearly always brings home three birds...

[Pollster1]

The right tool is everything.

[USS Alaska]

I used to hunt small game in PA but now, the only ringnecks are the 'put and take' birds from the game commission.

They will rarely fly, they will run out like chickens.

You can have the same sport but going to my buddy's barn yard paying him for some chickens and then shooting them, in their cages.

No sport, not worth my time.

When I feel like hunting in solitude, I take a 22 and a nice lunch go into the woods and sit around oak or nut trees and just wait for a clean shot.

I can still make a good squirrel and/or rabbit stew.

[polymuser]

That’s what she said.

[grey_whiskers]

I *so* misread that title...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I used to take my best customers to “Flint Oak Ranch” in eastern Kansas.
Pheasants were raised and released by the hundreds.

Skilled guides with little bird dogs lead groups of four or five shotgunners.
It was a great place to spend a couple days.

Then, some fool (not with my group) shot one of the dogs.
There was hell to pay.