Take care of the meat guys!

[GameHauler]

Great post, anyone else getting hungry!?! i think I am about to get some elk summer sausage I just made!

 

But it's winter

 

[Coueser]

sorry, I gotta ask. What is the deal with removing the esophagus? I've skinned a lot of game animals over the years and left them hanging but I have never removed the esophagus. I don't remember ever noting that the neck meat spoiled. Do you all do this?

[huntingfool]

sorry, I gotta ask. What is the deal with removing the esophagus? I've skinned a lot of game animals over the years and left them hanging but I have never removed the esophagus. I don't remember ever noting that the neck meat spoiled. Do you all do this?

 

I was just always taught it was one of the things that spoiled first and should be removed as quickly as possible. I guess I just never questioned it. We always remove it with skinning.

[bobbyo]

I have gone to boning out the meat where the critter drops almost exclusively. Main reason is that my mentors used to drive all the way home with the critter on the hood and complained every time they ate the meat. Oh they ate it all (the grew up dirt poor) but almost to a man, they disliked venison. First time I fed venison to my dad after skinning it and cooling the meat immediately, he couldn't believe how good it tasted.

Second reason for boning out the meat on the spot is that I realized that I was hauling bones and hide back to camp for nothing. Nothing better than getting back to camp, throwing a bag full of meat and cape on ice, and opening up a cold one. I have never looked back or eaten such fine venison.

 

I'm with the Claw and Coues diehard. I have not cleaned an animal in years. I am slow, but I can completely bone out a coues deer in 45 minutes. I do bring the back leg bones for the dog. I think a good set of directions is on a sticky on one of the main threads. The hanging thing is probably a pride thing. In addition to that it is probably a that is how 'Granddad did it" mentality. It would be perfectly fine to hang an animal though on cool days not above 60 with cold nights if it is skinned of coarse. WHen is the last time we had a cool early hunt down south. Honestly I can't remember one this decade.

Bob

[Str8Shot]

I have gone to boning out the meat where the critter drops almost exclusively. Main reason is that my mentors used to drive all the way home with the critter on the hood and complained every time they ate the meat. Oh they ate it all (the grew up dirt poor) but almost to a man, they disliked venison. First time I fed venison to my dad after skinning it and cooling the meat immediately, he couldn't believe how good it tasted.

Second reason for boning out the meat on the spot is that I realized that I was hauling bones and hide back to camp for nothing. Nothing better than getting back to camp, throwing a bag full of meat and cape on ice, and opening up a cold one. I have never looked back or eaten such fine venison.

 

I'm with the Claw and Coues diehard. I have not cleaned an animal in years. I am slow, but I can completely bone out a coues deer in 45 minutes. I do bring the back leg bones for the dog. I think a good set of directions is on a sticky on one of the main threads. The hanging thing is probably a pride thing. In addition to that it is probably a that is how 'Granddad did it" mentality. It would be perfectly fine to hang an animal though on cool days not above 60 with cold nights if it is skinned of coarse. WHen is the last time we had a cool early hunt down south. Honestly I can't remember one this decade.

Bob

 

 

The last few days of the early hunt in 36b was plenty cold .... We brought our deer back after dark they hung til morning with it getting to the low 30's over night ... But they were down and headed to be processed before the sun broke the hills behind camp .... that being said it did not get above 60 that day and much cooler with the wind chills and the following two days barley broke 52 degrees amazing what a 30 degree temp drop does to you (and the deer) when it happens that quick .... BRISK BABY ... To bad it only lasted a few days and you guys after us got stuck with the heat again

 

 

[elkaholic]

hello - I've been preachin meat care for a few yrs. now - Believe me when I say - everyone is different on how and even when -where they start takin care of the meat ! Times have changed - some things for the better - like deboning- no gut method -

Nothin turns my stomach as easy as seeing game being transported with the hides on! At all the seminars it is the #1 piece of information handed out - It doesnt really have to be hot -warm weather either - why do you think animals - like elk- have such thick hides - to insulate them from the cold !!

As far as leaving the big leg bones in - you can still keep the bones for your dog - Do yourself a favor and let the biggest chunk of meat -on most animals - a chance to chill properly - bone soured meat can be a problem! take it out before transporting in the icechest -

Not everyone can just drop everything and run an animal to a processing center - be prepared and take enough items along to do a mini processing at camp - large ice chest - extra bags of ice - old sleeping bags . enough gamebags to keep it clean ! knifes - sharpeners etc.

As far as hanging - animals should only be hanged at night - then wrapped and stored out of the sun and rehung each night. they can go this way for several days if taken care of- if you want it to stay hanging at least hang it where direct sunlight cant get to it and wrapit up in ole sheets - or sleeping bag to keep the cold in and the heat out - wind can really dry out a hanging animal - think of it as making jerky the ole fashion way - lol

Hopefully - MEAT CARE - is one of the best hunting information you can pass on to all future hunters . It's sad to say some have to learn the hard way - meat spoils at a very fast rate - the higher the temps the faster the spoilage. Take the time to do it right! it'll taste much better later! Gary

[bobbyo]

Gary, I do bone out the legs, just carry them with. It is incredible how much heat is in the meat next to the back leg bone. First area I bone out.

 

I am really astonished at how many people bring Their meat to processors. I butcher all my meat myself. A coues deer is real easy especially if it has already been de-boned. I always seem to get about twice as much meat as my friends who have taken theirs to a processor. An elk is a long day, but the full freezer afterwords is very satisfying. A $100 electric meat grinder will help get the job done.

Bob

[az4life]

Proper meat care is critical. If you don't think about it as part of the hunt you probably won't like it after the hunt is over.

 

I took an antelope roast to work for a food fest day and even the people who said they did not like antelope could not believe how good it was. Like a lean cornfed beef roast some said. Several said they have heard antelope is gamey, and stringy but there's another myth blown, with a simple rump roast that was more than a year old in the freezer.

 

No fancy recipe can fix poor field care of the meat either.

You gotta treat it like it is something you are going to eat. Has anyone seen anyone else dragging grocery meat across the parking lot and leaving it sit in the car for a day or 3 before putting it in the freezer?

 

Proper meat care makes the difference.

[AZn8tiv]

Great post guys, I also agree and understand the importance of proper meat care, but truthfully I never considered de-boning before packin it out. I'll definitely be doing so on my next harvest!

[justinspe25]

I have not had much experience handling havested game so i am always ready to learn the tricks of the trade. We used the debone/gutless method on my deer this year and i learned alot. So, i am curious what is the purpose of hanging the deer? I always figured it was a way curing or something.

 

Thx

 

Justin

[Red Rabbit]

One thing I have heard from a butcher is to not be in a hurry to debone the meat. It is good to have the muscle ends attached to bone for when the mucle fibers contract during rigor mortis. I they are not attached, the fibers tend to shorten and produce a tougher meat. After rigor mortis and the fibers relax again, then the meat can safely be cut from the bone.

 

I had a cow elk a few years ago that I cut the backstraps off right after the kill, and they were rather tough. But maybe I had the lead cow also.

[GameHauler]

Very interesting point Doug.

I try to bring out the whole animal (minus the guts)

or quarters but for longer packs debone sure saves weight.

[Coach]

Great post and lots of great advice here. IMO the biggest complaint about deer/elk/javelina is the "gamey" flavor. Chances are, that was meat with the hide on too long. Given a rutting bull usually tastes like boot leather, most deer and elk are left sitting way too long with the hide on. I've seen guys gut animals to cool and leave the hide on while they go get help or a vehicle - their head is in the right place - they want to get the warm part away from the meat, but anyone who's ever seen a deer or elk bed in the snow knows, their hide and hair hold in almost all of their body heat. A deer can lay on snow for hours without melting it - think about that in terms of the insulating qualities of deer hide and hair.

 

If you want good meat, the hide has to come off first. Personally, I prefer the gutless method. But if you're going to gut it out, skin it first, then gut it. That hide is holding in all the heat and causing spoilage - not the guts. When you think about it, how much meat is actually in contact with the inside of the rib cage vs. how much is in contact with the hide?

[Str8Shot]

If you want less gamey tasting meat drop your game in its track and don't hunt the rut ..... and to some degree let the big guy walk by and take the spike .....

[AZn8tiv]

Quick update... I did have the good fortune of harvesting a deer this past hunt and completely dressed it right there on the spot. Did my buddies that way as well, I tell you what, it was nice packing that little guy out in a game bag! I'm going to pick it up from the processor in a few hours, so I'll see tonight how the quick work paid off..... can't wait! And thanks for all the advise guys!