Hanging animals

[mc68]

Earlier today I was doing some daydreaming and thought back to when I was younger and all of the previous hunts I had been on. Is what I was mainly thinking about was how in those days, everyone went out for several days and set up a camp, usually tents, and enjoyed their cqmpout and hunt. One of the things that was always to be thought about was the "meat pole". I remember always getting back from the days hunt and go look at the hanging tree to see what animals were taken. We would also go and drive by other camps to see how they had fared. It seems to me that this tradition is pretty much a thing of the past. I believe that a big part of why its changed is that the weather seems to be so much hotter during the hunts nowadays. I also remember that many times the animals were not skinned until you got home from the hunt, a decision that would today most likely leave you with a spoiled animal. You all remember these traditions being true or is it just me remembering things that way?

[Coues assassin]

We always skin our deer out and then hang them until we go home. I loved driving around looking for deer hanging in the tree but that has now changed

[ready2hunt]

I think it was just a preference more than anything. We used to do the same thing, clear the hide and then butcher at home. About 10 years ago I started doing all my butchering and de-boning in the feild/camp. When I get home I have a cooler or two full of Freezer ready ziploc bags. To each his own but I will never do it any other way agian (situation permitting) I love getting all the work done there and always divide my meat with those who help as a thank you.

[sherman]

We hang our deer from a tree if we are camping if not then the man cave with ac

[AZbowhntr]

I wonder how much all these different hunts have affected it to. There used to be one general hunt where I grew up and everyone went hunting. Now there are about five hunts just for deer in a lot of the units. So they are starting way earlier.

[muledeerarea33?]

We used to draw the 27-28 December hunt every year, don't remember if it was any antler or not? We'd hang em whole in camp, field dressed. The hide would keep it from freezing. Then hang quarters in the shed at home for a week or so. But I haven't had a December tag in a while.

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

I had quarters hanging last night on my porch. I put them in coolers during the day the hang em out back at night all week. Processing on monday then into the freezer. I have seen a few camps still that hang em. Mostly on late hunts. We saw a lot of hangers in unit 8 on a cow hunt. The guys I was with on that hunt brought it back whole and after 3 broken branches wenches it up and dressed it in camp then let it hang.

[lonne]

This is definitely the way it was. This is definitely how I'll still do if the animal is small enough. Elk I might think twice, but I've known guys that have hung elk too with a little bit of good ole' mechanical advantage. But personally I'd rather bone the elk out. It really helps when skinning and it also cools the meat a bit.

[DesertBull]

Id rather people not know I killed something in the area. Just sayin.....

[ThomC]

People used to drive home with the deer hanging on a fender with the hide still on. I suspect that they didn't like the taste of deer. We are still in a long term drought in the desert. Setting records and ill bet raising the average. Us oldtimers remember the good old days. I used to wear a wool jacket deer hunting.

[wildwoody]

hang um high. i still love seeing the hanging trophys

[el diablo]

Still do it unless a really hot hunt. I think a lot of it has to do with so many people that just bring em in and pay for processing and even to have em skinned. To me me that's half of the fun of the hunt and will keep it that way. Do all my own processing too.

[PRDATR]

It's been quite a while that I killed a deer in an area where they were trees to hang it from and only once did I feel it was cool enough out to even think about doing that.

That was a late hunt in 29 up about 6500 feet and camp was at 4600 feet. All alone so that one was the first one I ever boned out and that was out of necessity.

[elkaholic]

it's all in personal preference- During the normal late hunts when the weather is cooler - you have that option

during the warmer and desert hunts - it's not the best choice for the meat

 

hunting in larger groups - means you have help and it's possible to get a bigger animal back to camp and easier to hang nd deal with at your leisure.

 

Most all my hunts - I'm alone and got to get it done now - I've never hung an elk/deer - usually one the gound - split it up / debone it pack it out.

 

like stated above - for deer its kinda hard to find a real good size tree in the desert and most will stick you if you try !

 

I do remember driving around during elk season and seeing hanging animals in camps .

 

mosts hunters don't waste time and are hauling them straight to the processors. see lots of elk/deer in backs of trucks on the roads - sometimes a few headed to Phx

[tjhunt2]

I like to hang my deer over night if the temperature cools down in the low 40s. During the day I have placed them in an old sleeping bag and then rehung them again the next night. They keep cool in the sleeping bags during the day. You can keep your deer this way for several days if need be.

 

Most of my deer anymore get cut up and put on ice. Doesn't take a big ice chest on these small whitetails. After I get home I like to hang them for a few days in my back yard walk-in and process at my leisure.

 

TJ