Meat spoilage in warmer temperatures

[Yard Candy]

I was planning to go out tomorrow for opening day of whitetail in my area but the forecast is a high of 81 and a low of 72. At those temperatures what's the time range on worrying about meat spoilage? To clarify:

• How much time do I have before field dressing (i.e., tracking deer) before worrying about spoilage?
• How much time do I have after field dressing (i.e., dragging out, driving to processor) before worrying about spoilage?

I know there's no guaruntee of getting a deer but as hunters we have to think about ethics. If this is a situation where I'm likely to lose the meat unless everything goes perfectly according to plan, I'll wait for cooler temps. 80 is pretty hot IMO for a deer to be laying there waiting to be recovered.

 

[WhatToHunt]

I'd think you have several hours before spoiling would become an issue. Once recovered and field dressed, you could then skin it if you couldn't fully process it or take it to a processor immediately. Would help get the meat cooled down.

 

[LostArra]

Early in the season I carry a bag of ice or frozen milk jugs filled with water in a soft side cooler in the truck every time I go out. Toss them in the chest cavity after I get deer back to the truck.

 

[Tod osier]

I was planning to go out tomorrow for opening day of whitetail in my area but the forecast is a high of 81 and a low of 72. At those temperatures what's the time range on worrying about meat spoilage? To clarify:

• How much time do I have before field dressing (i.e., tracking deer) before worrying about spoilage?
• How much time do I have after field dressing (i.e., dragging out, driving to processor) before worrying about spoilage?

I know there's no guaruntee of getting a deer but as hunters we have to think about ethics. If this is a situation where I'm likely to lose the meat unless everything goes perfectly according to plan, I'll wait for cooler temps. 80 is pretty hot IMO for a deer to be laying there waiting to be recovered.

You have several hours before you have to worry. I have had a couple deer I shot late and didn't like the looks of the blood trail and let them sit overnight in similar temps and they were excellent table fare. My take is that once they start to go bad, they probably go very fast due to the retained heat. The ones that sat overnight were found right away in the morning, gutted and skinned within a very short period of time and in a chiller very quickly.

having the skin on really holds the heat in for a long time after gutting, so getting ice in there as was said is probably useful. Getting the hide off makes a huge difference.

 

[Bubblehide]

I am in southern Ca. Here in Oct, the temps can still be in the triple digits, but normally are in the 80s during the day. I pack in and have taken deer at dawn, deboned and packed out. On some of the rougher ones I have not made it back to the truck (and awaiting ice chest) until 3 or 4 in the evening. I have never had an issue. If you are worried, you can carry citric acid and and small spray bottle to spray it on the meat. You can find citric acid in powdered form and re-constitute it with water. There was a recent incredible post here on meat care that included all the science without the science detail (enough info to verify). It might be a sticky or in the reviews section.

 

[Bubblehide]

Here you go: https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/backcountry-meat-care-video.184188/

There are more here, just use the search feature with "meat care" as your key words

 

[Laramie]

I am in the camp meat needs to be cooled asap to retain the best quality. I would keep my arrows frozen if I knew a way just to start the process earlier. In hot weather, I hunt closer to camp/truck so I can get meat out of the field and into coolers in a matter of 1-2 hours. All of that said, if you quickly get the guts out, hide off and the meat in the shade, it shouldn't start to spoil for 12-24 hours depending on humidity/temp/etc.

 

[JMasson]

You have a good two hours before you really need to be concerned about the meat spoiling. Like others have said, I carry a few 2 liter soda bottles filled with frozen water, in a cooler in my truck and put them in the chest cavity of the carcass. It takes all day for them thaw all the way and they really help cool the carcass down.

 

[Bmoore]

I personally don’t worry about spoiling unless it’s gonna be a whole day before I can reach the animal. I don’t have any experience elk hunting but those guys kill bulls in September, get it off the bone and hide ASAP and then hang it on a tree for hours to a full day at a time trying to get it packed out to the truck, especially when it’s gonna take a few loads. So I figure if they don’t have spoilage issues for the most part, I don’t have to worry about a whitetail. That said, if it’s hot I’m sure to get on it as soon as I feel comfortable based on the shot and what sign I have available. If I am confident it went down fast I’ll be tracking it in half hour and cutting it up within the hour. If necessary I’d wait 2-3 hours if I thought I had a bad hit and needed to. But Id still not be worried about spoilage.

 

[Yard Candy]

Thank you all for the tips and info - very helpful. I'll probably go with the frozen milk jugs of water idea since currently I'm not taking the hide off; I'm just gutting and dropping it off at the processor.

Even though I'm a mile or two at most from the truck, ideally I'd like to do the gutless method, pack the meat out, transport it home in coolers. and process the deer myself. I've only processed one deer and that was with the help of a friend, last season. I'm sure it won't go great the first few times, but I think I'm almost ready to try.

 

[Tod osier]

, but I think I'm almost ready to try.

Do it!

 

[Bmoore]

Thank you all for the tips and info - very helpful. I'll probably go with the frozen milk jugs of water idea since currently I'm not taking the hide off; I'm just gutting and dropping it off at the processor.

Even though I'm a mile or two at most from the truck, ideally I'd like to do the gutless method, pack the meat out, transport it home in coolers. and process the deer myself. I've only processed one deer and that was with the help of a friend, last season. I'm sure it won't go great the first few times, but I think I'm almost ready to try.

I’m from PA and hunt public ground on MD. Because of CWD laws the only legal way to process my own deer is to register my kill with MD DNR and then do the gutless method and pack deer out on public ground. It’s illegal to travel across state line with skulls or spines. In my opinion it not only worth it, it’s easier. I’ve dragged deer a mile out of the public woods before. No fun. Much easier in quarters or deboned entirely. Takes extra time in the woods but if your doing it yourself anyway, your gonna be doing it at home anyway.

 

[Superstockbigblock]

I shot a buck at dark in Iowa, lows were 32-34, recovered next morning 6am found buck 60yds from where I shot it. Gutted and packed with ice locker called 2 days later meat no good. It's a disappointing call for sure.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I just got a Coues whitetail last Friday in 100*+ temps: 1.5hr from shot to recovery, 2hrs field dressing (first time solo and first time trying gutless ), probably 4hrs from standing to cooler. 6hr drive home-meat was 70* when it went in fridge to age at 39* for 5 days.

No spoilage when I butchered it last night. The velvet looked fine when I gave head to my skull guy Sunday (head went in freezer as soon as it got home).

I think the most critical is getting meat off animal and cooling.

I do frozen jugs, but add a cup of salt to each gallon-salt water freezes to a lower temp and stays frozen longer.

 

[JMasson]

I just got a Coues whitetail last Friday in 100*+ temps: 1.5hr from shot to recovery, 2hrs field dressing (first time solo and first time trying gutless ), probably 4hrs from standing to cooler. 6hr drive home-meat was 70* when it went in fridge to age at 39* for 5 days.

No spoilage when I butchered it last night. The velvet looked fine when I gave head to my skull guy Sunday (head went in freezer as soon as it got home).

I think the most critical is getting meat off animal and cooling.

I do frozen jugs, but add a cup of salt to each gallon-salt water freezes to a lower temp and stays frozen longer.

Ok, adding salt is something I had not thought of but I'm going to implement going forward. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Sobrbiker]

I put both salt and fresh water frozen jugs in cooler-never know when you may need portable water. I put a colored straw in the salt ones to differentiate.

 

[Yard Candy]

meat was 70* when it went in fridge to age at 39* for 5 days

Unrelated to my original question... You had said you did the gutless method... when you aged the meat in the fridge for 5 days, did you keep the quarters intact to break into cuts later?

Aging is something that confuses me. I'm not supposed to cut it up first? I am? Does it matter? Etc.

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[Sobrbiker]

I left it in quarters. One backstrap and the tenderloins didn’t make it that long and they were tasty enough I think the aging may have been unnecessary.
I doubt I’ll age a Coues again-they’re so small to begin with that trimming the dried outside is more loss than I’d like. I may with a Mule deer if I get one.

 

[Yard Candy]

trimming the dried outside is more loss than I’d like

You just answered my follow up question lol. I was gonna ask if you have to trim off the dried part after you leave it in the fridge (I did). I've only processed 1 whitetail after leaving it in the fridge for a week and man, trimming that dry s**t is for the birds!

Not to get way off topic here as I know there is a section dedicated to meat care, but could you leave the hide on the quarters, in the fridge, and then the exterior wouldn't get hard because it's not exposed to the air? Or does it not work that way, or maybe you shouldn't do that for some reason?

Not to sound like a broken record but I wasn't raised hunting and I have no mentor, so I'm picking this all up as I go along. I appreciate all the help from the community!



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[JMasson]

You just answered my follow up question lol. I was gonna ask if you have to trim off the dried part after you leave it in the fridge (I did). I've only processed 1 whitetail after leaving it in the fridge for a week and man, trimming that dry s**t is for the birds!

Not to get way off topic here as I know there is a section dedicated to meat care, but could you leave the hide on the quarters, in the fridge, and then the exterior wouldn't get hard because it's not exposed to the air? Or does it not work that way, or maybe you shouldn't do that for some reason?

Not to sound like a broken record but I wasn't raised hunting and I have no mentor, so I'm picking this all up as I go along. I appreciate all the help from the community!



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I've heard of guys leaving the hide on while aging but it makes it a chore to get the hide off afterward.