I am making the switch this year from exclusively using a processor to doing my own processing. I live in Missouri and hunt whitetails here, and I go out west once or twice a year for a DIY hunt. This year I am going to Wyoming in September for an antelope hunt and Montana in November for a mule deer hunt.
This may seem silly, but my question revolves around transporting meat in a cooler. I expect this to be more of an issue on the goat hunt as it will be warmer. I have searched high and low, and I have found so many inconsistencies on what folks do…
“Put the meat directly on ice”
“Never let the meat touch ice”
“Let the meat sit in water to let the blood out”
“Never let the meat touch weather”
“Keep the cooler plug open”
“Only open the plug once a day to drain or it will cause bacteria growth”
“Cool the meat before throwing in the cooler”
“Throw the meat directly in the cooler”
“Use frozen gallon jugs”
“Gallon jugs do not allow for the top of the meat to get cold”
“Use dry ice”
“Dry ice will burn the meat”
“Keep the meat in game bags”
“Put the meat in trash bags”
“Take the meat out of game bags so it can breathe better”
I plan to take an 85 quart cooler for the antelope meat. The antelope meat could be in the cooler for up to 4 days. I plan to skin and quarter the animal as quickly as possible. This is where I am not sure what to do next…. Do I need to cool the meat before putting it in the cooler? If so, how do I cool it? What ice method works best (wet, dry, bottles)? Should I put the meat in game bags or trash bags or something else?
I would really appreciate hearing what has worked best for you. I would even appreciate hearing what has not worked for you. I love antelope meat, and I owe it to the animal to not screw this up. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!
This may seem silly, but my question revolves around transporting meat in a cooler. I expect this to be more of an issue on the goat hunt as it will be warmer. I have searched high and low, and I have found so many inconsistencies on what folks do…
“Put the meat directly on ice”
“Never let the meat touch ice”
“Let the meat sit in water to let the blood out”
“Never let the meat touch weather”
“Keep the cooler plug open”
“Only open the plug once a day to drain or it will cause bacteria growth”
“Cool the meat before throwing in the cooler”
“Throw the meat directly in the cooler”
“Use frozen gallon jugs”
“Gallon jugs do not allow for the top of the meat to get cold”
“Use dry ice”
“Dry ice will burn the meat”
“Keep the meat in game bags”
“Put the meat in trash bags”
“Take the meat out of game bags so it can breathe better”
I plan to take an 85 quart cooler for the antelope meat. The antelope meat could be in the cooler for up to 4 days. I plan to skin and quarter the animal as quickly as possible. This is where I am not sure what to do next…. Do I need to cool the meat before putting it in the cooler? If so, how do I cool it? What ice method works best (wet, dry, bottles)? Should I put the meat in game bags or trash bags or something else?
I would really appreciate hearing what has worked best for you. I would even appreciate hearing what has not worked for you. I love antelope meat, and I owe it to the animal to not screw this up. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!