Deer Meat, Temperature, Impact on Meat Quality

[Rolando]

What are y'alls thoughts on deer hunting and temperature and the impact on the quality of the meat. Any rules of thumb for how quick to get the deer meat cooled down before quality is impacted. Any tips for rapid cooling?

For example, Hunting in 50 degree morning temps, shooting a deer at 8am and not getting it home for 3 hours to skin it quarter it and put on ice before processing. Too long. Driving in 65 degree weather?

I've heard of ice in the cavity but most of the meat is on the legs so I wasn't sure how effective that would be or does it really matter much? I kind of want to wait until later in the season when its colder so I can feel better about the meat cooling off faster but blackpowder season is only until this Sunday and it'll be warm.

I was thinking shoot deer, gut it quick, hang it up for a bit to bleed it out then take to the check station to get the tag, skin it, quarter it, put into two big icechests and drive the hour it takes to get home and start the butchering.

 

[bearmgc]

What you described in the last paragraph is essentially what I do, except for hanging it. I wash it down with about 5 gallons of water. It takes me about 2 1/2 hours to get home. If I shoot it in the evening, I may just skin it, halve it and lay ice on it, and it doesn't get butchered till the next morning. I always have a wood pallet on the bed floor of the truck to circulate air in the event I just cut it in half.

 

[caribou]

Skin it before you gut it.
Besure to split the pelvic meats, down to the bone, between the rear legs. Spred the rear legs and let the meat cool.
Heck, if its warm I butcher it all the way down and pack 3 loads.....

Let the meat get plenty of air, hang it or turn it every while...

 

[Kingcreek]

for best quality meat:
Kill it clean and clean it quick
Keep it clean
Cool it quickly

When I hunt in warmer weather The truck carries a cooler with a couple bags of ice and frozen 1gal jugs of water and 2 2.5gal containers of fresh clean water. also a clean tarp- some shade helps a lot.
Why go to all the work of hunting and not do just a little more to have the best meat possible?

 

[Smokey Joe]

To make good venison...

I'd go along with much of what has been said above. Basically, the cooler the quicker the better. However, I must respectfully disagree with

Skin it before you gut it.

The reason is simple: you DO NOT WANT stomach/intestinal contents, nor urine, nor gall from the gall bladder, coming in to contact with the meat you plan to eat. I have never heard of anyone skinning out a deer before gutting it. When you gut the deer, all those nasties come out, and if your shot was a little off, or your gutting knife goes just a little wrong, well, you don't want the results on your eating meat.

In my neck of the woods, gutting the deer is always the first procedure after putting on the State tag that makes it your legal deer.

Another factor: In some states, the deer must be "field dressed only" before taking it to a registration station for the State to put their OK on it. That means it can be gutted, period. Check your local/state laws regarding this.

 

[X-Rap]

This process is actually promoted by some game departments in areas that have CWD. The risk of exposure is reduced if you skin and actually bone one side at a time without gutting or breaking the joints. In the backcountry when you may not be able to pack out whole it is pretty slick even if you break at the hip sockets. The tenderloins can even be removed if you are careful. There are recordings available on the net and you can probably run a search and find one.

 

[surjimmy]

What Smokey Joe said. I have never heard of skinning a deer before you gut it. (Gutting it as soon as you can is a must), then the rest, do as you can. A butcher told me the longer you can let the meat hang the better, it makes the meat relax. I have had deer not get skinned or iced for 3-4 hours, and have never had ant tainted meat. I hunt in Oklahoma where most of the time it's not very cold.

 

[caribou]

~LOL!!!~

I do this for a full time living, for 22 years now and 7 kids later, and I'm still at it, and will be untill Im dead...... and skinning first IS the best way to go.

Of course, not on sand and such, but Im in the arctic, so we do things "Our way"
Im not you, or where your at, but I can show you the way I do things.
We do NOT put water on meat, as it speeds up the spoiling. Best to air it out a bit and let it dry...helps keep bugs off it to, that way.
If you have gut shot it, then you already have problems.Wipe with blood, and proceed;
Skinning is EASY when the carcass is warm, and we skin by cutting the ass to the chin , front legs are cut up the front to the neck, back legs are cut up the back to the ass, and we peel it off with our hands, leaving the hide clean, the fat and meat on the carcass....if you tan your own skins, this is THE way to do it right, as I am lazy, and hate extra work....~LOL!!!~

Good, clean meat,and clean organs to eat , also.

This one is about to be gutted.
When the cuts are made, we lift the carcass up and away from the innerd, as it is now light enough to lift easily, and leave the mess behind. Then clean the organs and put 'em inna bag.



Good clean skin. All the fat and meat are on the carcass, and no scoring from a knife, because I used my hands to peel it away.
The blood stains will dry and powder up and are easy to scrape clean.

It applys to all animals,



And with a good skin, you can make things;Clothing , sleeping bags,ect. ect.
We skin and tan about 50 good hides a year, and the late winter, spring hides get tossed.
Inside parkee

Outter Parkee




Sometimes, the Women can do the skinning and butchering better....

Like skinning a Seal, by pulling it out of its skin through its mouth,


And its what we were taught as kids, so we teach ours,


We even skin our Rabbits before gutting them, like pulling off a sock....the only fur left is on the feet.


This is all we leave behind, like those who hunted here before us.....dont forget the tounge!

 

[Smokey Joe]

Handsome pix!

Caribou--I'm down here in the Lower 48, not arctic. Was speaking on the assumption that the deer in question was the same. Have visited AK once, no further north than Denali. I'd be the last person in the world to suggest that the way that has worked for generations for you, in the Arctic, is not the way to go, in the Arctic.

Should I ever be privileged to visit yr part of the world, and even to hunt there, I'd certainly bow to your methods that work.

I will also eat muktuk with you, and promise not to grimace.

Nice pix--those are really lovely looking parkee (I always thought "parkas.") Not to mention the pretty young ladies inside them!

And the grocery meat you have, certainly says BTDT.

 

[caribou]

Ahhhh, SmokyJoe, thats why I like this Forum;

We get to exchange ideas , and learn from one another, and prehaps incorperate some new ideas into what were here for

I get some cool ideas from you "Southerners" often enough, that I retrun for more.
I think I do have an advantage (As in "Winter") to get my meats cooled...LOL!
Still, I do try to cool my meats ASAP, because even at -40, the body heat can spoil a fine cut, if not properly treated.Especcially between the rear legs. I split that down for cooling in all weather/temps.
I dont comment on alot of topics, but this is worth all the ideas everyone has put forth so far.
Keeping it legal is just as important, thats for sure.

"Parkee" is the Eskimo word, "Parka", the English version.....and the women in them ARE fine...even with frost bites.

The coffees on and the muktuk is cut, stop over any time.

 

[surjimmy]

Learn something new everyday. Thanks caribou.

 

[Pulsar]

Very cool Pixs
Thank you

oh if the meat turns green dont eat it

 

[Carlos Cabeza]

Great pics and suggestions Caribou !

I'm thinking it is WAY too hot down here !

I need to come up and cool down a bit !