What do you guys do with your deer when you shoot it in this warm weather? I was thinking of this as it has been pretty warm here the last two days. If I shot a deer in the evening I would skin it right away but I couldn't start cutting it up until the next evening when I got off work. Any ideas? What do you warm weather hunters do? Thanks

I gut and skin the deer, then strip off the shoulders whole, remove the backstraps, remove the hams whole at the ball joint (cut off shanks too), get the tenderloins, and trim as much of the carcass meat I can.

All this goes into a big ice chest and I put a couple of bags of ice on it. It will buy you up to two days. I also sometimes use 2 and 3 liter soda bottles of water that I freeze prior to the hunt - keeps the meat from getting that 'water logged' look.

As for the water logging.... it doesn't seem to affect the meat much. I guess a rack in the bottom of the cooler would keep the meat mostly out of the melted ice, but I haven't needed that yet.

Just make sure you keep ice on it and drain the water as it accumulates.

I cut it into pieces and bag it up (new garbage bags work great) and leave it in the fridge for a week to ten days. Skin it and leave as much meat as possible on the bone.

I had the same problem before I retired. Now I just butcher right away. Only thing to watch is to never let meat touch meat in the cooler or fridge. Leave air space or ice around it or it will turn black quick if the heat can't get out. It is better to hang it in an airy, shady spot with a fly bag over the meat then to stack it in a cooler. You have to get the body heat out first. I know guys that pack the cavity with bags of ice but that still doesn't absorb heat from the best meat, air works better. Get the skin off, cover the meat so flies can't blow it and let it hang.

I neglected to arrange for my friend's walk-in cooler - that's obviously best.

I used an extra fridge in the garage. Quartered as above, then laid it out on racks. I'll age it that way this time.

But I got the key to the walk-in for next time.

A walk in is great and putting the meat on racks is OK. Just don't touch meat to meat.

Chain,

Hunting here in the South definitely means warm weather. Sunday it hit the mid 90s and I was really questioning myself when I was soaking wet walking through the woods w/ a climber strapped to my back. I usually hate to miss the season opener but, this heat has got to give alittle before I hit the woods again.

To the topic, We kill a good many animals around here in hot/warm weather and the best practice we've found is to get the animal out of the woods and to the skinning rack as soon as possible. I usually do not gut animals when it's warm out and I'm close to camp. We Hang them by the neck, pull off the skin, cut off the feet, cut off the shoulders, cut off the hams at the ball joints, cut out the back straps, cut off the neck meat, and hull out any other little pieces of meat that look like they'll do for burger. The guts stay contained in the carcass and the you just dispose of the hide carcass and feet.

I put all of the meat in an ice chest, pour about 1/2 a cup of salt on it, fill w/ water and a couple of bags of ice and let it soak. every day drain the water off and add more water ice and salt for about 2-4 days. The salt water pulls the blood from the meat well.

Been doing it that way for years and the meat never gets a gamey flavor.


Good Luck

Reloader

That sounds like a good idea, I have heard that salting red meat makes it tough? Any experience pro or con on that? My son is visiting in Biloxi, he says it is hot. When I got off work last night at 1700 hrs it was 72 , not bad to you southern boys buthotter than hell to us yankees

To keep flies and yellow jackets off of the carcass use black pepper sprinkle it over the deer.

Yeah Man, I wish it was 72 here. It's over 90

Haven't heard it makes it tough though I have most of mine tenderized and the rest into burger w/ beef fat added. Also get some darn fine smoked links made as well.

The only deer that I don't get tenderized is the young ones. I usually take a young doe or two and just keep the hams and shoulders whole for a roast. Those little hams are good smoked as well. Haven't noticed any ill effects from the salt water. May be different if it was salt and no water, don't know for sure.

Have a Good One

Reloader

It is supposed to be in the 20's tonight, I think I am going to take a meat doe. That will take the pressure off for the real hunting.

Reloader,

Please oh please tell me you are not throwing away the tenderloins.... you should gut em just to get the 'tenders' if nothing else.

Amen to Big-Ed's post!

Friday evening should be good hunting according to the Solunar calendar, with Saturday 12:30 to 2:30 being excellent, and sunset being very good again.

Let's be careful out there!

Well I didn't go out Fri nite. Couldn't hunt the stand I wanted to, wind wrong direction, worked late, couldn't get to option #2 in time.

All:

When I first started serious deer hunting, I picked up a video on butchering, taped by a butcher in Ohio. His advice regarding hot weather was to field dress the deer as soon as possible, prop the chest cavity open until you get it home. Fill the chest and abdominal cavity with bags of ice and close the skin around it. He said that the same skin that kept the animal warm when it was alive would keep it cold with the ice inside....and he was exactly correct. I've killed many deer here in TN, hung them for 2-3 days in 70+ weather, outside, and when I skinned the deer, the meat was as cold as if I'd hung it in a meat locker. Try it....

MKane160

The most important thing is to get rid of the body heat as fast as possible. Ice in the cavity works fine if the deer is hung. Hanging it in the shade and in a breeze is the best thing. If you butcher right away and put large chunks like the hams in the fridge and they are piled up in say, the crisper, before the body heat is gone, they will rot. If you hang the hams and get them cool, they will be OK. I hang my deer in the garage, skin it and let a fan blow on it while I cut it into large pieces. Then I make sure they are cooled down. Do whatever you have to do to get the body heat out of all the meat. That is the most dangerous thing. Then a little warm weather will not hurt the meat.

quote:

Reloader,

Please oh please tell me you are not throwing away the tenderloins.... you should gut em just to get the 'tenders' if nothing else.

Ed, Sad to say but yes, if I don't gut them I don't get the loins But, I hardly ever don't gut a deer. If it is hot(90+) out and I can't get them to the skinning rack quickly, I'll leave the guts in. There's just something about the loins sitting on the guts for a while in hot weather that makes me not want them. I do get the neck, hams, shoulders, back straps, and scraps though.

Reloader

I've got a couple stories for ya about wasting meat.

Went out to Alabama several years ago to hunt whitetails. When the guys killed a deer they hung them up, pulled the hide down to the shoulders, only cut out the back straps and the two hams, and threw the rest of the deer away .

Also know some guys that did deer thinning for a ranch in Texas and all they did was get the back straps and leave the whole deer for the 'yotes.

Some people just waste good meat.

Reloader

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:

Also know some guys that did deer thinning for a ranch in Texas and all they did was get the back straps and leave the whole deer for the 'yotes.

Some people just waste good meat.

Reloader

Well, I can say that I know of at least two game wardens that would skin those guys for that.

If you are 'thining' does for management, you have to have a tag or permit and the meat must be cared for. If it is a crop destruction action, then you have to either 'leave them lay' or call a game warden to get them.

I may be wrong, but that don't mean it ain't RIGHT

I'm not bashing you, Reloader, about the tenderloins. If you take a deer into the processor, you wont get them either.

Back to the topick at hand. If you get the deer skinned, it only takes a few minutes to remove the back-straps, tenderloins and neck roast. Get those in the fridge or cooler under ice and they will keep fine for a day.

Get the rest of the deer quartered. You can wrap the quarters with a plastic painters drop (ACE has 9' x 12' plastic drops for a couple bucks). Place them in a large cooler, cardboard box, wash tub or other means of containment. Since you are in Michigan head over to Meijer Thrifty Acres and get some dry ice (WEAR GLOVES!!!) to place on top of the quarters (they are open 24 hrs). Your meat will be fine for a day or two.

If it is a nice buck and you want to mount it you must protect the cape. If you know how, remove the cape from the skull and freeze it. Even better, get it to your taxidermist that evening.