Warm season care for harvested game??

[Phishy]

What you southern folks do in the warm weather to keep you meat from spoiling. Usually buy the time i get around to shooting a deer, it's cool enough to hang 'em in the garage or outside. I have shot other deer in the warmer months, one year i cut it up right away, that was a mistake, i found the meat to be tough, normally what i do is quarter it up and place the quarters in the chest freezer over night, it typically doesn't freeze solid and i can cut it the next day, another year i had access to a refrigerated truck, just hung it up in the truck and processed the whole deer the next day. this year my option are limited, i still have the chest freezer, but space to butcher it is limited,

(side note, never move from a house with a giant garage to an apt. with only a one car garage, that's a different subject)

[mrjbigfoot]

Hey phishy, I'm like you, I like to hang them for a couple of days if I'm gonna butcher them myself but if it's real warm, I'll throw them in the bed of the truck wrapped up in a tarp with 5 or 6 bags of ice & take them to a processor that's near home where they bring in a refrigerated semi every year during the season. They get them skinned right away & hang them in the semi for a couple of days before they process.

[timhicks]

Here is how I do it.. I carry Ice in the cooler. I sgoot the deer or hog and get it gutted as quick as possible, Skin it and get it on ice. I then take it to local processer.It will hang in there in there cooler for a few days before butchering.. Hogs are a bit harder then deer,, they dont skin as easy and will hold the heat inside of them.. I have gutted a hog after skinning them 2 hours after I shot it its still like 120.. Hogs dont sweat so this makes it worse. Always carry ice and a big cooler..If it has a few beers in it ,it makes it better LOL Tim

[RodnGun]

I agree you have to do whatever you can to "age" the meat.....I want at least 3 days and prefer 5.

Once the deer is down it's "cooled down" with ice on the way to the check-in station. After check in....I use an insulated "blanket" that was used for cold weather camping in a pop-up camper....it would cover the canvas pull out end of the pop-up. With the body cavity stuffed with ice....the blanket is tied around the deer with more bags of ice. The whole thing is then wrapped in a tarp. Hanging in the shade in 70 degree weather it will not need ice for a couple of days. I undress it and re-pack with ice. Works great and never had a problem.

If it's 80's or above.....it's quartered and put in a the big marine boat coolers with blocks of ice. Kept well drained I can still get my 3-5 days of aging before butchering.

[MoBowman]

Lots of Black Pepper on the deer, prior to getting him to the processor, will help to keep the flies off. Use it liberially you can always wash it off later. Use it on any exposed meat and even down the nose before skinning it. Get him on ice as soon as possible.


MoBowman ```--------->