# Meat and Warm Weather



## oucat (Aug 18, 2005)

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I was not able to locate a thread on the topic. I normally pass on does until the weather gets a little cooler, but this year I am thinking about shooting a doe or two as soon as I have the opportunity.

I am wondering how people care for the meat after they shoot a deer in warm weather? I normally try to butcher the deer myself and want to avoid waste. I am thinking I would skin and quarter the animal asap and put it on ice. 

Any thoughts or advice?


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## jackal_727 (Feb 16, 2010)

I feel similar to the way you do and this is why for years i never hunted evenings till the weather broke. When you had to check deer in before they were skinned quartered and butchered i found many times when it was just to late to find an open check station in my area with sunset being after 8. This year will be nice with the option of checking them in online or over the phone. 

As far as cleaning them, if your doing this at a camp, public land or somewhere not close to home, your best bet would be to quarter the meat and put on ice, just as you said. If your hunting land near your home, you should have plenty of time to dress, and butcher your deer without spoiling the meat.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I bone the deer ASAP and get it in a cooler on ice. I put it in bags and place it in the cooler on top of plenty of ice. The bags keep it from drawing soaking in water. If the cooler is kept covered well you can wait for a while to finish up the meat as long as you have ice in the cooler.

The largest risk you have in the early season is not recovering a deer in a timely manner after shooting it.

I have not bought any tags yet for this year as I usually do landowner's tags but I thought that call-in system was not going in place until next year.


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

A few years ago I was hunting at my buddy's place in West Virginia. We each shot a buck the first day but the only problem was it was 70 degrees that afternoon. WE took them and checked them in right away and then I went into town and bought two large plastic trash cans and about eight or ten bags of ice.
After skinning them and quartering them we placed the quarters in large plastic trash bags and placed them in the trash cans in the ice. THis worked great. That night a cold front came through and the unusually warm weather was gone. The meat was fine thanks to doing this.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I can usually have it all of the bone within about an hour or so. I like doing it that way as opposed to leaving it quartered just a preference on my part. I figure it is work that I am going to need to do anyway and getting it in smaller bags and having the bone out of the way the meat cools down quicker.


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## lil goose (Oct 16, 2009)

jackal_727 said:


> I feel similar to the way you do and this is why for years i never hunted evenings till the weather broke. When you had to check deer in before they were skinned quartered and butchered i found many times when it was just to late to find an open check station in my area with sunset being after 8. This year will be nice with the option of checking them in online or over the phone.
> 
> As far as cleaning them, if your doing this at a camp, public land or somewhere not close to home, your best bet would be to quarter the meat and put on ice, just as you said. If your hunting land near your home, you should have plenty of time to dress, and butcher your deer without spoiling the meat.


Check your 2010-2011 hunting regs. the on line and call in doesn't take effect until next year! Just dont want to see anyone get in trouble but i am looking forward to the change! To keep a deer cold in warm weather i always have stuffed the with bags of ice then tie the chest cavity closed this will work for a while i learned in west va. rifle season got real warm and we had deer on the meat pole but getting them cut-up and in a cooler asap is the way to go if you have time!


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## big_mike (Aug 2, 2006)

The call in system will not work until next year.


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## oucat (Aug 18, 2005)

Thanks for the responses. I'm glad we have a consensus. Good luck this season!


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

oucat are you in Athens? If so and you get in a bind you can use my walk in cooler. It's 8X10 plenty of room. 

Don't forget if it's hot out and you can't get the deer checked in that eve. you best not cut it up. I learned that the hard way years ago


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## oucat (Aug 18, 2005)

Bobk, thanks for the offer but I am not in Athens these days. I should change my profile. I didnt even think about the not being able to check it in at night issue. 

I know ignorance of the law is no excuse, but if your trying to do the right thing...there should be exceptions... I guess that's a whole different story...


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

i butcher my own and im still alive.lol. ill kill it, gut it, get it home, hang it in the garage, skin it, all in the sameday. get up the next morning and process it. if its cooler out i might even wait till afternoon. its been working for me for years. if you dont leave it in direct sunlight for hours on end, i dont think its hot enough to bother worring about. IMO


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

bobk said:


> Don't forget if it's hot out and you can't get the deer checked in that eve. you best not cut it up. I learned that the hard way years ago


That does really stink and I was in a bind a few years ago for the same reason. I could not find a place open and it was warm out. Luckily we found a place almost half an hour away. Afterward I did manage to touch base with the local sporting goods store owner. I knew him pretty well and he told me that if I ran in to that situation in the future to call him at home. He kept the info at home with him so that he could check them in after hours. I just mention that in case anyone else has a checking station that they have a good enough relationship with the owner to do the same thing with. It is only something that you need to be concerned with for this year as next year does away with that.

I am really looking forward to that call-in system. It means I will have a deer on ice before I would have been back from the station getting it checked in.


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## General (Oct 28, 2009)

When I shoot deer and its hot I have always bought 3 7lbs of ice. Leave the skin and hair on it because it will actually keep it cooler. Place the bags inside the deer cavity, tie it shut, and wrap it in plastic. You can hang it over night or for a few hours like this before you have a chance to quarter it. You'll be surprised how well the deers body will cool down and keep ice frozen.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

I like to jam the chest cavity with ice cubes using a 2x4 as a ram. Fill the cavity full and place a bag of ice in the lower abdoman and a bag of ice between the hind legs and front legs. Wrap the whole carcass (except the lower legs and the actual head with a cheap,clean blue tarp. Bind with duct tape. allow an end to open a little every hour or so to drain the ice water. Keep the carcass in the shade as much as possible. Untape and replace ice as needed. This works fine with the skin and fur on the deer.


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## jackal_727 (Feb 16, 2010)

lil goose said:


> Check your 2010-2011 hunting regs. the on line and call in doesn't take effect until next year!


Good call! I totally misread that! I was reading my 2010-2011 regs booklet and just assumed that it was in effect since it was in there. I guess i should have read a little slower. Thanks for the heads up.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

One of the problems with ice in the cavity is that water is not good for the preserving process and makes bacteria growth more viable. As the bags melt you will inevitably have water draining down the meat. It is a better option than no ice at all because the temperature alone is worse but getting it cut up and in a cooler or to a walk-in cooler is by far a better option. My take on it is that I am going to cut and bone the meat at some point anyway. Why go to all the bother to pack it and wrap it in ice and then bone later? It is just extra work. If you don't have the time to do the entire boning process I would still suggest that if you can do it you should quarter it and place in coolers. That cavity filled with ice will keep the torso cold but it does not do a great job on the limbs and neck. Air temperatures in the 60's and above are a lot to overcome.

I have eaten plenty of meat from deer that had the chest cavity iced and I lived so I am not implying that it can not be done. I just personally feel better about the meat when I get it cooled down ASAP.


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

I take a 20 lb bag of ice, double wrapped in a trash bag to prevent water from getting on the meat, and place in the chest cavity ASAP. After checking, I skin it immediately and quarter it, then I hang the quarters in my barn fridge. I have an old rack/shelf from a 50's or 60's era fridge that fits on the top runners & is heavy enough to support the weight. I can leave it hang & age as long as I want & this has worked great for many years.
T


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## Shed Hunter 365 (Dec 3, 2007)

I do the same as you guys w/ the ice. Wonder how they do it down in the southern states.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Jigging Jim said:


> Deer have fur?


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

i have a 120 quart cooler i use for my walleye and it works GREAT for deer. ive shot plenty of early season deer and have never had any problems with meat spoiling with the way i do it. no need to absolutely rush, but dress and check the deer in a timely matter. the check station i go to is a gas station thats open til either 10 or 11 at night so im not pressed for time even if i get one at last light. take a few pictures either at home or in the field and once checked i hang, skin, and quarter the deer right away. i put the quarters in trash bags on ice and because its 120 quarts i can easily fit an entire deer worth of meat in there and let it cool for 3-4 days no worries, but to make absolute sure i have enough room its a tradition of mine to grill a piece of backstrap IMMEDIATELY for myself and anyone who helps butcher after carving it from the deer  after the meat is cooled just butcher as you normally would.


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## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

I remedied this problem about 2 years ago by looking around on Craigslist or e-bay for an older but operational refrigerator. I stripped all of the shelving and drawers out of it. I then fastened a rack made of 1x4's and 1 1/4 oak dowel rods to the inside. I set it about 3 inches from the top of the inside of the refrigerator section. I then made some meat hooks from some 3/16 steel round stock. I use this setup all season long. After tagging in my deer I will skin and quarter it and hang the quarters on the meat hooks and then hang the hooks on the oak dowels inside the refrigerator. I turn the temp setting down to 2 and fastened a small thermometer to the inside wall of the refrigerator I keep the temp between 36 and 38 degrees. I have had 4 deer quartered and hung inside this refrigerator at one time with room for at least one more. I usually let the quarters hang for 48 hours to age before butchering at 36 to 38 degrees it won't freeze the meat but it will keep it cold enough that it won't go bad. I'll try and get some pics of my setup for you guys.


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