48 Hour Meat Care

[Coues106]

I'm going to be heading out to Nebraska in a few weeks with my brother to harvest 4 doe whitetail. Going to be hunting Saturday and Sunday, heading back after the Sunday night hunt. I'm looking for advice on how to keep the meat good should we be fortunate enough to take 1-2 Saturday morning and need the meat to keep until Sunday night. I don't have any coolers, and we will be camping out in the hills far away from any kind of civilization. My past experience has been western hunting where we usually only have 1 tag so the hunt ends with the harvest. Looking forward to learning. Thanks.

 

[butcherboy]

If it’s cold at
Night and cool during the day you can hang the deer with the hide off in a tree just fine. Keep it covered and in the shade. Other option is to bring coolers, quarter the deer, and cover with ice. Third option is to bring it to a processor and have them process it or see if they will just let you hang it for a few days. Be prepared to pay their daily hanging fee…

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I would invest in some coolers.

 

[Coues106]

If it’s cold at
Night and cool during the day you can hang the deer with the hide off in a tree just fine. Keep it covered and in the shade. Other option is to bring coolers, quarter the deer, and cover with ice. Third option is to bring it to a processor and have them process it or see if they will just let you hang it for a few days. Be prepared to pay their daily hanging fee…

What kind of temperatures are we talking about cool during the day? I'm expecting 50's tops as it's going to be central nebraska in the middle of november. And would I just cover it with a tarp?

 

[TxxAgg]

2 does will fit in 1 cooler. A half way decent cooler is under $100. Go buy a cooler and fill it full ice. When you kill a deer throw the meat in and prop one end up with the drain cracked so it can drain as the ice melts. Top off with ice Sunday night on the drive home.

 

[Tmac]

What kind of temperatures are we talking about cool during the day? I'm expecting 50's tops as it's going to be central nebraska in the middle of november. And would I just cover it with a tarp?

If cold at night, say under 40, and warm during the day, I’ve hung deer for a week. Even when the daily high was over 70. We’d put a game bag over it and leave it uncovered at night. Then before leaving to hunt the next morning cover it with a sleeping bag and duct tape it to basically form a soft cooler. Uncover it again a dusk. Only used a tarp to keep rain off if rain is predicted, then only like an awning, I wanted air flow as much as possible. A bit of a dance 2x a day, but really does not take long.

 

[WyoKid]

Hung in shade for air circulation works but keeping flies off it it warms up might be the bigger problem.

 

[packer58]

What kind of temperatures are we talking about cool during the day? I'm expecting 50's tops as it's going to be central nebraska in the middle of november. And would I just cover it with a tarp?

Your fine with those temps, skin and hang your deer as normal and keep in the shade if possible. Buy some cheap moving blankets or just roll up in tarps for the ride home. Heart and liver need to be kept real cold in order to last IMHO.

 

[HoytHntr4]

Hang it in the shade unless it gets about 50 is my general rule. Unless you’re flying there is no reason you shouldn’t have coolers with you in my opinion

 

[Hackleback]

Need cheap coolers, hit some garage sales. When you upgrade, they make great dry boxes for organizing camping gear. Plus they have handles so easy to move when camping. Freeze gallon water jugs to keep meat cold and dry.

 

[Jethro]

If you don’t have coolers, what do you put the meat in to drive home?

 

[IBen]

Hang at night, put in trash bag during the day and bury it. Repeat every night. Flies go to bed too. It will hold that night time temp all day. If no flies and 50 degrees you will be fine

 

[Ron.C]

I use these. Cheap 150 liter colemans (2 in the pic), very common to find then used. Have 3 (of various modles) and they work great. I make large ice blocks before a trip (6 blocks fill a cooler). Ice will last well enought to still have plenty for an elk after 2 weeks. Be able to easily fit 2 whitetail in each.(deer need to be quartered). My meat is inside game bags and ice gets put in plastic contractor bags before meat goes in. Keeps the meat dry. Ambient temps permitting, you want to let your game air cool as much as you can before sealing meat the cooler on ice or you will have wet meat.

 

[Jgriff]

Get an Igloo 150-Quart MaxCold Cooler for less than $100 at Sam's or Walmart or the like. Fill it with some block ice at the last stop of civilization and it will last for days.

 

[Jgriff]

Ron C....great minds think alike.

 

[slimC]

Interesting strategy going on a hunt without a cooler.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Bring two 120-qt coolers with 3-4 block ice squares per cooler and you'll be golden.