Bone-in or Boneless?

[PantherCity]

Ive reached a personal compromise by deboning the front shoulders and leaving the hinds bone in.

I think that's a good compromise. I like to cook shanks and necks on the bone though, Deer shoulders get ground and rear quarters get aged and french seam butchered into sub primal cuts for steaks or roasts. Tenders rarely make it into the freezer.

 

[Becca]

I never debone in the field unless we absolutely have to. ESP if I hope to do anything with the meat besides make hamburger. Way too much contamination/meat loss when you get home. And bone in quarters are much easier to hang/maneuver and even carry.

Not specifically talking elk (since i’ve never killed one). But for moose, caribou, black tail deer we absolutely leave the bones in. Mountain goats I have occasionally been persuaded to debone (bc we grind them all) and I have always regretted it. Way too easy to get moss, leaves, dirt and junk on the meat, and so much harder to clean up when you get home.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’ve only ever boned out one animal in the field (a sheep about 10 years ago), and after that hunt I decided that it was much easier, all the way around, to leave the bone in.


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[BradNSW]

Keep the bones in. Little more weight but easier handling. Meat tastes better on the bone. Rotty loves bones. Less bugs/dirt/contamination. Wife would say make it all burger if I brought it out w/o bones...can only eat so much burger!

 

[Firehole Hunter]

WOW!!!! I never expected so much information on this subject. I really appreciated all of the insight from everyone and loved the scientific analysis regarding cold shortening. I have always tried to make as much steaks as possible when butchering deer and of course would age the meat to help break down the connective tissues in making the steaks more tender, but have never heard about cold shortening. It makes sense from what I know about how meat acts. I guess I just won't automatically go boneless. Once again thanks and I hope to get the opportunity to make the call to go boneless or bone-in on a big bull this fall.

 

[Brendan]

So, here's some advice contrary to the "Bone In". Take it with a grain of salt - we're talking about a couple Elk and deer for me because I'm mostly out east. And, as above, I do prefer to leave all my deer whole and process at home...

I have not had trouble packing boned out meat with it slumping to the bottom of the pack, or acting like Jello. Anyone who has is doing it wrong. Get some Tag BOMB bags from Larry Bartlett.

I haven't lost any extra meat I've packed out due to spoilage, drying, dirt, etc. I've shot an Elk and still been processing it 10-14 days later on the other side of the country, then been eating it out of the freezer two years after that. Yes, you do need to take extra care in the field when you de-bone, but I lay the quarter down, cut pieces off the bone and they go directly in a game bag. Longest I've hung meat in game bags is a day though before they're bagged and submerged in ice.

I've only killed Elk by myself, so the extra weight is significant. Also, it fits better in the cooler deboned than it does with a big quarter. Everything for my trip needs to fit in my pickup under the cap, so cooler space is at a premium - "Size matters"

Lastly - if I kill an Elk in a state where CWD has been detected, it's Illegal for me to bring bones back home with me. Boned out meat and clean skull caps only.

Honest answer for me traveling all the way across country to hunt Elk - I don't know if I'll ever keep bone in, even though that's what I prefer with whitetail around home.

 

[jhm2023]

I haven't lost any extra meat I've packed out due to spoilage, drying, dirt, etc. I've shot an Elk and still been processing it 10-14 days later on the other side of the country, then been eating it out of the freezer two years after that. Yes, you do need to take extra care in the field when you de-bone, but I lay the quarter down, cut pieces off the bone and they go directly in a game bag. Longest I've hung meat in game bags is a day though before they're bagged and submerged in ice.


Not the most substantial advice considering you've never had meat hang in bags for more than a day before it goes into ice. For a backcountry hunt where a cooler just isn't an option its best to leave the bone in. Give both bone in and bone out a try when you have no option but hang it in a tree or lay it on a pallet of sticks then you will see the difference everyone is talking about. I'm not knocking bone out because I do that too sometimes, but its not the better option. One thing I try to do especially if I bone out meat is place game bags in a large roll top dry bag and submerge it in a cold creek or river to cool the meat for a bit. It doesn't stay there long though because I want to get it dry.

 

[Brendan]

I haven't lost any extra meat I've packed out due to spoilage, drying, dirt, etc. I've shot an Elk and still been processing it 10-14 days later on the other side of the country, then been eating it out of the freezer two years after that. Yes, you do need to take extra care in the field when you de-bone, but I lay the quarter down, cut pieces off the bone and they go directly in a game bag. Longest I've hung meat in game bags is a day though before they're bagged and submerged in ice.


Not the most substantial advice considering you've never had meat hang in bags for more than a day before it goes into ice. For a backcountry hunt where a cooler just isn't an option its best to leave the bone in. Give both bone in and bone out a try when you have no option but hang it in a tree or lay it on a pallet of sticks then you will see the difference everyone is talking about. I'm not knocking bone out because I do that too sometimes, but its not the better option. One thing I try to do especially if I bone out meat is place game bags in a large roll top dry bag and submerge it in a cold creek or river to cool the meat for a bit. It doesn't stay there long though because I want to get it dry.

So, if I was hanging around in the backcountry after getting an Elk down, I'd agree with you. I'd leave it on the bone until I was ready to pack up and head out, and then debone it and head out. But, longest I've had to get out was 6 miles, and first order of business was getting the Elk from the backcountry to the cooler - not staying back there to hunt for me. I don't think there's any place I've considered hunting in the lower 48 where that wouldn't be the case.

I gave my reasons for "Bone in" earlier in the thread, but being that I legally and logistically have have it off the bone before I leave anyways, it gets done in the field. In my case, it is the better option.

 

[jhm2023]

How do you package it in the cooler and do you have issues with the meat turning grey? When a cooler is optional for me (rare) I try to use dry ice to avoid soaking in cooler juice and turning the meat grey.

 

[Brendan]

How do you package it in the cooler and do you have issues with the meat turning grey? When a cooler is optional for me (rare) I try to use dry ice to avoid soaking in cooler juice and turning the meat grey.

This is essentially what I do with all my whitetail too, because usually it ends up too warm to hang them more than 24-48 hours. So they're in a cooler too while it takes me 7-10 days to get them processed / wrapped / frozen. So, it's worked on probably 20+ animals for me. Ideal scenario I'd have the whole animal or large pieces of meat in a walk in cooler, just not logistically possible

Let meat dry as much has possible to get the blood out. Get it to the truck - game bags go into trash bags, double bagged and knotted so they're air/water tight and are not soaking in cooler water. Trash bags go into the cooler and get completely covered in ice / ice water for the trip home.

Get home - get the meat out, drain off all blood, pat dry with paper towels, initial cleaning of dirt / whatever. Repackage meat in large ziplocs or larger trash bags, force out as much air as you can and seal them again, back in the cooler covered in ice, again - air/water tight.

For processing - I pull out a bag at a time, clean, trim, process freeze until I work through the whole animal. I have not once lost any meat due to spoilage, and the Elk I've shot aren't too far off the tenderness of a 2.5 year old whitetail (No, they weren't mature bulls....). Longest it's been is two weeks on ice using this method before freezing.

Everyone always says "Avoid moisture at all costs" - but it hasn't mattered for me as long as I get the meat to 32 degrees and keep it there, and periodically drain off the blood, and keep them from soaking in water.

 

[Boxerboxer]

How do you package it in the cooler and do you have issues with the meat turning grey? When a cooler is optional for me (rare) I try to use dry ice to avoid soaking in cooler juice and turning the meat grey.

I've had meat in the cooler for 3-4 days and found that as long a I drain it periodically and keep meat on top of ice I don't have any problems. I haven't tried ice in plastic bottles or jugs but that's another option where you would never get water on the meat.


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[Toyoland66]

I buy a couple cases of cheap bottled water in the 1/2 liter bottles and freeze those.

 

[RallySquirrel]

With all due respect to Larry and the great gear he makes, unless your TAG bag is still in the box, it is not going to add any rigidity to a boneless piece of meat. In my experience, lashing the meat to my EXO frame is only one of the possible issues. Getting the meat in a position so that it does not fold up onto itself is the bigger issue. IF you are hunting in a way that does not allow you to get the meat in a cooler withing 24 hours (or sooner depending on the tempratures), you must take extra care to get adequate ventilation around it. This CAN be easier with the bone in as it is easier to hang it that way.

You are always going to have some amount of meat that is boneless if you are doing whats right and picking all available edible pieces from the carcass... can't get around that.

I have not had trouble packing boned out meat with it slumping to the bottom of the pack, or acting like Jello. Anyone who has is doing it wrong. Get some Tag BOMB bags from Larry Bartlett.

 

[Bulldawg]

He never complained about the weight so I hadn't thought about it.




But in all reality, I used to debone, and to me it packs easier because you can get it into your pack easier then strap the bad boy down and it won't move. I don't know for a couple reasons, it's way easier to pack on horses with the bones in, and I like cooking some meat on the bones and that's hard to do if you leave the bones in the woods.

 

[AK Troutbum]

He never complained about the weight so I hadn't thought about it.





That’s what I need!!!


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[Brendan]

With all due respect to Larry and the great gear he makes, unless your TAG bag is still in the box, it is not going to add any rigidity to a boneless piece of meat. In my experience, lashing the meat to my EXO frame is only one of the possible issues. Getting the meat in a position so that it does not fold up onto itself is the bigger issue.

So, assuming you're talking about the Tag BOMB bags and not the normal Tag bags (Yes, that matters) I have to disagree with you here. I have had zero problems with them keeping meat in a rigid enough cylinder to pack out without folding up on itself. Sounds more like an issue with your frame/pack or how it's lashed to me.

 

[mfllood3800]

It's all about time, temp and travel distance out of mountains for me. I don't get to decide, the scenario decides for me and I just obey what nature sends me. When you're solo, you learn to do what ever is best and required for that situation.