Freeze for now and process later?

Joined
Nov 13, 2014
Messages
2,421
Whole bone in quarters and a bag of loose meat all in game bags. Anyone done this and regretted it when the time to butcher came?
 
Joined
Sep 5, 2012
Messages
752
Location
Gypsum, CO
That’s what mines doing right now, except hanging in the shed, did it with a couple bears during Sept but they were in the actual freezer, just have to watch out for freezer burn,


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Joined
Aug 15, 2024
Messages
50
Never frozen in game bags always deboned and froze in 2.5 gallon ziplock. Only thing tough is planning for the time it takes to thaw. This is how I process a lot of my deer now as I simply don’t have the time I used to
 

NRA4LIFE

WKR
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
1,662
Location
washington
I've done this many times with whole quarters. I freeze all my loose grind meat every year and thaw to grind or make sausage later and then refreeze. Nothing wrong with this.
 

wyosam

WKR
Joined
Aug 5, 2019
Messages
1,290
I’ve had elk quarters freeze solid overnight a few times, bought them home and hung in the unheated garage for a while, then moved them to a room with a little heat (50ish) for a week or so then cut. No issues.


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Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
8,071
Location
S. UTAH
I freeze large cuts for later because I'm not always sure what I want it for. I can pull them out and make jerky, cut into cubes for dishes, put the whole thing in the crockpot, or grind.
 

NRA4LIFE

WKR
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
1,662
Location
washington
I’ve had elk quarters freeze solid overnight a few times, bought them home and hung in the unheated garage for a while, then moved them to a room with a little heat (50ish) for a week or so then cut. No issues.


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Yeah, I grew up hunting in Northern Wisconsin and almost every year we brought our deer home frozen solid. Left them in the basement for a couple days and then butchered them and into the freezer.
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
1,253
Location
Missoula, MT
I’ve done it in the past when life’s been busy. But I’ve also looked up in July and I’m still picking around the quarters. Everything processes fine but I’ve found it hard to get the motivation to finish the job. I try not to do it if i can avoid it.


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MarkOrtiz

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 24, 2022
Messages
228
Location
Minden, NV
We killed 5 whitetail in Tx and froze the quarters and extra meat to put in coolers and bring back on the plane with us to Nevada. I processed them after we got home. No issues at all.
 

Carlin59

WKR
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
436
Location
Colorado
I’ve found myself doing the “freeze whole quarters in game bags” more and more frequently the past few years. No ill effects, but it does hang over my head until it’s thawed and fully processed. Given the option, I’m more likely to process hind quarters fresh and freeze the fronts (since it will mostly go to grind anyway).
 
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