Hot September hunts

[matthew7!!]

What does everyone one do to take care of there meat in the hot September hunts when backpacking


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[Mykolaivka887]

I leave it on the bone, hide off, and hang it in a cool, shady, airy spot.

 

[Rwplummer]

Great question, I am following to see what others do. In the past I have tried to skin and bone out as quickly as possible and hang in heavy shade if possible

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I have tried to skin and bone out as quickly as possible .....

I never bone anything until I get to the place that I'm going to cut, wrap, freeze it, and then store it for however long.

 

[TradLife406]

Bone it out and game bag it. Submerge it in a creek. Or hang it along a creek above the water. Where I hunt there's a lot of running water.
Hanging doesn't really work because the trees are junk. Standing dead trees to the branches won't support any weight.

 

[Northpark]

Hide off immediately. Then for elk I debone. For deer I leave one the bone. Either way. Get it in good game bags that the flies can’t get into and hang in a shady breezy spot.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

You don't necessarily need trees or a tarp in order to suspend game meat in a shaded location. Just saying ......

 

[RockyMnt Hunter]

I quick quarter all of my elk. I put the quarters into game bags (bone in, hide on) as I remove them from the carcass. For the last 10 years I have sprayed the exposed meat with citric acid. I try to find some deadfall in the shade and lay the quarters across two logs so that there is good airflow around the meat. If necessary, I'll cut a few green pine boughs to cover the meat for shade. The key is getting the quarters off of the carcass quickly and getting good airflow around the quarters once they're off.

 

[Tjdeerslayer37]

I quick quarter all of my elk. I put the quarters into game bags (bone in, hide on) as I remove them from the carcass. For the last 10 years I have sprayed the exposed meat with citric acid. I try to find some deadfall in the shade and lay the quarters across two logs so that there is good airflow around the meat. If necessary, I'll cut a few green pine boughs to cover the meat for shade. The key is getting the quarters off of the carcass quickly and getting good airflow around the quarters once they're off.

excuse my ignorance, what are you gaining with the citric acid?

 

[RockyMnt Hunter]

The citric acid is supposed to kill bacteria, promote the formation of a hard crust or rind on the exposed meat, and it helps to keep flies off the meat. I learned about it when I hunted in Alaska years ago.

 

[Tjdeerslayer37]

The citric acid is supposed to kill bacteria, promote the formation of a hard crust or rind on the exposed meat, and it helps to keep flies off the meat. I learned about it when I hunted in Alaska years ago.

roger that, thanks!

 

[wapitibob]

I leave it on the bone, hide off, and hang it in a cool, shady, airy spot.

and I open the hindquarters along a muscle seam to get some air close to the bone

 

[WCB]

Debone or not.....IMO that is personal. I bone everything and get into game bags and into the shade ASAP. Even simple areas like under/in sage brush. I've built little rock ledges and laid meat under them out of the sun etc. If possible hang them next to a creek or in a low area as they tend to cool down faster and stay cooler longer.

If you are in a spot where shade is not right around your kill site a nylon tarp is great to pop up and make a makeshift shade spot for you and the meat.

 

[Ron.C]

and I open the hindquarters along a muscle seam to get some air close to the bone

I do the same. Exposes more surface to promote cooling of those big muscle groups

 

[tmoz]

At what temperature (highs/lows) do you shift from hanging quarters in the shade to deboning, river soaks, etc?

 

[highcountrymuley]

if you don't debone the rear quarters especially will hold a lot of heat in there.
that being said, it is surprising how much meat cools in september in the shade. while quartering a buck in the shade, meat feels much cooler by the time you are done. just quarter and hang with airflow as you go. i would definitely split a rear quarter down to the bone if i wasn't going to debone, especially on an elk.