How long can elk stay in a freezer?

OP
P

paxamus

WKR
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Messages
381
Location
Alabama
I’m sorry but give me a break! I’m sorry you think you got the ole switcheroo but any meat when thawed is going to have liquid. I know I’ll get hate over this but oh well. I’ll pay you $1,000.00 to come eat off my plant floor.

Yes I know it sounds pathetic, but I’m new to elk but not hunting and meat- that package was way off from my others. Liquid don’t bother me and I love rare steaks but all you could taste was blood


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

fishslap

WKR
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
1,002
Location
Longmont, CO
Yes I know it sounds pathetic, but I’m new to elk but not hunting and meat- that package was way off from my others. Liquid don’t bother me and I love rare steaks but all you could taste was blood


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How did you prepare it?
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
1,267
Location
Kirtland, NM
Yes I know it sounds pathetic, but I’m new to elk but not hunting and meat- that package was way off from my others. Liquid don’t bother me and I love rare steaks but all you could taste was blood


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I wouldn’t say it sounds pathetic. You have definite concerns and questions. I just have issues with it always being the processor’s fault. Could be a lot of different things. I used to vacuum seal all the loose meat, put it into a bag and then hang it with bone in portion of the animal. It would stay that way for weeks. Nothing wrong with it but the meat would have a different smell than the dry aged meat and was bloodier. I would check the other packages of backstrap. If it’s still a concern then you can always talk to the processor but I’m pretty sure how that conversation will go.
 

EdP

WKR
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
1,405
Location
Southwest Va
"Big game and turkey tags must remain with the meat. They authorize possession and storage for one year from the last day of the hunt. To store or possess meat after this date, you must have a storage permit from the Department."
What is the source for this? To me it sounds like it applies to commercial storage prior to processing, not storage for use by a consumer after processing. In any case, who is going to get a search warrant to come look in your freezer for meat older than 1 yr?
 

Weldor

WKR
Joined
Apr 20, 2022
Messages
1,829
Location
z
Probably forever, it's dead. Sorry guy's could'nt help it. A little humor. I eat stuff like everyone else said. 3-4 yrs some older but not very often. We live on game meat, no store bought. It takes us about 2 years to go through the freezers while we re-stock once a year.
 

BBob

WKR
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Messages
4,425
Location
Southern AZ
I recently found some buried burger from a bull that’s going on 9 years old. Totally fine. We’ve had burgers and meatloaf out of it and I don’t think I can tell the difference from some newer at all.
 

mxgsfmdpx

WKR
Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
5,903
Location
Outside
We only eat wild game meat and steers raised by my cousins. We go through a whole lot of it these days with two growing boys.

In the past, my wife and I would regularly eat deer, elk, steer, pig, etc. that was more than 3 years old. These days if it’s on its 2nd year in the freezer it’s lasted a while.
 
Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
478
What is the source for this? To me it sounds like it applies to commercial storage prior to processing, not storage for use by a consumer after processing. In any case, who is going to get a search warrant to come look in your freezer for meat older than 1 yr?
Hey @EdP That was a cut-n-paste from the 2024 big game hunting rules from a particular state. I think it's kinda like the posession limit for fish or upland game. There is a process for getting a permit to keep processed game longer.

Definately not just for commercial storage prior to processing:
"Trophies taken to a taxidermist or carcasses taken to a meat processor must be accompanied by a properly notched carcass tag and antler/horn tag (if applicable), or a possession (donation) certificate. Keep your tags!"
 

fishslap

WKR
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
1,002
Location
Longmont, CO
Hey @EdP That was a cut-n-paste from the 2024 big game hunting rules from a particular state. I think it's kinda like the posession limit for fish or upland game. There is a process for getting a permit to keep processed game longer.

Definately not just for commercial storage prior to processing:
"Trophies taken to a taxidermist or carcasses taken to a meat processor must be accompanied by a properly notched carcass tag and antler/horn tag (if applicable), or a possession (donation) certificate. Keep your tags!"

Yea…that’s not the point of the OPs question. Also, what state?
 

TheM1DoesMyTalking

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 29, 2021
Messages
286
Last year in elk camp one of my friends brought some elk steaks that had been in his freezer for about 10 years. It tasted great! It seems like if it's handled well in the field, wrapped thoroughly to prevent freezer burn, and kept from ever thawing, meat can last a long time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EdP

KyleR1985

WKR
Joined
Jul 28, 2019
Messages
493
Oldest elk I’ve eaten was in freezer just shy of four years. Tasted like the day after I killed it.

Whitetail several years, more than 5 less than 8. Did a poor job labeling.

Not wild game, but I was gifted an “urban” friend’s chest freezer they bought and filled in 2019 because the world was going to end. Didn’t eat a single thing out of it. Moved and couldn’t take freezer so I picked it up. The only food I didn’t enjoy at least 90% as much as if it was very fresh was spinach. That shit didn’t hold up.

If in doubt, stick it in a pressure cooker. It’ll make a turd.
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
1,267
Location
Kirtland, NM
It states in NM’s regulations that you need to keep the carcass tag with your meat while in storage at your residence. If
Longer than 1 year then a storage permit is required. It’s a stupid rule and I’ve never heard of anyone getting a storage permit. The carcass tag should be enough if anything is required. Another example of a non hunter making game rules.
 

NRA4LIFE

WKR
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
1,652
Location
washington
My dad worked on the construction of a frozen meat facility way back when. And one of the guys overseeing it all told him that at a certain temperature and humidity, the hanging beef could be stored indefinitely.
 
Top