How long can elk stay in a freezer?

[paxamus]

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


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[fishslap]

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


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How did you prepare it?

 

[paxamus]

How did you prepare it?

To eat? Like my other elk roasts. Salt, pepper and garlic all over and sear in a hot cast iron and then into the oven


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[butcherboy]

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


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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]

"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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

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]

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?

 

[NRA4LIFE]

We just ate the last pack of meat (I hope) from my 2016 moose. It was great!

 

[TheM1DoesMyTalking]

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.

 

[KyleR1985]

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.

 

[butcherboy]

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

Sounds like NM.

 

[butcherboy]

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]

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.