Meat hauling question

[TTT]

How do you keep your pack, frame, and your back from getting blood-stained when hauling out? It seems counterintuitive to go through the trouble of putting the quarters/meat in an expensive game bag to allow cooling and moisture control then put the whole thing in a plastic bag to pack it out. I’ll be using Mystery Ranch packs with the load shelf.

 

[RJC]

I agree with you completely about putting it in a trash bag or dry sack but don't have any info to back it up, it just doesn't make sense why you would not let it breathe. I'm interested to see what other guys have to say.

I was always under the impression that you put it in a game bag and clean the blood off after the hunt but I've only packed meat out on a shelf, not inside the actual backpack.

 

[farmer14]

Stone glacier meat bag. It’s essentially a dry bag. Your meat will cool while in there, just leave the top open to let it vent. The most important part is getting that meat off the hide and hung in the shade. Done it a dozen times, never had meat go bad

 

[mad_angler]

Meat is not readily that bloody. The game bags get some blood on them. Your pack gets a little blood on it. But you don't get any blood on you or your back.

Just clean your pack after the hunt. Cold water will remove nearly all of it.

If your pack out is short, you could put it in a dry bag or garbage bag. But I've never felt the need.

A little blood on your pack is almost like a medal or trophy...

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[Youngbuck86]

I wouldn't put any of my meat in anything that would be water proof. I'm AZ I do everything I can to keep the meat cool. I've had to take a shower with my packs more than once after hauling meat to clean them.

 

[Bighorner]

I don't take anyone seriously that does't have a few blood stains on their pack. They are tools to be used. I could not imagine putting meat in a garbage back.

 

[Wilderlife]

This can depend on a lot of things, like weather, cleanliness of the conditions, etc.

I've killed animals in our summer down here and put their meat in a plastic bag and hiked it out, only to get it in a breathable bag and on ice after a few hours. It's been fine. I've also killed animals in cold enough environments to hand the quarters with the skin on and let them cool down for a few days and then put them in meat bags like that and packed them out.

My preference will always be for putting meat in a breathable bag, and for this reason, I prefer packing out meat in bags that have a meat shelf, so you can keep it separate to the rest of your stuff. I have packed meat out in a bag without a meat shelf plenty of times, too, and I used heavy duty plastic bags for this purpose. The meat had already cooled down overnight in these instances so there wasn't a huge issue needing to let it breathe.

I understand the implications over there with not wanting meat to spoil and all that, but it's not as complicated as it's made out to be. If putting the meat in a plastic bag is something you decide to do, because you value cleanliness over breath ability, then go for it. Just make sure you get it cool as fast as possible once you get to where you're packing.

Having said all that, a bit of blood on your bag and on you is not the end of the world. Hell, even a bit of blood on most of your gear isn't the end of the world. When I make decisions about packing meat out, it is entirely to do with how cool the meat is, how cool the conditions are, and how dirty things are likely to get in terms of dirt, leaves, etc. Getting blood somewhere is never in my thoughts.

 

[TTT]

I always seem to get a bit of blood on the hindquarters & tenderloins, not to mention the ribs. I’m looking to avoid getting any blood at all on the pack or me since I’ll have to help bone & pack out an elk before I get to hunt for myself this next trip.

I was thinking about fashioning up Dyneema sheets or similar, sandwiching the game bag in the load shelf between the bag & frame.

 

[manitou1]

My pack sports blood stains, but they never really get through to my back. After the hunt, I soak the pack in a soap solution in a big cooler. Some stains on my frame fabric never come out 100%. Don't care though. A reminder of past successes.

 

[trophyhill]

I love it when my pack gets bloody. Means I'll be eating good. Packs clean up afterwards....

 

[Cahunter805]

I normally put it in game bags and into my pack or load sling. Wash your pack once your at home or once done hauling meat.
If your worried about blood in your pack bag you could put a unopened trash bag in the bottom and set the game bag on top of it or between your bag and frame if using a meat shelf/load sling. Even a small towel in the bottom of your pack would probably soak up most of it.

 

[TTT]

Bloody gear would not be problematic if my hunt ended then.
I’m concerned with starting my own hunt with a bloody pack.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Once you get a few kills under your belt and break down a dozen animals and pack them out you'll realize that the fear of a 100 gallons of blood dripping all over you is horse shit. There isnt that much blood to deal with on a quartered or boned out animal really. What little gets on your pack is washed out easily with a hose or in your bathtub. With that said, if youre really worried dry sacks or trash bags would be ok depending on how the conditions of your hunt and timing to the cooler. Some people submerge meat in garbage bags into the creek/river to cool down and claim it works fine.

 

[Marble]

Pl

How do you keep your pack, frame, and your back from getting blood-stained when hauling out? It seems counterintuitive to go through the trouble of putting the quarters/meat in an expensive game bag to allow cooling and moisture control then put the whole thing in a plastic bag to pack it out. I’ll be using Mystery Ranch packs with the load shelf.

Plastic has zero negative affect on hauling the meat out. It will keep blood off the pack. But I've never cared if blood was in the pack or not. I sometimes will clean afterwards if its bad enough.

Typically if you hang a bag overnight and there is just a little wind and it's cool, the bag wont give off much blood. If its fresh then it will be a little bloody.

 

[Wilderlife]

Bloody gear would not be problematic if my hunt ended then.
I’m concerned with starting my own hunt with a bloody pack.

Because of the smell attracting predators?

If you're that worried, just carry some kind of spray in your vehicle and go over your bag a little bit?

 

[Life_Feeds_On_Life]

If you let the meat cool sufficiently putting it in a plastic bag will be no problem. Otherwise the blood washes out easy enough.

 

[Fatcamp]

I put meat in game bags then game bags inside a large contractor bag. Not so worried about my pack as all the stuff in it I don't want covered in blood.

I'm not hunting a day from the road, talking about an hour or two tops and it is usually cool out.

 

[TradLife406]

I use the big OR dry bag that Kifaru sells. Works perfectly!

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[gil_wy]

Nothing that a trip to the car wash won’t take out... blood stains on packs are like scars... chicks dig it

 

[hunting1]

I use bags. You can wash the pack but the smell is hard to wash out. Especially bears, they stink! As stated, let the meat cool first.