TAG Bags and long term storage

[KMT]

I bought and used the TAG BOMB bags last year. I thought they were great for holding de-boned meat while packing it out, but I was afraid to leave the meat in the bags once I got it back to the truck (and base camp). My fear was that the bags would not breathe enough to let the meat dry out. Has anyone stored the meat in the TAG bags for more than a day?

 

[Stid2677]

Yes, Luke, Becca and I kept our sheep in the field for over 10 days this fall in them. Lot more than just the bag, but they breath well enough. Helps to rotate them as well.

 

[Becca]

Edit, we must have been posting at the same time Steve....great minds and all that


We have used tag bags in different sizes for the last 5+ years for all the animals we hunt. The bags are very breathable, and as long as you can get good air circulation to all sides your meat will crust nicely inside the bags. We kept sheep meat last year in tag bags for 11 days...course we spent a fair amount of time rotating meat and bags, and making sure everything stayed dry, but the meat came home in excellent condition (thanks Steve for being the master meat caretaker!). The only issue I can see with the bomb bags is if you are packing them full of boned out meat for long periods, it may be difficult for all sides of each piece to get good air circulation. In other words, it could be tough to keep the meat dry where it touches the other pieces in the bag, and the parts in the middle are going to take longer to cool than the parts on the outside. This is especially true if you are packing the bomb bags super full. Continuing to rotate the meat within the bags, and ensuring good air circulation should help with these issues. The material Larry makes the Tag bags out of is quite breathable, and shouldn't cause any issues in an of itself.

In fact I have a feeling it's going to work better than other types of game bags at letting the meat breathe. As I recall Larry has a fairly entertaining "study" about the bacterial growth in tag bags material versus other types of game bags on his website. I will see if I can find a link....

 

[Becca]

Here is the article I was thinking of on Pristine Ventures: http://www.pristineventures.com/124-front-page/151-game-bag-material-testing.html

 

[todd kelly]

Have had moose and bear meat in tag bags for 12 to 14 days. I usually pull the game bags off during the night to allow the meat to get more air to form a crust faster and to make sure the bags don't stick to the meat as it dries.

 

[KMT]

Thanks you. I will give it a try next year. It just seemed like the bags were never going to dry. Especially at the bottom.

 

[afteamroper]

you can also tie a knot in the string and tip the bag over while in your pack to let the bottom dry out if you are worried about blood "pooling" in the bottom.

 

[Vance in AK]

My moose spent 5 days in mine this year & it was in great shape.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Yeah, they'll work for multiple days in hanging mode. If you're noticing moisture (blood) at the bottom of the sacks I recommend taking the meat out and let it air dry for a few hours before rebagging. Let the blood drain as much as possible, meanwhile wash your bags in the river if available to remove excess blood stains or scabbing of blood on the surface of the material. Takes about 15 minutes or so to dry by air if you wring 'em out well. Then, once your meat has drained a little more, drop it all back into the TAG Bags and hang 'em up to allow air circulation. Air flow around the bags will aid in drying.

larry