Temp for leaving elk carcass overnight

[go_deep]

I know a guy that shot a cow you in January -19° with about 15" of snow, he gutted it and left it lay till morning. Neck and front shoulders in the morning were rotten.
Big animals, thick hide, long hair, hold lots of heat.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I killed a cow in 60 degree weather years ago. I got it cleaned and put it up on poles. My father had killed a bull and we focused on getting that one out that night. When we got the cow the next morning the meat had soured where she touched the poles.

Since then I have killed a lot of elk in cold weather that I have had to come in the next morning to get them. I get them gutted, packed on snow and filled with snow and brushed up with fir boughs to keep the birds away.

When I get back the next morning, the meat is chilled and ready to quarter. Sometimes they are mostly frozen and I have to thaw them on the porch to finish preparing the quarters.

I have done this on more than 50 elk without a problem but in my climate things are frozen nearly all of the season.

 

[hereinaz]

I have packed elk when exhausted. I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t…

I did gutless method on a cow and quartered her with hide on. It was in the 50s during the day. The quarters did not spoil over a couple days with hide on in the shade before I broke them down. The butcher said it was some of the cleanest meat he had ever seen, lol. I skinned it on a table at home before driving it over.

I would have no problem doing the same in cool weather and hanging it, if that was the absolute most I could do because of some urgent/serious need. I would be afraid it would spoil leaving it intact, even gutted.

I think the amount of exposure of the meat was enough to cool it. And, it is really quick to do.

 

[jimh406]

My guess is the body temperature of the animal varies depending on what it was doing right before dying. I don't know if anyone has tried to figure out how much, but I know I get a lot hotter when I'm under more severe exertion.

I think this means to be safe, take care of the animal as soon as possible. If you can't or don't plan to, don't shoot.

 

[cnelk]

Screw gutting.

Gutless and remove the quarters.
At minimum lay them across some logs or hang them.

Take off your undershirt and hang it on a nearby tree to hopefully deter any critters.

I can do an elk in less than an hour by myself

 

[Indian Summer]

Unless you can’t find your elk, there is no reason not to use the gutless method and get the quarters off of an elk. I don’t care if you find it at 2 o’clock in the morning. That’s your job. Your responsibility.

I have quartered elk in burns with nowhere to hang the quarters. Set them on top of 16 inches of snow. Come back in the morning and they’re laying on bare green grass still warm .

This is one of about 100 different subjects where the answer is “elk are not deer!“

Trust me, you do not wanna learn about bone sour the hard way.

 

[MuleyBuck]

Shot one at dark last year at about 85 degrees. Low that night was mid 50’s. Didn’t find him until the next morning. He had some smell to him but I didn’t lose an ounce of meat. He had also just came out of a nasty black mud stinky wallow. Meat has a little smell/taste to it but I’ve never gotten sick, and it’s no worse than the cow elk I whacked in rifle season and got out the same night. Maybe it’s just the thought of it being so warm out before I recovered him that makes it seem like the meat is smellier than normal. Wife and kids and have never said anything

 

[35WhelenAI]

I agree, it's the responsibility of a hunter to get the meat off given the conditions at hand so there is not waste. With headlamps and an extra set of batteries, I have worked into more than a few well below freezing nights, well past dark, getting a hide off and breaking the hip sockets and getting all four quarters laid out on a space blanket propped up. Most nights get below freezing or well below however days hanging in the shade back at camp get into the high 40s low 50s on the warmest days.a
An elk or deer will hang like that for a week with every night getting back to freezing or below.

Just a few of the pictures of what the carcass looks like when leaving the kill site.

I'm going to add that I feel very comfortable after dark in the woods even miles from camp. I'm prepared with equipment to build a fire and even without a shelter a big ass fire will keep a guy comfy all night long.

I think it's a cop out that four quarters backstrap and tenderloin are all that's legally required. I get another 30 or 40 lb of meat by cutting the scraps off the neck and the ribs. And with that said I don't call them scraps. That's is edible meet and free burger.

When you leave the animal overnight, in any situation, piss a circle around the ground where the animal is at and you're not going to have any problem with animals. I'm speaking from Colorado experience, we don't have Grizzlies but no other four-legged carnivore has ever touched a carcass in 30 years.

 

[roadrunner]

Not an elk, but the same size as most cows. Gutted, partially skinned with the hip sockets broke open, and the shoulders peeled back and left wide open down to the spine. Propped open for airflow.

Animal was shot at 4 P.M., sunny day and 75 deg temp at 4. Dipped down to 25 at night.

Perfectly cool the next morning, zero waste.

Yes, you can leave them over night partially skinned.

 

[MountainMan83]

lots of good advice about getting it done right away but thought Id share a couple instances where elk were left overnight.

First elk I shot, I was solo and right before dark. The small herd I shot at scattered in different directions. Wasn’t able to pick up blood that night and didn’t find the cow until the next morning. Stomach was bloated but after taking the quarters off, the meat seemed okay. No off smell and never got sick eating it. Cow was on a north facing shaded area in the trees and was probably in the low 20s.

Another instance my buddy gutted and left a bull overnight maybe teens -low 20s. Whole body was stiff and was a pain to get the quarters off the next morning, but meat was good.

Best practice is quarter it and hang it in a shady spot until morning. Take whatever you can that night, and try to grab the rest the following day.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I don’t doubt that one could spoil over night, but I left mine overnight, after we split the hide and peeled it down to the shoulders and hind quarters
September Colorado @ +/- 9000 ft about 40* over night, I was more worried about a bear eating on it , then spoilage
It was a private ranch so wasn’t worried about some potlicker stealing it either

 

[Mtndawger]

Couple of years ago, end of a long amazing day in elk country. I was set up across a drainage an hour before sunset and the small herd I had been waiting on came out of the timber 220 yards over and began feeding down to the creek bottom. I had a cow tag. The herd had a decent 5x5 bull. I sat there contemplating the following: I was alone, 58 year old, in really good condition but not as into taking on big risks like I used to, 2-1/2 miles back in steep terrain. It was 6:00 at this point and I figured it would take me until midnight to get the job done with a light pack out and an hour drive home. I did not have an inreach to contact my wife.( I do now) So I just watched and listened and counted myself lucky to have one of the best days hunting ever even though I never took a shot. To me you do it right o you don’t do it. Passing on an elk isn't the end of it all.

 

[35WhelenAI]

An animal rigored / frozen overnight is no fun to quarter and cut off any extra meat , much less skin the next day and then have to quarter it.

 

[cnelk]

I’ve said it before and it’s worth saying again that elk meat ain’t ice cream - it doesn’t melt quickly.

Just use some common sense and use the cool air - daytime or nighttime to keep it cool.

 

[Huntin_GI]

Killed a handful of late season cows at last light. Open them up. Remove guts to avoid bloat gasses. Get hip/ball joint seperated. Run blade up under neck and remove esophagus. Use stick to keep animal open to air exchange.

Under 35 and you will be fine in the morning.

 

[Neckbone]

As the OP I may need to point out that I would not leave a downed animal over night due to laziness. I have pulled the trigger just before the end of legal light more than once and always have taken the time to properly care for the meat, same as always.

I’ve heard stories of people gutting their deer and setting up camp next to the carcass and waiting until morning. Was talking with my hunting buddy about it and figured I’d see what people have experienced. I never have personally (yet) been unable to find an animal until next morning but it happens all the time.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Personally I’ll take a midnight butchering session over a noon butchering session every single time! I love cutting up animals under the stars.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Personally I’ll take a midnight butchering session over a noon butchering session every single time! I love cutting up animals under the stars.

 

[cnelk]

Personally I’ll take a midnight butchering session over a noon butchering session every single time! I love cutting up animals under the stars.

I agree

 

[roadrunner]

Personally I’ll take a midnight butchering session over a noon butchering session every single time! I love cutting up animals under the stars.

I like to see what I'm doing.