How cold should it be?


popgun

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The weather during early bow season is usually around mid 70's during the day to 50 or 54 at night.

I am reluctant to bow hunt in the evenings for fear that I may not be able to find a deer in the dark.

I have waited to retrieve until morning a couple of times when the temp. is in the low 40's and 30's but never when the temperatures are this warm.

I like to clean the deer and cool it as quickly as possible.

I have shot deer before with an arrow, and had the deer drop on the spot, or run 20-50 yards, and I had one cover almost a mile in a circle and found it within 50 yards of where I shot it. If that deer had stayed in a straight line, it would have crashed at an area that would be a long way to drag out.

If the night-time temperatures did not get down below 54, would the meat sour before morning?

....popgun

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Re: How cold should it be?

With temps in the 50s ill usually stay out till I find the deer, even if it makes for a very long night.Ive waited till morning before but they fill up with gas pretty fast the warmer it is and it can make gutting them real unpleasant.It dont affect the main cuts of meat much though, the backstraps and quarters are still good as long as you find em early the next morning.Personally, I wouldnt let it stop me from evening hunts, seasons to short the way it is wink.gif

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Re: How cold should it be?

Popgun, the short answer to your question is yes. I have had a deer start to turn green with temperatures in the mid fifties overnite.

If you are hunting in the warmer temperatures you have to work pretty quick in getting the deer cooled and to the cooler or the butcher knife. I take a cooler and at least four 2 liter bottles of ice putting 2 bottles in the chest cavity and 2 between the hind quarters. I then posture the deer in the bed of the pick upso the bottles stay put. The ice lasts a good while to get the deer to the check station or whatever you may need to do with it. For longer trips take more ice. There are always 10 bottles of ice in my freezer just for this purpose. I add more bottles for a deer I need to keep overnite.

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Re: How cold should it be?

It would not last long, but it would be not much different if you shot one when you were getting ready to leave in the morning I would not think. If you make a questionable shot, just wait a couple hours and begin tracking with buddies and a couple lanterns.

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