Hot temps and processing deer


AdvantageTimberLou

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Guys,

If you were to take a deer in this heat we are having 80's & low 90's, how quick would the meat spoil? Figure tracking time, ride home, etc.... how fast before the meat would be bad?

I know some that are not hunting because they think the meat would spoil right away in this heat.

I think you can hunt just you need to quarter it up pretty quick and get it in a cooler.

What do you all think?

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Hard to tell

It's probably hard to tell exactly how long the meat would last. I'd say you probably would want to recover the animal that day though. Then the ice in the chest cavity is a good idea that's so simple many people probably don't even think about it.

I have yet to take an animal in temperatures this high and my dad has an older Coke cooler we use to put the quarters in until we can continue processing. I suppose I'm lucky,

Dan

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I think you can hunt just you need to quarter it up pretty quick and get it in a cooler.

What do you all think?

That is what we generally tend to do Lou. Usually bring our deer back to the house, gut em, take them in to get checked in and then bring them back home and skin and quarter them and pack the in a cooler.

Got a processor not far from us, that went to high school with my wife. He told me last year when I checked in a deer that he would let me keep whatever we wanted in his walk in at no charge. May take him up on that this year.

Thing that most concerns me with the heat is a deer that does not go down quickly. Here you really cannot afford to leave one overnight due to the yotes anyways, so that question is often in mind when afternoon shots present themselves.

How fast one that is not found would spoil with 90 degree temps is a good question.

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Shot a doe yesterday at 9:00 a.m. on the dot. Recovered her at 9:30. Checked her in at 10:15. Had her skinned and quartered by 11:00. In an ice chest by 11:30.

I know the times because I was checking. The heat will make you more conscious of your time table that's for sure.

BTW--I'm not skinning another deer in these 80 degree temps unless he's going on my wall.:D:D

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Guest antlerhead

If I Get One In This Heat, I Was Planning On Quatering It Up And Putting Each Quater In A Refridgerator While I Cut One Up Until Its All Done. But I Do Have A Spare Fridge In The Garage For That Purpose, Oh And To Keep The Beer Cold So When Im Done I Can Quench My Thirst.

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The sooner the better i would say. I wouldnt leave it overnite in this heat thats for sure. Im in WI and i havent even gone out in this crappy weather lol. As long as its field dressed and packed with ice i would think it would be ok for a few hours..... i am by no means an expert though. If it were me i wouldnt drag my feet about gettin it cooled down properly.

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I can only say from experience that a few years ago, my brother shot a buck at about 10 am...and it was already 70+ degrees. By the time he went back to the house (10 min walk) got the quad, found it, field dressed it, and started getting it out of the woods...a total of about 1 hour went bye. By 11 am...it was approaching 80 and flies were already starting to come the carcass...kind nasty. We took it straight to the processor...

I go with the rule of thumb that time is working against me...the quicker to the cooler the better...

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