DonVathome
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,717
I always see stuff about this and hear drastic different stories.
I liver shot an elk with bow in Sept years ago. I knew I gut shot so left overnight. I shot him right at sunset. I tracked at first light it took me 1-1/2 hours to find him and sun had just risen and hit him. There was frost here and there (dew other places). so temps were 30-35.
I found an immediately butchered him the meat was fine.
Fast forward to 2016. I shot a medium size cow about 30 minutes before sunset. Problem was temps were in teens, cloudy and some wind. I thought she crossed the creek to me. It turned out she crossed a bend, meaning she was still on the other side. I had a 2 mile hike out in snow and low teens temp - and water was deeper then my boots. I could not cross without risking frost bite.
We started to trail 1 hour after light (so as not to bother to many other hunters). While hiking in (over an hour) it occurred to me that mid December nights are a loooot longer. Found elk and started butchering close to noon. Temps had warmed at it was raining 35 degrees).
I was very very worried about my elk when I realized I did not butcher her until about 18 hours after I shot!
She was bloated a lot, even meat was! Anywhere I stuck my knife went pppsssshhhh!!!!
Got her cooled off fast and had long flight home with delays. Luckily we flew out the next day and temps dropped to single digits, or below 0 overnight. Got meat to 35 degrees quick.
Got her home and it was the best eating elk I have ever had.
So meat was ok.
FYI for reference.
I liver shot an elk with bow in Sept years ago. I knew I gut shot so left overnight. I shot him right at sunset. I tracked at first light it took me 1-1/2 hours to find him and sun had just risen and hit him. There was frost here and there (dew other places). so temps were 30-35.
I found an immediately butchered him the meat was fine.
Fast forward to 2016. I shot a medium size cow about 30 minutes before sunset. Problem was temps were in teens, cloudy and some wind. I thought she crossed the creek to me. It turned out she crossed a bend, meaning she was still on the other side. I had a 2 mile hike out in snow and low teens temp - and water was deeper then my boots. I could not cross without risking frost bite.
We started to trail 1 hour after light (so as not to bother to many other hunters). While hiking in (over an hour) it occurred to me that mid December nights are a loooot longer. Found elk and started butchering close to noon. Temps had warmed at it was raining 35 degrees).
I was very very worried about my elk when I realized I did not butcher her until about 18 hours after I shot!
She was bloated a lot, even meat was! Anywhere I stuck my knife went pppsssshhhh!!!!
Got her cooled off fast and had long flight home with delays. Luckily we flew out the next day and temps dropped to single digits, or below 0 overnight. Got meat to 35 degrees quick.
Got her home and it was the best eating elk I have ever had.
So meat was ok.
FYI for reference.