packing out a deer

[Wyogstew1]

with these early archery hunts, what is the best way to pack out the animal as to prevent spoilage. do you guys just quarter them or de-bone them or what? last year i got real lucky and shot my buck right on the road on my archery hunt so it was nothing to get him out and this year, i doubt im so lucky so just wondering what to do if i stick one.


Happy Hunting

 

[3blade]

If I have a pack job ahead of me I bone them out on the spot and put the meat in a game bag then inside a plastic bag that has been turned inside out and throw it in the backpack. Once back at my main camp the meat goes on ice while still in the bags. I haven't lost any meat in over 10 yrs by doing it this way.

Good Luck

 

[fatrooster]

3blade, I've always heard that putting the meat in a plastic bag was taboo because the meat cannot breathe. Its good to know that it can be done safely. Sounds like you do not want to keep it in plastic but get it out on ice. fatrooster.

 

[3blade]

I've heard that too but you don't want to get it wet from melting ice either. I open up the bag inside the ice chest kind of using it as a barrier in between the ice and the meat. Two 96 quart chests will handle a boned out elk. I also don't stick around very long after its all on ice and head home as quick as I can to get it processed. Trust me, you don't want to make a trip to Vegas from anywhere in northern or central Nevada in August or September, you'll loose the meat. Hell, I lost most of a deer one yr before I started doing this from Mountain City to Reno, sucker thawed out at Winnemucca even though I had it wrapped in a sleeping bag after the overnight hang.

 

[HuntNevada]

This Year i quartered him out and pack him out about 2 or 2 1/2 miles out, i have never boned one out cause i have never felt the need to but it is still very early in my hunting career. But for now i have never lost any meat by quartering them out

 

[Kirby]

If I am within 2 miles I would just quarter it and go, any farther and its easier just to bone it out, leave it in game bags, then inside large garbage bag. I've had them inside a bag for up to a day and never lost any meat.

Kirby

When in doubt, floor it.

Diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggy" until you find a big stick.

 

[Camo]

3Blade is right. Bone it out why carry extra weight that you have to take care of later. It only takes a minute longer to bone it out vs just quartering it anyway.

 

[Cali4x4]

What about the melting ice taboo? I have heard that also. At the same time I have heard if in a bind . One could submerge a quarter in a creek within a garbage bag. Don't know if it would be 100% watertight. Seems the meat would be ok wetin an ice chest. As long as it didn't warm up. The ice must still be effective not allowing warm water on the meat? Any butchers out there?

 

[slider]

This is the reply from Glad when I e-mailed them and asked them about storing meat in garbage or trash bags!!!

The only type of our garbage and trash bags that is currently approved for food storage is the GLAD® Small Garbage Bag (4 gallon capacity). This is clearly indicated on each carton.

Our other trash and garbage products are made from plastic resins that are not recommended for food storage use. Of course, the resin used for GLAD® Food Storage Bags has been approved by the FDA for contact with foods.