After the shot wilderness hunting

no bears in s.d. so never had to deal w/ that issue. in fact, never been far enough from someplace that heat's been an issue, either. shot a deer a couple of years ago in near 80 degree temps, but we had him on ice in under an hour from the time the bullet left the muzzle and i lost no meat. in hot weather, we keep a pair of big colemans full of ice bags. ice is cheap, a ruined deer sucks.

All those things have to be considered. Last year I had to put up with bald eagles stripping the meat. I have had bear get on elk when I left it over night at the kill sight. I don't like to pack fresh meat because it is to jellylike and bloody. Prefer to let it hang one night.

Here's a question. Would you slaughter a beef and let the hide on for a day or so? The why would  you leave it on an elk? If you are prepared to butcher something, you won't have any problems keeping the meat clean. I think outfitters started that so thier pack bags wouldn't get bloody. Any game makes better meat if you get that hide off as soon as possible and get the meat cooled down soonest.

If it's warm we let it cool as much a spossible in one night and then pack it before the sun gets up or at night if required. Ain't nothing like busting your butt to get the meat out and then find out it's rancid.

We usaully don' pack in for muzzle loader season,  so that we are close to the truck and can get the meat to a locker. I value my elk meat and it's the meat I eat for the next coming year.

 

lEagle eye. Not flaming ot starting anything, but when bull elk are breeding, they lay down and roll in thier piss and crap, squirt it up along thier belly to the forelegs. Any of this stuff on the meat is a bad proposition. Most of the e coli in beef comes from the crap on thier hides,adn not keeping things clean.

Elk manes are so thick that the meat can stay warm when it's below freezing justa littel bit. Probably not down in the single digits though. Put some snow on it and it acts like an insulator. The first thing to start spoliage is the esophogus. So you have an incubator for that.

But to each his own. We all have our own ways of caring for meat. This is mine.

Not much wilderness in my part of the country. When the day starts at
25 F and goes up to 80 F by afternoon, lots of ice is mandatory.
Peel the hide, quarter, and get it into the icebox if you want to eat
your kill.

Spotshooter; No Flame taken! I prefer to do my Elk hunting quite late, so the rut usually does not factor in...I well know how those bulls act during the rut!!  You'll note I said cooling is important. If there is ANY doubt about it, the Hide must come off! I have shot Bison up here in late December. The mane of a big Bison is so thick that there is no way you could safely leave it on without risk of spoilage. Most of the moose I have shot [read many moose] have been taken when the frost doesn't leave the ground surface till close to noon, and then is back by 6 P.M. But I have shot a few early, and then the hide comes off. If you can leave it on, you will lose less to shrinkage and drying of the surface, plus it serves to keep that side of the quarter very clean. Several professional butchers have told me that leaving the hide on is best "Only if cooling is not a problem." I do not personally care for plastic wrappings, but it's OK if you prefer to use it. I have never lost a pound of game to spoilage myself, and any who eat game meat in our house always rave about how good it is compared to some other they have tried. As was said, if what you are doing works for you, carry on! Regards, Eagleye.

Ditto on the goozle pipe of elk.  Lots of hamburger meat on the neck that will go bad quick 'thout yanking his blow tube.