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I have only left one deer overnight before in temps in lower 30's but coyotes destroyed her by the time I found her the next am. So my question is would it be safe to leave a deer overnight with these temps mid 50's and the meat still be good? (As long as coyotes don't get the meat.)
Ungutted I would say no....but I am very picky with my harvest....I wouldn't leave it if gutted....without packing the cavity with ice for a carcus cool down....they start getting bloated within a hour or so in those temps if not opened up and gutted....I have multiple gallon ice jugs frozen to pack it in when temps are semi warm....won't hunt if too warm....prefer my kills late afternoon for an over night cool down, hanging time for a week weather permitting....or stuff in cooler with ice jugs rotating out till my hanging cooler gets done
I have bow hunted since the sixties and been on blood trails too numerous to count. I would say no, especially if it was a marginal hit that involves the liver or intestines. Like Ironman172 mentioned, they can start to bloat very quickly (regardless the hit location). I always had an old refrigerator I kept in the garage that I would only use to put my deer (skinned and quartered) in. It worked great and I could take my time processing what meat I could each day without fear of spoilage. Good hunting to you.
Another option in those temps is go back 10pm or so. Take good lights, extra batteries, and extra eyes.
Thanks that is what I had figured. Its getting warmer these last few weeks and wanted others opinions and experience. I just don't want a good deer to go to waste.
I've been lucky with my bow shots and they don't go far....once I hear them crashing I know they are done .....gun is not a issue at all ....I have much favorable temps for hunting, but still very warm & too warm to hunt for me sometimes
....I have always wondered how it is done further south....I watch the weather alot and only hunt in temps that make it easy to take care of the deer....I have 3 extra lg coolers that I can stuff deer into and ice down good....1 gallon ice tea jugs works great
Working on a hanging cooler but not done yet.....never let one go overnight
Deer meat will be fine overnight at 50. It will not have even cooled off to ambient temp in6-8 hours. If you kill a deer and gut, or gut and skin and hang...put a meat thermometer in it and watch how long it takes to cool off. You will be very surprised. Deer Meat only begins to spoil AFTER it cools down and then begins to warm back up or when it never really cools to off any degree like say maybe early bow season.... That's when the bacteria start to get going. If it's a true gut shot...yes, the meat touching said goo will taste bad..cut it away just like you would do a deer that you killed, hung and skinned on a normal course of action. At almost 54 yo, I have more than a few hundred used for experience.
As others noted, an old fridge is worthy investments if you deer hunt. You can skin & quarter and then place in the fridge too age.
Just make sure to use a good thermometer to adjust the fridge temp, don't want it too cold or too warm.
I actually dry age wild duck breast in the fridge these days, usually 4-5 days. Amazing difference in the taste and tenderness vs. non-aged.
Do you wrap them ? or open air , any seasoning ? ,Quote:
Originally Posted by CarlF
The duck breast? I clean them well, dry them thoroughly and then place them on a layer of paper towels in a Pyrex dish. Then tightly cover and place in the lower level of the fridge.
Once aged, I put them in a brine before leaving for work and then grill or fry "schnitzel-style" that evening.
Thanks Carl ,I'm going to remember that next Duck season.
I clean the entire duck, leaving the skin on. I soak it in good moonshine whisky for two days, then drain, and place a clean red brick in the gut cavity. Then cook in the oven at 500 degrees for eight hours. Let cool for six hours, take the brick out, throw the duck in the trash and eat the brick.
I've hunted in Michigan for 25 years, both recreationally and to help out a friend with an orchard using crop damage permits. Probably not an exaggeration to say that I've downed a hundred or so. However, I've never had good luck with leaving venison to sit overnight even in temps below 50 degrees with a heart/lung shot deer. If you can open them up and hang them yes, if you leave the whole and recover it the next day- no bueno. Their bodies and hair coats insulate too well, at least on big bodied northern deer.Quote:
Originally Posted by perdidohunter
When I was still in WV. my next door neighbor was/is a Christmas tree farmer , We were talking and he told me that he had to buy 60.000.00
of Douglas firs to fill his whole sale orders because deer screwed up his crop by eating the bud on young trees .
Asked if he got crop damage permits he said yes but it doesn't work , he said you shoot one the rest run off ,then its hours till they come back , so your up all night and only kill 3 or 4 . Doesn't make a dent in the problem ,
That's when I introduced him to my Suppressed AR15, that Saturday night I killed 35 , He was extremely happy , his Laborers were picking up deer the whole next day , there were Venison Tacos all through the Shenandoah Valley that week .
One reason I like to kill singles.....not educating the others, especially with the bow....now the ruger 44mag semi auto filling tags....maybe 1 out of 3 gets educated:D.....don't stop and look.....boom
Cherry pick the first....still will not take running shots.....very picky on my shot placement
As a young kid...about 10 years old, I went on a hunt with my grandfather,father and uncle. We went out into New Mexico I believe, it was a combo deer/antelope hunt. Every animal that was killed was field dressed, wiped clean with paper towels and covered in cheese cloth, All 3 killed antelope the first day, it was day six when the last Mulie was killed. Temps were in the 80's and 90's all week. Every carcass hung in the shade of a tree(per our "guides" instruction.) After completion if the hunt we skinned and quartered the meat and brought it all home, all was fine. I asked how it was possible and was told that by nothing washing the meat and keeping the flies off it that it did not rot. I believe many early season Mulie/Antelope hunts still treat meat this way.
moisture is a breeding ground for bacteria and therefore spoilage. Lot of back country elk don't see ice for a day or two but are kept clean and dry