I am going out this weekend in western Illinois near Carthage. Forecast high of 70 low of 50s. I assume just hanging a deer is a tree wont do? Ice the cavity? I found a few butchers in the area, but no one is open at all on Sunday... This is my first season outside of shotgun so any procedures, tips or tricks would be appreciated.
I shot a deer this past Saturday and I took a couple small ice bags and put it in the cavity over night(7ish hours) until I could get it to the butcher the next morning. Worked well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I took three gallon-sized ziploc bags and filled them with water and froze them for two days before hunting last Saturday. I shot a doe, cleaned up and left with the ice bags in my ice chest before processing it Saturday afternoon. I live in Arkansas, it was 65 when I shot it and it sat in my jeep in 80 weather for three hours before I could process it. Do something similar and you will be fine if it is only in the 70s.
I've done a few different things, I froze a 2 liter bottle filled with water and made a ice pack by sealing the edges from the vacuum sealer Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Save the money and debone it yourself. Ice it down in a cooler. If you want it processed into burger or sausage, take it later on after the rush is over and the processor can actually give you your deer back.
Oly44 not picking on you, just asking a question that has always made me scratch my head. Putting ice in the chest cavity should in theory take care of the back straps and front quarters. What about the hind quarters where the bulk of the meat is? The ice in the chest cavity will do nothing to cool the hind quarters.
I took a doe this past weekend and left her in the back of my truck for the night. I put two small bags of ice inside her (1 in the chest cavity, the 2nd between the back legs) then I also bought 2 large bags of ice and laid them on her for the evening.
I've stuffed the cavity full of ice an wrapped the deer in a tarp a few times then kept it in the shade. Worked well the hide was cold in the morning just like hanging in a fridge. But if you use a Rage broad head the ice will fall out of the big *** hole. Oh did I bring up Rage broadheads?
No you're fine. I stacked the backs of ice so it went the full length of the deer. It had ice from the front of the cavity to the *** end. It wasn't the best but it did the job to keep the deer cool enough over night. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Take the advice and make your own ice packs. The 2 liter bottles, old gallon milk jugs, mayonnaise containers all make good ice blocks. Work better than bags because cubes melt faster than solid blocks. And once done, you can wash and use them again.
Never really thought of the milk jug and 2 liter bottles....great ideal I agree will work a lot better than bags of ice and a lot cheaper
This. It's not hard and can be done in the field. Use some coolers full of ice and keep the meat dry. And at this point you might as well debone and cut the meat how you like and save some money. The processor here always cuts too thin for my taste. I like doing it my self.
If you are going to let the deer hang with ice on it would you recommend skinning it first or leaving the skin on? Great question OP Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If the temps are warmer than about 45-50 degrees, I would put it in a cooler with ice. Doesn't really take much more time. I personally don't like taking the risk of getting sick from spoiled meat.
I had an old timer telling me last weekend that in these temps it's best to drag the deer straight to the creek and leave it in the water overnight. I've never had a need to do it myself but curious if anyone else does that.
I'd be afraid of the bacteria it would get from sitting in the creek all night, I'd rather use ice if I could get it.
I would skin it and hang it with a breathable bag to keep the flies off. Or skin it and put it in an ice chest. Either one will work, but keeping the skin on will trap heat and speed up spoiling.
i don't hunt a lot of early season so I've really not had to deal with WARM temps, but when it was warmer we did what others have stated, we'd freeze 2 liters bottles full of water and put them in chest cavity. We'd then leave skin on and use a garden hose on the fur to cool it down those critters can hold heat for awhile or you could always go buy one of those 400-500 quart coolers and just shove the deer in it.
I am not as excited as I should be based on these temps. If a turkey or a monster walks by I will shoot, but this seems like a lot of trouble for a doe... I found a butcher who charges for cooler storage and that might be what I do if I get lucky. It is also youth firearm in Illinois Oct 8-10 so well see what's moving to begin with.
