Warm weather dear hunting

[Fester]

I have a question for you guys. What do you do with your deer if you shoot one on a warm day? Let's say temps from 70-80 degrees. Do you just not hunt, pack with ice as soon as you can, do nothing and cut up as soon as possible etc? Just curious what everybody does or if you have some unique ideas.

 

[jr2280]

I skin and quarter it right away and put it on ice in a cooler for a day or two then debone.

 

[Fester]

I skin and quarter it right away and put it on ice in a cooler for a day or two then debone.

Skin and quarter in the field?

 

[jr2280]

Skin and quarter in the field?

No, but within an hour of death.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

Whatever your field dressing/management process method is, find a way to parcel out the critter to cool it down ASAP after the kill.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I've put a window air conditioner in the garage and made a makeshift walk in cooler out of 1'' Styrofoam sheets and a tarp. It worked ok but now that I have more time I only harvest when its cool enough.

 

[wslayer]

Cut and bone right away. No time to age the meat when warm.

 

[Slappy]

Multiple coolers, game bags, clean towels and a bunch of frozen water bottles/jugs. Frozen bottles sweat but way less risk of meat sitting in water compared to ice blocks. Towels prevent condensation pooling and keep meat in contact with bottles from freezing. Game bags help for this too. Have enough cooler space to mix frozen bottles and meat so everything cools quickly and has room to breathe.

 

[LBrandt]

Bring along a good cast-iron skillet and build fire. Eat what you can and save tag for later. Not LB

 

[Pheasant 54]

I would do the gutless method and a couple of coolers with ice . You would be golden and very little mess

 

[AR-15]

I leave them on the hoof

 

[Fester]

I would do the gutless method and a couple of coolers with ice . You would be golden and very little mess

Glad you mentioned this. Looked it up and watched video on it.

 

[KDM]

Shoot, gut, and cut just as fast as I can. I figure the cool down will happen once it's brought down to pot size.

 

[KDM]

Bring along a good cast-iron skillet and build fire. Eat what you can and save tag for later. Not LB

Wasn't that your school lunch right before you and Moses graduated from high school?

 

[Zogman]

Cut and bone right away. No time to age the meat when warm.

Aging venison is highly overrated my opinion and many others

 

[db-2]

Son does gutless. Take back straps and skin out quarters, put in bag and cool. Head if horn. Balance left. I watch at my age but then not many deer shot anymore. db

 

[wslayer]

Aging venison is highly overrated my opinion and many others

Can't find the article now, was in Outdoor Life. Aging breaks down the tendons in the meat was what it was about, making it more tender. Not a big thing in my book either. We just play the weather. If warm, bone and pack. If freezing temps, bone and pack. Ma nature is the deciding factor.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I haven't been warm weather "dear" hunting in 45 years but back in the day we were trying to figure out how to warm them up.

 

[Slappy]

Aging venison is highly overrated my opinion and many others

Depends what you're doing. Sticks, sausage, jerky, etc... maybe not noticable. Making steaks from strap or hind quarters... makes all the difference in the world if aged a few days in the right temp range.

 

[SLE]

I haven't gutted an a big game animal in 10-years ish, gutless quartering is the best. 15-20 minute job with two guys that know what they're doing, about 30-40 minute job when I'm by myself with the kids. Between antelope hunting and kids youth deer tags, we've shot several animals when it's 70-80 degrees or hotter out. Hang, skin, quarter, bag in contractor 2 mil garbage bags, and into coolers on ice normally withing 30 minutes or so of the harvest. Leave it in the cooler or a day or two and and then get it it processed an into the freezer.