Originally Posted by
Phil from Maine
Here is my conclusion as I have heard of moose spoiling in 1 day if not proparly taken care of.
First the not so good cleaning job leaves alot of question marks to me..
Second if laying on the ground the moose's legs are closed causing it to retain body heat better.. Had the legs been held open better it wood of stood a better chance as well.
Lastly is letting it hang in those temps could cause it to spoil if the hide was left on it without a doubt in my
mind. The moose is almost all black which will draw heat from the sun and ruin the moose rather quickly.
I know of a few moose that has spoiled because of leaving the hide on as well as not packing it with blocks of ice in hot weather.. I know of a couple of folks that took thier time at the tagging station and had thiers styart to spoil by letting people admire it and the like.
So to answer your question if it could spoil so quickly,, Absolutely if can..
Bang on! What they had happen was green rot, bone out. Moose and elk are larger then deer therefor your windows are decreased, like mentioned already. They need to be gutted and skinned as soon as poosible. I have spent 7-8 hours packing out several moose but before I/we make the first trip they get dressed, skinned and quartered. Cooling the entire carcass is the key. Water can aid in spoilage, that is why I tell people to use frozen ziplocs or milk jugs to place in coolers/carcasses/etc vs loose ice.
Unfortunately it sounds like your friends didn't do their best to ensure they took care of the meat: Field dressing?? Hanging? Not getting it to a locker plant ASAP? Maybe not prepared for the task??
I butcher on the side BTW and have seen lots of meat wasted due to improper care. I had a moose come in a few years ago that spent the night on a trailer after being shot in the morning. It was field dressed good but they never bothered to skin or hang it. The only thing we could do was fire up the tractor and bury it. Complete waste and these guys had the where with all to deal with it just chose not too.
