txhunter, a big bull can weigh in around 800-900 lbs. It generally takes about 2 hrs to completely bone out one of these bad boys. By the time that the meat bags go into the plastic bags , it has air cooled the body heat away. At this time I like to get the meat into the bags and into the water. I have killed a few elk on days over 80 degrees. On days like this it doesn't take blowflies long to start acting. I don't want any larva deposited on the meat. The longer the process takes the more bees you will have dive bombing you. Any of the readers from the west can attest to the agrivation of the yellow jackets. It is not uncommon to get stung 8-10 times while boning. With this method that we have devised. We havent lost any meat yet. The perfect time for me to kill a bull is just before dark. It might be a long night, but a heck of alot less agrivation. I do see your concern about getting it into plastic bags too soon. If the body heat isn't gone , it will speed up the growth of bacteria. It isn't the heat that gets the meat in most cases, it is the spread of bacteria. Heat just speeds things up. While cutting up an elk , we are very careful not to spread the bacteria from areas that harbor the most. ie, stomach, fecal matter, urine etc. I like to put down a tarp or poncho to set the meat bags on. They are a cotton cloth and allow the meat to breath until we are done. Lack of proper planning or inexperience can turn the hunt of a lifetime into a hunt that you will always regret in a matter of a few hours. Don't get me wrong.Under ideal situations I would't recommend putting any meat in plastic. We have much experience in this and have found that if you go deeper, you find more elk. But going deeper in brings on new challenges. By careful thinking and proper planning, we have devised a way to save the meat from spoiling. There has been 13 elk in three years that have gone through our camp. All were treated in the same manner. And every bit has found its way to our freezers, from juicy ribeyes to inside skirts. Good luck this next season.......