Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

Any suggestions on keeping a deer cool after field dressing during bow season? This may be a dumb question but it will be my first year bow hunting in Minnesota and say I luck out and get a deer in late Sept./early Oct. and it is still fairly warm outside.

How much time maximum should lapse between when I field dress the deer and when I get it to the processor? How should I keep it cool if I can not get it to the processor before closing time? Would packing bags of ice inside the body cavity work?

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

Unless it is real hot you should be OK if you just throw a couple of bags of ice in the empty chest cavity. But if it's real hot I would get it to the processor as fast as possible. I process my own so I don't ever get there after clossing time.;)

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

Yeah, bags of ice should work for short time. When we camp out, we take large ice chest and cut deer up & pack in ice in the coolers.

But this is not long time storage.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

pack the chest with ice, get hte hide off immediately or get them to the processer. if you do your own, get the hid off, quarter it outa and put it on ice ina big cooler

slayer

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

In Texas it can be hot at any time during Deer season. Mind you the Deer where I hunt in Hill country are real lucky to get over 175Lbs. I use a 130qt cooler, cape the deer keep the tag on, cut off the quarters, take the backstrap and tenderloin out. Hose him off, bag it up and get on ice. On some of the smaller Deer the whole thing, less the head and cut below the knees, will stuff in an ice chest with some convincing.

So far so good.:D

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

They must have GROWN. When I lived in Hill Country a BIG deer was 150 max.[&:]

As far as the original question. We skin them, bone them and get them in a fridge pretty quick when it's hot. Usually within a couple hours.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

I have a water well and the water is really cool in the summer and early fall so I will hose him down for a good long while then Ill pack it in ice or go directly to cutting it up.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

2 years ago we had to bring a moose and a bear back home with us ,the weather was very warm and we packed bags of ice in the cavity and also packed ice around the outside[frozen bottles] and covered it with a tarp,we repeated packing ice a couple times and kept a close watch all the way home since we had a 12hr drive .Thing's were fine when we got it to the meat shop the next day .

nubo

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

I agree with the ice in the chest cavity. With our game if the weather is warm then we take the hide off right away and let the heat off the meat. If you can, find a cold storage in the area and hang it there for the length of your hunt. I always make an effort to hang ALL my big game for at least two weeks.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

This topic makes me think about shooting a deer and not looking/ finding it until the next day. If it were warm at night, wouldn't the deer be fine upon recovery?

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

Being a butcher I can give you some pointers. There are a couple of things you can do to help the situation, that I have yet to see mentioned anywhere. Try to keep the hams (back legs) spread apart. This is the one area that has alot of muscle mass and retains the most heat especially when the legs are left together. From what I've seen this is the first place the meat will get funky if not cooled properly. The other thing you need to do is keep the damn flies off the meat. Cover up the deer with something to keep the flies off. You will be amazed at how quick a fly can lay eggs on your meat, and you know what a fly egg turns into. I've seen fly eggs on many early season deer especially around the pelvis if not properly taken care of. Ice in the chest cavity is a good idea. A deer or pieces of deer in a cooler with ice needs to be watched. Here's what happens, trust me I've seen it, you put pieces of hot or warm deer meat in a cooler with ice. Soon the ice melts, then the meat is floating around in bloody, dirty WATER not ice, that soon starts to smell a little funny. If the ice melts drain it and get fresh ice. keep the meat on ICE not water and get it into cold storage. Just a couple pointers, GOOD LUCK

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

A friend of mine recommended rinsing out your used gallon milk jugs and filling them with water and freezing them. Then throw those in the back of your truck when you head out. When you bring your deer back to the truck put the frozen water filled gallon jugs in the chest cavity. You could use 1 liter and 2 liter soda bottles as well and stick those into tighter spaces like between the Hams as Bigway suggest.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

I have a large chest freezer that dosn't work ,most of the year it is a work bench . If I get a deer when it is to warm to hang it ,I can put the whole deer in it with several bags of ice and it will stay cool with only a extra bag a day till I can prossess it.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

mamma, from whatI have read and been told temps 70 or above were talking hour-2 tops until it will begin to spoil. The 50-70 range varies from several hours to only few. In early bow or warm temps I would do everything in my power to get that animal out ASAP. I know we must wait to prevent bumping them but take a flashlight or employ some friends to help. Like mentioned essential to get the carcass cooled properly, which means removal of guts and hide in warm temps.

Can't add much, except don't forget to get rid of the trach boys! I simply gut immediately and skin ASAP. If I can let it hang fine (always seperate the hams by way of cutting the pelvis prior to FDing the animal), if not I quarter it and cool anyway possible.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

Thanks for all the responses. I'm thinking of temperatures in the 60s and 70s. So I think I will freeze some milk and 2 liter pop jugs and put them into the cavity and then surround the outer body with some more of them -- the whole thing wrapped in a tarp until I can get it there the next morning.

RE: Field Dressing Question - Keeping Cool
 

Now I just need to get the deer! : )