robbdad1

We have always hunted with temperatures around freezing. Anything we shoot is tagged, field dressed on then hangs in the barn. This year the tempertures could be above 60 degrees and I need to know how soon we need to get this to a meat locker so it does not spoil. Bacteria and food poisining are not something I want my family to experience.

Thanks for your help.

We hunt Carroll County Illinios.

gkellys

I read somewhere that 1 hour to field dress to start cooling and 3 hours to a cooler is recommended in warm temps.

James B

When it warm, we field dress then debone and put the meat in gallon storage bags and get it on ice. The fore cast for our area however is for temps in the mid 20's at night. It will be in the 50's and 60's for daytime temps.

desertloper

This is a problem that I think the whole country is going to face. Season opens Saturday here in Nebraska and today it was in the mid to upper 70's it almost makes me sick! With temps above 60, I will be cutting into my deer as soon as I get out of the field.

Deerslayer_37

last year i shot a doe during early rifle season at 74 degrees. i immediately dressed her, rinsed the carcass out witha hose to cool it down faster, put it in the shade and called my dad to pick me up with a 25 lb bag of ice. because we didnt want to mess with it, we just took it to the meat locker that day packed full of ice. sunday nite i shot a doe, the temprature dropped to the low 40's that nite so we just pulled the hide that nite, hung it in the uninsulated and unheatedhalf of our converted barn/shop/storage. we took off the backstraps and tenders out that nite, even though the backstraps don't come out at as well when warm.we took the quarters off last nite and did those. it was 60 yesterday afternoon. you should probably just get it gutted right away and get the hide off that night, or put some ice in the carcass if you have to let it sit during the day. you should be fine with letting it hang over night.

Firehawk7309

Same thing here in Kentucky. Shot, field dressed, quartered in the cooler is the rule. If it's in the 70's, the last two occur where the deer dropped.

charlie brown

Ok, I shot my elk this year in September. Day time highs were approaching 65 degrees, easy, maybe even closer to 70 some days. I shot my elk at around 0700. We had it field dressed, and back at camp 5 miles away by around 0830-0845 or so. It was then a 3 hour drive to my parent's house, and then about 2 hours taking our time to skin it, and clean it off real good. I had it hanging in the cooler by 330-400 in the afternoon. We butchered two days later. That meat was fine. I think the key to making sure you don't loose meat in warm weather is making sure you have it gutted right away. Gut it in the field, and start the cooling process as quickly as possible. Figure a deer has a body temp of close to 100 degrees, if the air temp is 70, that is a 30 degree difference, and can make a BIG difference in how much time you have. Once you open an animal up, it starts to cool. The trick is to get it into a locker as quickly as possible. It will still take a few hours anyway for it to get down to 34-36 degrees anyway, so you have time. The key is getting it gutted. I saw one thread here in deer hunting where there were pics of the deer in the back of the truck with the guts still in it!! That doesn't work if the weather is real warm. If nothing else, you will have a really bad taste in the meat, and be lucky if it doesn't completely spoil.

Chuck7

I hunt here in Florida,
Good advice Charlie Brown. I was raised and taught to field dress immediately. At our WMA they would prefer the entire animal BUT you don't have to. I've already let them know i will be field dressing immediately. Folks here are hanging their game on the hooks that they weigh it in on.1/4 it ...and run it on down to the closest convenient store to ice her down. The meat is still very good. I have never lost any and it is usually around 70s here in Florida in Nov. at mid day.

kim398pl

We are in Ga and it seems to be hotter than ever this time of year, I have problems even going out there to hunt due to the heat. when it is warm, me and the wasps have fights on who is staying in the stand, sometimes they win, I am allergic.

Our rule, not matter what, since we process our own meat, we kill it, dress it, quarter it and put it on ice in a cool, daining the water and changing the ice everyday for about 3-4 days then we process it.

JNTURK

Well hope you check my answer today. I am in CA and hunt the hot weather every year sometimes archery season 100+ temps. The main thing is to have it dressed and skinned within 4-5 hours after shooting it (if longer no huge deal, but nothing can go overnight) once you have it skinned and bagged it can hang for that day and the next with no problems (make sure deer bag is not the kind you get a walmart with holes in it, but a full bag to cover the whole deer and tap off to make sure flies and bees don't get to the meat). once home you can quarter it and put in a fridge or freezer. There will be no problems.
(answers based on colombian black tail, not 100% sure if whitetail will be the same, but logically thinking it should)