Taking care of meat once you are home

[>>>---WW---->]

Well, we have discussed how to hang meat in the timber, but what about when you actually get it home.

For me, once I get my elk off the hill and finally make it home, I'm usually too dang tired to mess with it for a few days. The days are hot and there is no walk in coolers around to hang it in. So I have an old fridge out in the garage. I take all the shelves out and it will easily hold a quartered elk. So letting it sit and cool out a couple or more days for me is no problem.

I also have a grinder and a cuber. And another big plus is that my wife used to be a meat cutter. So between the two of us, we can overhaul and elk pretty darn quick once we get started.

How about the rest of you. Are you equipped to handle one at home to avoid those high processing fees?

[pointysticks]

i never have hunted solo, so i share the meat equally between all participants. you helped haul out meat, you get a fair share.

my share has always fit in an ice chest. i have these excellent plastic bags i put my meat into that keep them dry. i think they were fish monger bags. i keep it on ice for a day. once rested, i am on meat duty. some animal died, come hell or high water, i am gonna eat it. so i have to take care of it ASAP. clean, cut, label, package and freeze. meat first, then i unpack and put away gear.

[BrentLaBere]

With any big game animal it is de-boned and cut properly to put in the freezer for later processing. This is usually where I weigh each section and start labeling whether it gets into burger, jerky, steak, summer sausage, country sausage, roast, ect....The better cuts such as steaks and roast will be freezer vacuumed sealed and put in the deep freeze. Berger, sausage and jerky meat put into gallon baggies and put away until we decide to process all of our game at once. I guess its broken into two parts because of what others have mentioned I am exhausted at this point after any trip and need some rest. I always rest better knowing the meat is away and cold. I can deal with the equipment as the year goes on for that matter because that hunt is pretty well over with.
We have a larger grinder, small dehydrator and a very larger smoke house we built ourselves. We usually get a couple family's together for a nice two day gathering of meat processing. Always good food/drinks and a great time.

[WapitiTalk1]

I've got nothing If I/we get an elk down, it's packed down the mountain and to a pre determined wild game processor for basic cutting and wrapping. Back up the hill to finish the hunt.

[Swede]

I have not done any butchering for years. I take it to the butcher shop as soon as possible and let them know when to expect me back. I go back to camp and cook for others, hunt deer and or go back and sit in my stand a few days. Sometimes it may be many days. When I am finished hunting, I go pick up my elk in little white packages, place it in the cooler and head home. I would like to do my own butchering, but that would interfere too much with hunting.

[elkmtngear]

Bill, I did my first elk. Came home, put the half frozen quarters in the bathtub, and I started slicing (with a commercial grade slicer) while my Wife wrapped.

About 12 hours later, both of us swore we would never do it again. I'm too meticulous about cutting out all the white matter and other junk.
Better for the processor to do a basic job, and I clean up the steaks before we eat them.

So, if you want to justify the cost of a meat processor when it comes to the wife, just have her help you ONCE!

[cnelk]

I have done it both ways. it depends on time available and time of year.
If we get an elk in november, its easier to keep it at temp than in september.
since I grind most of it, it doesnt take too long once everything is set up.

I processed my bull and my sons cow last fall as I had the opportunity to keep cool and I had the time.

if my NR buddies get an elk while we are archery hunting, we do it one of two ways:

1- dash it to the processor if early in the hunt
2- debone it and ice it down in coolers and they drive home if hunt is over and they cut it up there

[flystrait]

I've cut everthing myself, and now it all goes to the butcher in boned out fashion.

[ElkNut1]

My wife & I cut, bag & label all our wild game & have for many years. We like it this way as we know what we have! I usually hang or lay it in an old fridge for 7 days before cutting, there have been some animals that we did in a day or two of killing. Really couldn't tell much difference in the meat. Some we hung for 2 weeks, still no big difference in taste or tenderness.

ElkNut1

[eriks.]

I've never shot anything as large as an elk, but I do butcher the deer I shoot. I will bone out the meat and then put it in a cooler or coolers and add frozen 2 liter soda bottles to it to keep cool. I keep switching out the bottles with new frozen ones as they thaw. I have aged the meat for up to 10 days like this with very good results. It lets me pick and choose when I take care of it also.

Using the soda bottles is a lot less messy than having loose ice melt and create water in the bottom of the cooler.

[CrazyElkHunter]

Since we are over a 1000 miles from home, we always take the meat directly to the meat processor, then return to camp. He will hold it up to about 10 days including processing time if needed, or process it right away if leaving for home. Our processor is very trustworthy, very clean and I send everyone I meet on the mountain to him. Then when we make trip back into town to pick up the frozen meat, we do laundry and pick up fresh supplies for more hunting. We have freezers in camp that we run off of generators that holds our processed meat, frozen food and extra ice. Then when we leave for home the freezers run off of inverters. When we get home, all we have to do is transfer the meat to main freezer. Its not that we are lazy, this just works for us because of hunting so far from home. Just making the long drive home, unpacking, cleaning vehicles takes several days and we do not have to worry about the meat.

[JGH]

Same as erics here ... and I do think it makes a difference in taste.

But even if it doesn't, the nice thing is to get home, fill some coolers with meat and pre-frozen 2L bottles of water and milk jugs, and pour a glass of anything and relax, check email, send some photos, etc.

Then, in a week, when I've recovered and made time, Wife and I cut it up and grind/can/wrap it.

[Da White Shoe]

If one of us kills an elk too early in the hunt, we haul it to town and pay $35 to hang it in a walk-in cooler.
Best money you will ever spend. You really haven't ate elk until you've had one that was aged 10 or 15 days!

About 20 years ago, I built a meat box out of 2x2s, 1/4" plywood and 2" Styrofoam sheeting.
We drive a long ways to get home from Colorado... and elk quarters stay very cold with dry-ice in that box.
I, too, am usually too tired to start cutting when I get home, so I just leave it in there and buy more dry-ice if I have to.

I have a good grinder and my wife is a big help cutting and packaging... if she isn't cooking it while I cut it up by myself!

[WapitiTalk1]

If one of us kills an elk too early in the hunt, we haul it to town and pay $35 to hang it in a walk-in cooler.
Best money you will ever spend. You really haven't ate elk until you've had one that was aged 10 or 15 days!

About 20 years ago, I built a meat box out of 2x2s, 1/4" plywood and 2" Styrofoam sheeting.
We drive a long ways to get home from Colorado... and elk quarters stay very cold with dry-ice in that box.
I, too, am usually too tired to start cutting when I get home, so I just leave it in there and buy more dry-ice if I have to.

I have a good grinder and my wife is a big help cutting and packaging... if she isn't cooking it while I cut it up by myself!

I've seen this contraption you speak of Shoe, but could you please post it up for folks to see. It kicks a$$ to say the least. If you don't show the good folks of the elknut forum some pics, I'll be forced to post up "the video" once again Thanks.. RJ

[Da White Shoe]

Hold on, there! Don't do it!
Give me a minute... I'm on my other PC, the one without my pics.

[Da White Shoe]

I'm afraid that I'm temporarily locked out of the old PC.
The wife is the only one that knows the password... .... and I'm not about to wake her up!

Maybe you can get them off this link, Rory.... http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthrea ... 1064482317

[BrentLaBere]

I'm afraid that I'm temporarily locked out of the old PC.
The wife is the only one that knows the password... .... and I'm not about to wake her up!

Maybe you can get them off this link, Rory.... http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthrea ... 1064482317

I am very interested in how you did that. Do you have to sign up for that other forum to view the pictures?
Anyway I would like to add something new to my system if I have to travel with the meat further distance this year.

[WapitiTalk1]

I am very interested in how you did that. Do you have to sign up for that other forum to view the pictures?
Anyway I would like to add something new to my system if I have to travel with the meat further distance this year.

You shouldn't have to sign in to AT to see the pics but maybe you do? Any way, here's the pics of Da White Shoe's traveling cooler. Pretty dang cool huh. Here's the original description from his AT post. "This is the one I built out of a box that was already made. I planned it so that the quarters will stand upright. I used 1 inch thick styrofoam instead of 2" to save room... because this box isn't nearly as big as the one I made from scatch. We pack the meat box full of tarps or whatever on the trip out there. The green thing in the pics is an old T shirt, stapled to the inside of the lid to hold the dry ice.
There is no need for a drain if you use dry ice. It is pretty much sealed with the over lapping foam joints, so I doubt there will be much air leaking out if it works like my other one. I made corners for it so the lid won't slip around. The handles are just some scap flat metal I had laying around... wrapped them in electrical tape. The foam is glued in place with "liquid nails", but you could use sheetrock screws with a washer to hold them on. I used a ratchet strap that runs through the handles to hold the lid on. It's so clean because it hasn't been used yet... but the other one, (my brother has it now) has been used for the last 15 years".

Pics 1 - 3.

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[WapitiTalk1]

Pics 4-6 of Shoe's traveling dry ice cooler.

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meatbox%20011[1].jpg (11.93 KiB) Viewed 17168 times

[WapitiTalk1]

Pics 7-9 of Shoe's traveling dry ice, meat cooler. I'm sure he'll answer any specific questions you have about his meat cooling tote ..

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meatbox%20014[1].jpg (22.98 KiB) Viewed 17168 times

[Z Barebow]

I posted my set up earlier in the same AT thread as da shoe.

I was solo and killed that bull 3 days into the hunt, so I had time to do the work. I cut up all of my own critters. I bring all of my own cutting/wrapping materials with me. Bring along a comfy chair so you can cut/trim while getting off of your feet.

The sooner I get home, the sooner my wife expects me to do stuff around the house!

[ElkNut1]

Phantom (Rory) thanks for sharing the story & photos, very nice! Guys should consider it, it's priced right & anyone can build one.

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

When I shot some other rifle bulls I was out of state. I had them processed and my Father-in-law brought out the finished meat
I had a cow tag on DeseretCWMU in Utah. Late season. Hung them in my garage that Saturday night, Monday we butchered with the help of a neighbor.

The yearlyning cow I shot 2 years ago , I packed full of ice at the nearest town and drove home, With my wife and daughters help we had it in the freezer by dark
Everything gets packaged right away in the heat
I do not grind or pre slice any of the meat.
Everything is labled as to what piece of meat it is; backstraps, front shoulder, brisket pieces , lower front leg, good shoulder , tough shoulder
We did find out a new neighbor cut wild game. He did an OK job on my daughters moose,. One advantage he did make good burger for us; he isnt cheap $125 for a deer, 200 -225 an elk, moose .70 a pound

[BrentLaBere]

Phantom thank you for posting those pictures. Everyone else for the information too, it is very helpful. I may be looking at building one of those myself.

[>>>---WW---->]

If you don't want to build a box, just go to the city dump and get an old small deep freeze that has been thrown away. I have one that is somewhere between 7- 11 cu.ft. Just put a bunch of plastic jugs of ice and it will last a week or so. When not on a hunting trip, I use it to store bagged feed for the horse and chickens.

[BrentLaBere]

Good point WW,
Last year year I had brought coolers (none were big enough to fit the entire quarter in) and froze one gallon water jugs. They lasted most of the week but to use them to keep the quarters cool was difficult. The contact areas were cold and that was it. I did get more cubed ice and that did the trick. Just trying to figure out way to improve keeping the meat cool (inexpensive way). So I may be looking for an old chest

[Lefty]

Wallmart has a large tool box for $55.00 .CONTICO Pro Tuff Bin, 37 Wx21 Dx20 H, w/Key Lock

Ive been using one for 17 -18 years big tough plastic box.I take it on all my hunting trips for meat and all my storage foam could be added,..


I like the idea of hanging dry ice,.. the shirt is a good idea

[cnelk]

i just did a quick search on the local craigslist and found many old frig/freezer units for $50 or less.
Cant hardly buy materials and build something for those $$$

[Indian Summer]

Old chest freezers are a dime a dozen. Heck you can find one that works for $100.

I process my own deer because they are small, take less time, and get fed to my dogs. You might think I don't take as much time because I'm not eating it but I only know one way to do things and that's thr right way. My ground doesn't have a single white spec in it. No fat no silver skin and even includes the backstraps. A precessor doing it for profit couldn't make money if he did it as meticulously as I prefer it. Deer are actualy harder to do than elk.

When I lives in Montana I'd be really busy. if I killed an elk I'd be right onto deer hunting. For that reason I just didn't have time to cut and wrap my own. BUT... if I didn't have someone to do it properly I'd still have done it myself. Luckily Marty & Kim Auch the owners of Hamilton Packing in the Bitterroot only know one way to do it too. So even if I had the time I'd just pay him. They aren't a seasonal deer whacking business either though. year round custom packing for all local livestock.. cattle, sheep , hogs etc. Another reason I go to them: For another $15 they vac seal the entire bull! You can't buy the dang plastic for that much. Never a hair, no bone, and zero fat or sinew.

Here's a good story: This year when I kill a bull in Wyoming, just like last year I'll throw the 1/4s in the truck and drive 8 hours to drop it at Hamilton Packing, continue up the valley and drop the skull with Gary Haas at Big Sky Beetleworks. Nice to know that stuff is getting done while I'm out hunting for another bull.... or wolves. I'm lucky to have good friends there and my meat will be aged then cut wrapped and frozen... and my skull will be cleaned and whitened to take home in a week for me to truck home. It's so nice getting home with sealed meat and a skull ready to hang or stand in the corner.... so I can collapse on the couch!

[planebow]

We have a small chest freezer that I take with use in my cargo trailer. Last year I think I had 22 gallon milk jugs filled with water and frozen. I stayed for 2 weeks and would run a generator about an hour each night. At the end of 2 weeks all of the ice on the bottom was still frozen solid with my quartered out bull on top of the jugs. As some of the jugs thawed on top they where used for ice cold drinking water.

[Da White Shoe]

Thanks for digging that out of the AT thread, Rory!
I knew you could do it!

I also knew that I couldn't!

[Herb]

Processing is about like any trade that requires tools and skills....the better or more you have, the easier it is.


Those efforts in the field that brings the meat home takes some tools and skills too. I'd give the skills the nod on that part, and we all have our favorite tools.

We, my son and Hilg, ground 150 lbs and steaked out my loins last night. Steaks and burger all vacuum packed and in the freezer in 1.5 hours.....got the tools!! Cut and packaged the steaks, took everything else to the grinder. Portioned while grinding, Spencer and Hilg vacuum bed while I cleaned the grinder, we all got about the same time.

I enjoy knowing we fully cared for all our meat.

[CrazyElkHunter]

We have a small chest freezer that I take with use in my cargo trailer. Last year I think I had 22 gallon milk jugs filled with water and frozen. I stayed for 2 weeks and would run a generator about an hour each night. At the end of 2 weeks all of the ice on the bottom was still frozen solid with my quartered out bull on top of the jugs. As some of the jugs thawed on top they where used for ice cold drinking water.

We have been doing the same thing for over 25 years, but instead of the milk jugs, I line the bottom with 4 blocks of ice and a couple 20lb bags that we can use later for ice chest during the hunt. We are in camp for almost 5 weeks. Both my freezer at home and the one I use for hunting cost less than $70.00 each. The floor models at Lowe's get damaged from shoppers and they discount them a few times a year. Both retailed for over $200.00 and run perfect, just have a few dents and scrapes.

[>>>---WW---->]

I'm getting a little off the subject here, but I want to tell this story. It does go along with what we've been talking about here on this post.

A few years ago I was riding with the local game warden. We were checking out hunting camps in the area. We came across this one camp that had hides and heads laying on the ground everywhere. Several deer and about five elk. But there was no meat! So after inspecting everything the one guy that was in camp stated that the meat was over in a 16 foot enclosed trailer parked next to the road. When we looked in the trailer we found two large deep freezes. They had to have been at least 20 cu.ft. each. Maybe even larger. There was also a stainless steel cutting table and two vacum sealers.

We opened one of the freezers and it was completely full of cut and wrapped meat and all of the tags were taped to the top of the lid. I'm telling you, these guys had a traveling meat processing plant.

There was no way we could tell if there might be any additional animals other that the tagged ones. But both the warden and myself knew the land owner and he swore that everything was legal. So we just thanked them for taking good care of the meat and went on our merry way.

[>>>---WW---->]

Forgot to mention that they also had a grinder and a meat saw in the trailer.

[CrazyElkHunter]

Forgot to mention that they also had a grinder and a meat saw in the trailer.

One or more of those guys must have been a butcher sometime in his life with a set up like that.

[Trophyhill]

if i'm done hunting i put mine in the fridge for a couple days and rotate and turn frequently then butcher and freeze. if i hunt 2 states and kill one in the first state, i recruit some help and "git er done" and in the freezer asap and hit the road. it can be very exhausting.

[Indian Summer]

I did see a guy once with a power converter running a chest freezer in the back of a Suburban. Said as long as he ran it while he was driving everything stayed frozen when it was off over night if he stopped at a hotel heading home.