Do you bag the meat in the cooler?

[navet]

Ok, this is the stupid question for the day.
So you kill an elk quarter it, bag it, and pack it back to camp. You put the meat on ice in an igloo or other cooler . Do you put the meat in a plastic bag before placing in the cooler? Or do you just leave it in the meat bags? Seems like you would not want the meat to get wet from the ice....

[Washington Wapiti]

Most definitely, put it in a plastic bag or garbage bag of some sort. As the ice melts it will pool in the bottom. I would also pop the plug in the bottom to let melt run out, or check it periodically and dump it every so often. Do everything you can to keep the meat dry. This last year, I only put mine in the cooler during the hottest part of the day, then hung it back out at night when the temps dropped.

[Toby]

We usually bring freezer wrap and cut ours up and package it right in camp, then put the packages in plastics bags, add ice to cooler and leave plug open. When you get home all you have to to is divided the meat and put it in the freezer.

I know some guys will put meat in cooler with ice and open the cooler plug, no bags on anything, just make sure the bloody water runs out. I have never tried this so?

[pointysticks]

Depends on the weather. If it is freezing out I hang everything. Even freeze temps at night is enough.

I always freeze bottles of water and keep them locked away in my brothers high dollar chest. Works nice.

[pd]

You guys have just made my day!

I have two chest freezers, up until now full of venison and salmon. We will clear them by August (and purchase fresh salmon, and purchase tags for the meat ). I always end up buying ice bags for the camp ice chest--but with the empty freezers now I can start freezing water bottles.

So there is your answer. We keep the bagged meat in the ice chests during the day if it is really hot (otherwise, just let it hang in the shade). With ice bottles, you won't have water to worry about, nor will you get freezer burn from dry ice (if you use that). Put a layer of ice bottles on the floor of the ice chest, layer on the quarters of meat. They will stay plenty cool.

I even added a note to my "To Do List" for this season. Thanks, guys!

[pd]

Nathan, one more point (you probably already know this...). If at all possible, hang your meat in the wind for several hours, before you put it in the ice chest. Through the miracle of evaporation, the bloody quarters will cool much faster in the breeze than they would in the ice chest. You will end up with dried quarters, cooled meat, and little to no blood in the ice chest when you transfer the meat.

Yellow jackets, flies, and high temperatures might prevent you from doing this. I try to use thin gauze bags to hanging in the wind--not the net/mesh types, but not the super thick Alaskan game bags, either.

[navet]

Perfect...
My experience is only with WT in Texas so we hang over night then to the processor or home.. In colorado I will have to store the meat in a cooler for several days of travel home. I will plastic bag them while in the cooler on ice.
Thanks again

[8upbowhunter]

We do just the opposite with deer and will do it with elk. We ice them without putting them in bags. When the ice melts a good bit we drain the bloody water and add more ice. I usually repeat this a couple of times during the week. By the time I butcher it there is little blood left. Thats just how we do it down here.

[Swede]

I just pack things in a good cooler and supplement with ice if necessary. I have never had a problem.

[Csrbowhunter]

How do you keep from getting freezer burn from dry ice? I used it on the way back to Ohio last time and lost a lot of meat just coming home.

[WapitiTalk1]

How do you keep from getting freezer burn from dry ice? I used it on the way back to Ohio last time and lost a lot of meat just coming home.

It cannot touch the meat Craig. Many folks hang it above the meat in a cloth enclosure. If I can find some pics of a friend's box he made for long haul meat transfer using dry ice, I'll post em up.

[Sean D.]

How do you keep from getting freezer burn from dry ice? I used it on the way back to Ohio last time and lost a lot of meat just coming home.

When I buy dry ice i put it in the paper grocery sacks, I also lay paper sacks over the top of the meat in the cooler before I put the dry ice in. My meat has always been mostly frozen first though. I have never had a problem getting meat back to Ohio!

[Csrbowhunter]

Do you keep the meat in canvas bags?

[Csrbowhunter]

How do you keep from getting freezer burn from dry ice? I used it on the way back to Ohio last time and lost a lot of meat just coming home.

It cannot touch the meat Craig. Many folks hang it above the meat in a cloth enclosure. If I can find some pics of a friend's box he made for long haul meat transfer using dry ice, I'll post em up.

Would a thick piece of plastic over the meat work? I put down news paper but didn't help

[pd]

How do you keep from getting freezer burn from dry ice? I used it on the way back to Ohio last time and lost a lot of meat just coming home.

Remember, dry ice is always on top, never on the bottom of your cooler (cold sinks, heat rises). Eliminate any voids in the ice chest (wadded newspaper works). Here is a trick for you (assuming your meat is dry and the drip is gone): Meat in bags on bottom. Next layer is water ice. Next layer is dry ice (wrapped in newspaper or separated by cardboard. The dry ice will freeze the water ice, but the water ice will not burn the meat.

Or, if you don't have water ice, meat on bottom, separate with a layer of towels or sweaters or cardboard, then dry ice. Don't open the cooler until you get home. No burn, no loss. It will hold for days like that.

One last pointer: Aerate your vehicle! Dry ice is simply solid carbon dioxide; when it melts, it is just CO2 in its gaseous form. Don't die, please.

[BrentLaBere]

Best condition for me would be to keep it in plastic bags, not garbage bags for a long period, and keep open for the hot air to escape. During the night time hours hang the meat and wipe it down so it keeps dry. Remember bacteria will grow faster in damp, wet conditions.