Tips and trick answers

[TennMatt]

I've got a few basic questions that I'm hoping the community can answer by sharing a few tips and tricks with me.

1 - How long does it take meat to soil once its been removed from the animal? I'm mostly solo hunting and it may take some time to get it all in an adequately cool place.

2 - Is shade the best "coolant" in the field? Do folks put quarters in cool streams (I think moisture causes meat to soil)?

3 - If you have to make multiple trips to bring it all out, how do you store it in camp?

4 - What the heck do you do to keep the head from spoiling if you harvest a big bull?

5 - What factors do you consider in choosing a head mount or other rack antler presentation?

I realize these are basic "noobie" questions. I'm fired-up about heading to the field and want to be as successful as possible.

Matt

[Swede]

Matt: Of coarse the answer to most of these questions is "it all depends". That said you can cool meat in the evening, and if the outside temperatures are high you can cool meat in a stream. I would use good garbage sacks with no holes so the meat stays dry. Having air around the meat helps it dry even in a garbage sack. The shade is better than out in the sun, but just remember the sun is constantly moving. Before you get back it will have move a long ways. You can also remove the bone to extend the time it takes to start to spoil. In typical elk country you can have several days before spoiling starts if you are careful with your meat. Remember in a meat locker the meat will hang well for weeks. If the temperatures are in the 90s, them your time before spoilage sets in is much reduced.
What kind of camp do you have. If you have a 164 quart cooler with ice, you are good to go. If you have a spike camp or the like, then do the same thing you would at the kill site. Sometimes it pays to take a load of meat into town and to bring back some ice. A clean garbage can full of ice will make a short term cooler.
For me the biggest factor on choosing a mount is cost. I like a euro mount and they are cheap. I can do it myself. If you have a great trophy and want to display it, then plan to spend more on it.

[olympushunt]

Matt, are you hunting soon? This time of year you won't have a problem. I wouldn't think it would matter what state we are talking about either. This is what I was told by a butcher who processed a lot of elk. Do NOT ever...ever put your meat in a garbage sack. That will ruin your meat regardless as it can't breathe. The best thing is get the bone out asap. Bones retain a ton of heat. Plus who wants to pack bones out! Put your meat in game bags and hang in the shade. A creek drainage usually has the best full time shade AND wind drainage. If you need to because it gets HOT during the day then put the meat in a creek and it will be just fine. He said do not worry for a second your meat will be hurt by it being under water. If you score a wall hanger....just hang the head in the shade also and unless you are out for over a week it will be ok. You can smell your game bags and tell when things are going south on you. Biggest thing.....get that bone out. In camp, make meat pole and hang your bags up in the shade. You will be fine. I hung my last bull in the shade for a week in mid September in eastern Oregon and it came out perfect.

[Tigger]

I will address the head question. First, you can learn how to cape it...there are some real critical things with regards to eyes, mouth, and antler bases (I only know enough to be dangerous, so call a legit taxidermist for the details).

Everyone likes a shoulder mount, but ceiling height, room dimensions, cost, and most importantly your significant other's thoughts on the subject may not make it feasible. If not, I like having a taxidermist do a plaque mount with velvet and trim with a nice nameplate. Cost is reasonable and you can put it in many other places. It isn't as likely to be rejected by the wife either.

Just a couple thoughts!

[saddlesore]

The problem with just dumping your meat in a stream is that there may vary well be and, and most likely organisms in the stream that you do not want on or in your meat. If temps are above 40 degrees at night and 70+ in the day, I have found 3 days is tops before meat spoils , hanging, even in the shade..

If you have a bull and you want to do a full chest mount, you need to learn how to cape it out to get that hide cooled and then salted and keep the hair from slipping.

[WapitiTalk1]

A couple of lodge poles, laid over a shady stream, can be a great method to keep meat cool for days (just make sure the poles are strong enough to hold however much meat you lay on them). These spots can be much, much cooler than the surrounding area(s) and you can take advantage of a cool mountain creek w/o dunking your meat in it. Also, don't sleep on large culverts under those walk in roads you may be hunting back in on. If they have a stream running through them, use the same method as an open creek (build a bit of a lodge pole structure, placed inside the culvert to lay your meat bags on). Even if a big old culvert has no water running through it, they can still be used to temporarily store game bagged meat (shady/much cooler than outside, and, oftentimes there is a breeze blowing through them which helps cool/dry the meat). You may end up with a mink or pine marten taking a few bits of your meat in the culverts, but that is an acceptable trade off. Members of the weasel family need to eat too Just a few more thoughts...

[Jamieastle]

Putting meat in a stream may be questionable, but I have done it several times now and have not gotten anyone sick to date. I can tell you that it has been some of the best elk meat we have ever had. Put the meat in game bags, like TAG bags, boneless, and toss them in the creek. I try to make sure that the sun in not on the meat at any time during the day. I am an old guy so I take my time packing out the meat and I try not to kill myself, if it takes a couple of days so be it. I can tell you this method makes for good eats! Another thing I like to do is mix 4 lbs. of bacon with 20-25 lbs of elk for burger, really good burger!

[CurlyTail]

Matt -

When you get an Elk down , the work begins and it can be an intimidating task. You need to be prepared mentally to work nonstop until your meat is out of the wilderness and on ice. Chug a Mountain Dew or a 5 hour Energy because urgent time sensitive action is now required on your part. This COULD take all day, all night, and all the next day in a worst case scenario. You may need help from friends / family / or horses to get your elk out of the back country. If you choose to do this Solo , you need to be in exceptional physical condition capable of carrying 5 80lbs loads back to your camp. In less than 36 hours. You must have a solid exit plan before you kill an Elk. This is why so many guys hunt the roads, and will not get back more than an mile or so. Most guys hunt with a daypack capable of carrying a front quater and perhaps backstraps and tenderloins out initially, then have a freighter pack frame for purely hauling meat. Many guys also like the added stability of hiking poles when packing meat. It is sometimes possible to arrange a local packer or outfitter to come in with horses if you have a successful kill but my impression that this is getting harder and harder to arrange since this is a fair amount of time and work for a small amount of money. Have your friends, family, or packer on speed dial for sure.

The most critical factor for cooling off your elk meat is to GET THE SKIN OFF ASAP.

Heat and moisture are your enemies. Cooling the meat in or over a stream is great but not always required. It is best practice if you can keep the meat dry. The one and only time it is OK to put elk meat in a plastic garbage bag, is if you are going to submerge it in a cold stream or lake - otherwise you trap the heat and moisture inside the plastic bag. I like to lay out a plastic sheet during the quartering process, and let the backstraps, tenderloins, brisket, and neck meat dry before throwing them in together in a game bag - otherwise you have a hot wet glob of meat. I let them air dry for 20 minutes or so as the quatering proceeds, then I take the time to flip them over and let the down side air dry. Maybe you skip the drying if insects are super heavy. Or you sprinkle them with chili powder to keep the bugs off.

If you are only 30 min. from camp, you can cut multiple corners and get away with it. The colder the temperature out, the less critical these details become. I have heard sad stories of an Elk being shot (Archery, early season), marginal shot so they give it overnight (as you should do), but by the time the Elk is found midday the next day, the meat is already beginning to sour. If the air temperature is over 50, you should proceed with urgency.

I like to have two 150qt. coolers readily available to hold the quarters and meat bags. If you are a long way in you should have ice with you. Blocks last a lot better than cubes. If you are closer to town, maybe you don't need ice ahead of time. Some well outfitted groups have a trailer, with a chest freezer and a generator. Or an propane fueled refrigerator. Lots of options.

Once you skin and quarter the elk, you can either hang the game bags in a tree on a deep shady place hopefully with some breeze, submerge them in a stream, or just set them out to cool and dry.

You can potentially save time and energy by packing out all the loads in one trip but multiple smaller steps. For example - carry a load to the top of the next ridge, then go get the next load, and the next, until all the meat is on the ridge. This allows you to rest without a load as you return for the next load, and limits the time the meat is in any one location, so you to not need to spend time and energy hiding it from bears. Then start all over heading to the next logical stopping point - slowly and laboriously make your way back to your vehicle where hopefully you have coolers waiting.

My advice is to focus on the meat and the experience - not the horns - for that is your real trophy. But -

If you are on a budget, consider doing an European Mount yourself. It is not tough and only takes a day or so.

Here is a picture of a European Mount I did this year and the project was actually fun

In camp, I would have the meat in coolers on ice. In the field the meat should be in game bags, hanging if possible, in the shade if possible.

Who cares if the head gets a little ripe - you are not going to eat it. Pack ice around it and wrap a tarp around it and get it to the taxidermist or in a freezer ASAP

The logistics of killing, quartering, and transporting an Elk Solo are substantial - good that you are thinking this out ahead of time

[ewade73]

That is very well said and excelent advice curly tail. If possibile we try to let the meat cool outside for the first night hung in a tree with cow bells attached to let us know if we have company during the night. Your ice will last twice as long if you can get away with not putting warm meat in it. This year we had two elk to bring home on a 14 hour drive so instead of buying two or three ice chests we bought a small chest freezer to get the meat home. probably the same price as three ice chests and are planning on bringing it to camp next year with a small generator to keep meat a little longer in camp because it is a 3 to 4 hour drive one way to a meat locker. Sounds like it should work for us. In hot weather a trip to the meat locker is almost a for sure if you still have 3 or more days to hunt. I carry a small space blanket in my pack for spreading out while proccesing game to help keep it clean and seperated for cooling. Black garbage bags can also be cut in half to work.I know a pack can start to get crowded but I feel like I need to have my game bags and knife with me at all times so when the animal is down you can get started cooling him down right away. In warm weather leaving meat exposed to flys while packing meat out is just not an option for me . A headlamp is also a must have item because you never know when you will find your animal. Meat is priority number one to respect the animal you harvest so i am happy to see that you are taking the time to prepare yourself for when you are succsesful. REmember the pack out is what we all hunt for .