Big Game Meat: Cool It!

Preserving the Quality

Wait for Cool Weather?

If that sounds like too much trouble, think about it. It’s a lot more trouble hauling out a whole carcass. In fact, boning big game meat out right there on the ground is also not that big a deal, once you do it a time or two.

Once you do the above processing on the ground your meat will already be cooling off very nicely, even on a warm day. “Warm” in elk country during archery season is usually not much above 70, but we’ve harvested big game meat in much warmer temperatures.

Increase Airflow

If you have to leave it overnight on the ground, at least put some logs or rocks under the carcass to allow some airflow all around it. Propped up off the ground with guts removed, including trachea, and slit wide open from anus to chin (if not a caped trophy) vastly improves heat loss.

Cooling Big Game Meat in the Field

Put the boned meat or quarters in plastic bags. Tie it good and set the bags in cool water, like a pond, lake or stream. Heavy duty garbage bags work well for this. Double bag, if the bags are thin. We’ve put deer in streams whole, but elk are pretty tough to carry over to water intact! (Any storage of big game meat in the field will set it up as a tempting meal for bears, or other carnivores, so use caution.)

Yes, there are bacteria growing in water sources like that, but you’re going to cook it eventually and kill those bugs. Sticking big game meat directly into water without being in a bag isn’t a good idea, at least not for long. The water will eventually deteriorate the quality of your meat. We have used buckets of water for this purpose for a short time to cool it down quickly.

Get your meat off the ground as soon as possible to allow for good circulation. Hang your meat from pole structures or trees. A rope stretched tightly between two trees will provide a nice line to hang quarters or bags from. Light game bags allow better circulation than the heavy duty reusable ones.

Hide On, or Off?

I want to make as few cuts as possible to that hide, so that fewer hairs and less dirt has a chance to fall on my meat. I personally want even a dirty cow elk or doe hide separated away from my meat, so it won’t get tainted from it. The “gamey” taste many people expect from big game meat is often from contamination from hide to meat.

We are careful to use and change medical type gloves after handling hide and before handling meat. Remember that the knife you skin the animal with will be contaminated with that musky smell and dirtiness. It will have some fat on it and the smelly stuff will not wash off easily without hot water. Change knives after gutting and skinning to avoid transferring that off flavor to your big game meat.

De-bone It?

However, remember that bones do provide some structure that makes it easier to handle as opposed to sloppy, sagging bags of meat. But if heat and weight is a problem, just de-bone it!

If it’s going to be in the teens at night, that’s a great time to store it outside. Big pieces of meat won’t freeze at that temp, but will age safely. Much above a temperature of 50 degrees (F) during the day starts to become risky, unless the meat cooled down a lot overnight. Make sure it’s in the shade and is getting plenty of air. Time and higher temperatures are the variables that become an enemy to the quality of your big game meat.

Harvested big game meat from a big bull elk or moose can add up to above 200 pounds. So, just getting it home untainted is not the end of the potential problem. If you stuff a freezer full of meat, it will have a hard time cooling your meat down. We often use bags of ice, even in the freezer to speed up the freezing process. (Find discussion of that on this page.)

Rent a Freezer Locker

Very Cold Weather

Aging Big Game Meat

A deer carcass might benefit from hanging a couple of days in cool weather, ideally just above freezing or so, since processing and freezing goes so much faster. We have found that any big game meat that gets frozen right away, as on a very cold hunt, usually ends up being tougher due to lack of the aging process. (More on aging on this page.)

Fresh Meat Starts Out Clean

Of course, with time, bacteria penetrate that carcass and destroy it. That’s their job. Bacteria work fast in warmth and moistness. The colder it becomes, the slower the bacteria multiply. Freezing stops the multiplication.

Just Cool It Down

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