keeping meat cool/gamewith

[Dom]

with the temps being so warm how do you keep game cool not everyone have walkin freezers i quarter and put in spare fridge till i can cutup

[HUNT6246]

Pretty much the same here. If I'm away from home, I'll at least skin and quarter a deer and if it's cool enough I'll cover the sections with cheese cloth and hang them in a shed overnight. If not or for the ride home, they'll go in a cooler with ice below. If I'm home, I do the same as you, skin, quarter and put in a spare refrigerator until it can be cut, trimmed, ground etc. and packaged. I can't see that the 'frig' method is much different than 'aging' the meat outdoors. It's more controlled and has always been good for us without any problems.

[wdswtr]

I have had to take a tarp and use it as a bag and wrap it around the deer. Leave enough room for filling with as much ice as possible. Served the purpose. One night I got one of those sit up out of bed yeehaw IM going to be rich ideas lol. I was thinking of getting a local guy who makes awnings and such for boats etc to sew me up a game bag for the sixe of a deer with a zipper on it so I could fill it with ice for such occasions or transporting. About a week later I heard an advertisement for one. Oh well there goes being rich again lol.

[Grizz1219]

Spare fridge in the garage.....

[upstaterifle]

What if you are somewhere that you are not going to be home or to refrigeration until the next day? Is it better to just leave the deer hanging if it is under 40 degrees?

[pawle76]

If it's below 40 hanging it is fine. That's the way we've done it and never had any problems. If it's warm I keep the skin on and then pack the body cavity with bags of ice and keep it out of the sun (if it's daytime). Then I suggest getting it to the butcher ASAP.

[Doc]

Yeah, if the air temp stays below 40 degrees, there is no problem. But in the early part of the season, it is not all that uncommon to get into some really gross high temperatures. When that has happened in the past, we have an old refrigerator (Salvation Army special ....lol) in the basement that will fit around a quartered up deer.

There have been other times when I simply butcher it up immediately and forego all the hanging and aging stuff. I have never had that cause a problem or any noticeable change in the meat taste or texture.

[SchrnLker]

I've kept early season deer cool by hanging head down, filling chest and abdomen cavity with ice bags, and tying a bag of ice between the hind quarters. Cover with a tarp. Also wash out the insides before all this with cold water helps cool the body quickly.

[Fletch]

As some others posted when not cool enought o hang, and remember it could be 50 out in the sun on a hill but down in a cool shady spot closer to 40, I have packed with a couple bags of ice and packed in a sleeping bag.

Now I have an old beer cooler. The horizontal kind that went under the bar. I have that in the garage. In the summer it seconds as a party cooler for drinks and such. In hunting season I could stuff two deer in there no problem.