preserving your deer meat

fratri · Post by **fratri** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:33 pm

Just wondering how some of you guys preserve your deer after the kill, what do you guys do especially in the early season when temperatures are still pretty warm... I haven't got a big freezer or cold room.....

just a feed boy · Post by **just a feed boy** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:54 pm

Before the season starts, I save every orange juice containers our family drinks , triple rinse it, fill it and freeze them. Upon harvesting a deer I immediatly gut it. I always split the pelvis in warm weather, when I haven't I've always lost a little meat. I then smash the ice blocks put the ice in bags and fill the cavity, hanging it if possible. Then getting it to a butcher asap. If one is available. Sometimes things don't work out as planned and you have to do it yourself. I've hung a deer in this fashion replacing ice for 3 days. If no butcher is available I cut the back straps out, filets, and quarter the deer. I've had to do this in Texas where the temps never let up and in Montana during indian summer. I then pack the coolers, add a layer of cardboard and dry ice on top. I've been fortunate that by the time I get home the meat has been frozen. If I'm away hunting I would naturally buy iceto cool the core temp. I have hung a gutted deer in a shed for 2 days in 65 daytime temp in shade and it was fine, I had no other choice in that situatuation. I hope this helps, if I can be any more specific let me know I thing I've been in most situations.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:03 pm

I hang 'em up and bone 'em out just as soon as I can. Usually, I've got the meat from a bow kill in the cooler within an hour and a half of shooting the arrow. Of course, I do hunt here on the farm.

Doesn't matter where you are, though. Just stretch 'em up and bone 'em out. Simple.

bob1961 · Post by **bob1961** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:04 pm

i bone my deer up into pieces the day i get it....i'll have the bottom of my fridge clear with a towel to catch any blood from the plastic shopping bags....the boned hind quarters will fit into one bag, the boned back straps from the hind quarter to the neck in another bag....each front shoulder and any pieces that come off during that part....the key is don't wrap the bags tight, just fold them under and place them in the fridge....once in the fridge it's in a controled enviroment like one that's hanging in a walk in cooler....once cooled the meat cuts better and the only bones i'm messing with are the should blades....now i can cut and wrap after a few days on my own time frame and don't have to worry bout outside temps and my hanging deer....i never had venison come out gamey or off flavor like this in the 10 years i'v been doing it this way................bob

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fratri · Post by **fratri** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:31 pm

Grizzly Adam wrote:I hang 'em up and bone 'em out just as soon as I can. Usually, I've got the meat from a bow kill in the cooler within an hour and a half of shooting the arrow. Of course, I do hunt here on the farm.

Doesn't matter where you are, though. Just stretch 'em up and bone 'em out. Simple.

Sorry but when you say bone'em out, do you mean you debone the deer (remove all the bones from the meat) just place the deer meat in the fridge for a few days, is that the deal? I assume you remove the hide as well...

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:11 pm

take all the meat off the bone...put the meat in a ice chest leave the plug out let it drain add ice daily for about 10 days..it will squeeze all the blood out and then you can wrap it up..cut meat up along muscle groups then if you like..cut against the grain of muscle when cutting and wrapping..use freezer papper doubled for best results..its easy..

Hoss

Sopchoppy · Post by **Sopchoppy** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:03 am

If you are unsure of the process, spend $20 and get a dvd on deer processing. When I started deer hunting 2 yrs. ago, I got 1 on field dressing and 1 on butchering. I have 2 plastic meat lugs (plastic tubs) I put the de-boned meat in, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the bottom section of the fridge. Usually the next day I cut into the pieces I want and vacuum seal. Then grind all the left over into burger.

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:18 am

I wrapped my deer in a tarp and fed it with an old air conditioner, kept the deer at the perfect temperature for a few days.
This year I am making a plywood box to serve the same purpose.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:20 am

Sorry, Fratri! Wasn't thinking of it from a beginner's point of view.

Since I live in the South, I've done a lot of hot-weather deer hunting. We have days that get up to 70 degrees all through the season, and in bow seasons, it's can get up to 90 or even more.

I hunt on the farm I live, so I can usually get a deer hung up on the dressing rack quick. I crank 'em up, skin 'em, and then cut the meat right off the skeleton. I never cut a bone. No need to. From whole deer to boned meat takes about 40 minutes.

This boned meat goes in a cooler, and from there into big stainless pots and bowls ... and is in the fridge until my dear wife works it up to remove whiteskin and tendon before packaging.

We eat the tenderloins right away, and save the backstraps for fry. Select ham portions might be reserved for stew or roast. Everything else is ground for jerky, sausage and burger.

saxman · Post by **saxman** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:23 am

DITTO on the two posts above

HOT down here so we bone out quickly trying not to cut into any bone.