processing your own deer in the South East.

[swampfox88]

I have been hesitant to process our own deer due to the warm temps we have down in South Carolina during hunting season. During bow season you can have a low in the 60's. During December you can have temps in the 60's as well. Any hunters in the southern states process your own deer without the use of a walk in cooler? It cost me about $110 to get a deer ground up?

[cam]

I do. I don't have access to a locker or walk-in. And it aint uncommon to hunt in shorts and t shirts in my area until late October. I recover the deer and get it broke down, and quartered up or ground up as quick as I can.

[daswolter]

Here in Wisconsin we can have warm weather for deer season to what I do is carry frozen water jugs in a cooler. once the deer is back to the truck I put the jugs in the body cavity. Get it home skin the deer and process it right away.

That and the bugs are the only down fall of hunting warm weather. LOL

[ontariotrapper]

By deer season its pretty cold here usually but out bear season can be warm.

For bears shot in warm weather the first this to do is get it skinned asap. Most bears are shot close to dusk but you cant leave it in the bush overnight. If tracking by headlight/flash light is required you do it. Once its retrieved, skinned and reskinned(get that layer of fat off the carcass) quarter it and wrap it in cheesecloth soaked in vinegar or lemon-juice to keep the bacteria from starting.

If the night temp will be under 45°F then I will leave it hanging on the meat pole. If not I put the quarters in the freezer and leave it all night.

[swampfox88]

so you don't have to age the meat? I hunt wma land. No atv's allowed. so the deer is shot and i give them a good half an hour if they are not dead where I can see them. Then its a 45 min drag out. 45 min drive home. So as long as i
gut the deer on the spot either quarter it put it in a cooler or ice bottles in the cavity. I will be alright to take it home and process it then and there?

[farmertrappe]

Ya SF88, quartered up, wrapped up tight in plastic bags, iced down with water able to drain out of cooler. I've left deer in hot weather like that till able to finish up with it two days later. Sure its nice to hang deer for a few days before butchering, but not always possible.

[cam]

About the only aging I will do is I will fill the icechest up with ice, and let it sit until the ice is almost melted, then add more ice to it, I'll do that until the water drained from the icechest is running clear. I'll also add a few handfuls of rocksalt to the water as well.

I can't afford to let a deer sit out overnight. Between the heat and the coyotes, its a race to get to the deer or hog as soon as I drop the string or pull the trigger.

[swampfox88]

Thanks all for the advice, Would it be better to put the deer quarters in plastic bags or cloth game bags in the cooler?

[jimo]

I'm not real far south in southern Indiana but we have some warm weather during bow season. I've killed several deer when the temp. Was in the 80's and have always processed my own. Have an old refrigerator in the garage like a lot of people do. I gut the deer and get it home then quarter it. Put the quarters in the old refrigerator so they can cool and age until I have time to process. It's nice to let them age and not feel like you have to process right away. I always get a kick out of people thinking they have to have a fancy walk-in cooler for deer. My old refrigerator was given to me when someone updated theirs. It has sure cooled down a lot of deer. 

[mrchicken]

I learned to hunt in FL. Bow season its pushing 100'

Here is how I learned to do it.

Recover critter and field dress. Especially since you hunt WMA's with no ATV recovery allowed. Momma gets MAD when you put 30 lbs of deer guts in the garbage can the day after they pick up !!

I keep a cooler full of frozen water jugs in the truck. Stuff cavity with ice jugs and wrap in plastic tarp or garbage bags.
Boogie home. Hang and process out into CLEAN coolers layering with ice as you go.

Next morning crack the drain and let the water out. Add ice. Repeat for 3-5 days. No salt/vinegar etc... required unless you want to leech more blood from the meat.

Finish processing, vacuum sealing and put in freezer.


In reality you have a couple hours to recover the deer and get the guts out but THE SOONER THE BETTER!!!!
White tail body temp averages 104' so you usually have a differential working in your favor even if its in the 80's.

My preferred method is to do the initial processing in the woods and tote the meat out in CLEAN contractor trash bags in my big outfitter/frame backpack. **** check your regs to see if this is legal in your state and WMA****

[Nutso]

I have to admit that I do not accept a lot wild game that is offered to me because most people think that all game needs to "age" before butchering. Yes, red meat is better when aged...but when it is done is a cooler...not hanging from a tree. If you have access to a walk-in cooler, feel free to age your wild game for a few days, but if not, get it cut up and cooled down as quickly as possible. I live in the North East and grew up processing a lot a game. There were many days that an animal was processed and put in the freezer the same day it was killed. The thought of something hanging from a tree for a few days just grosses me out. My Dad was the "local butcher" and a lot of people brought game to our house for processing, and I saw some seriously disgusting things. I am very particular about how the game that makes it to my freezer is handled.

[flags]

I do a lot of deer hunting in the south east. I bone the animal as soon as I can and put the boned meat in 2 1/2 gallon ziploc bags. Then I put the bags in a good quality cooler and cover it with ice. I check the ice every day, drain out the water and replace the ice as needed. If you use good quality bags the meat doesn't get any water in it. I've kept deer up to 4 days doing this until I had time to butcher it. If you have a good cooler (I like the metal ones by Coleman for this) the ice hardly melts after the first day since the meat will be chilled by then. Open the cooler as little as you can get by with.

[lighthouse]

Sept 13, 2014 20:28:46 GMT -5 Nutso said:

I have to admit that I do not accept a lot wild game that is offered to me because most people think that all game needs to "age" before butchering. Yes, red meat is better when aged...but when it is done is a cooler...not hanging from a tree. If you have access to a walk-in cooler, feel free to age your wild game for a few days, but if not, get it cut up and cooled down as quickly as possible. I live in the North East and grew up processing a lot a game. There were many days that an animal was processed and put in the freezer the same day it was killed. The thought of something hanging from a tree for a few days just grosses me out. My Dad was the "local butcher" and a lot of people brought game to our house for processing, and I saw some seriously disgusting things. I am very particular about how the game that makes it to my freezer is handled.

X2. Unless you are getting very cold temps do not hang them outside or in your garage (like many do here) to age. If you have some way to keep them cool, either refrigerator or walk in cooler, fine. I am a microbiologist by schooling and you don't want to know what is on your meat by leaving outside or in your garage of its not cold out.

We process everything same day as the kill. We got to where from the time we got the deer home (ungutted and unskinned) till the time the last piece of meat was wrapped up and put in the freezer, was 5 hours.

[FLORIDA SNAREMAN]

Sept 3, 2014 18:34:24 GMT -5 swampfox88 said:

I have been hesitant to process our own deer due to the warm temps we have down in South Carolina during hunting season. During bow season you can have a low in the 60's. During December you can have temps in the 60's as well. Any hunters in the southern states process your own deer without the use of a walk in cooler? It cost me about $110 to get a deer ground up?

[FLORIDA SNAREMAN]

Sept 3, 2014 18:34:24 GMT -5 swampfox88 said:

I have been hesitant to process our own deer due to the warm temps we have down in South Carolina during hunting season. During bow season you can have a low in the 60's. During December you can have temps in the 60's as well. Any hunters in the southern states process your own deer without the use of a walk in cooler? It cost me about $110 to get a deer ground up?

[FLORIDA SNAREMAN]

Here in Northwest florida it is warm during archery season, don't have a walk in cooler so we just quarter our deer up put in 120 quart cooler and pack in ice we make our self keep deer iced down for 5 or 6 days drain the water each day and on day 6 we bone out make hamburger, and cube the hams and tenderloin wrap and put in freezer... on to the next deer.

[ilbucksndux]

I live in Southern Illinois and during bow season daytime temps can be in the high 80's Gun season it can be 60 or 20 . Freshly killed warm meat can be hard to cut up and deal with.I process ALL of my own deer these days because its retarded to pay someone 80-100 bucks for something you can do in an evening .

If I have the time and the temperature is right I skin a deer and let it hang over night in my garage with the doors cracked and a fan in the window to pull in cold air. If that is not possible I will skin and quarter the deer and put it in coolers full of ice with the drain plug open. I prefer to debone the meat for this process,but quartered will work too.

I have left meat in coolers adding new ice everyday for several days.Then cut up/grind/process the meat at my leisure.

[boyczech]

I have gutted and skinned a smaller bear. Cut the head and paws off. Then put it in my largest freezer. I then butchered it a week or so later. The meat tasted great. The two things that were a pain in the butt, 1. Thawing the carcass, 2. Don't put it on top of your ice cream. The carcass melted the whole bucket.

[hoseromon]

Every year we bowhunt opening weekend mid September it is usually in the 70s or sometimes 80s. When we get them back to the camper we skin quarter put in garbage bags and iced down in coolers. From moment of kill to on ice is usually 2 hrs time or so. They stay on ice all weekend until we get home to finish processing. Just try to keep the meat from getting wet. If it does it will discolor the meat.

[jimdundee]

yep x 23....I have taken a few Deer down here in South Florida from JW Corbett WMA, Dupuis as well Three Lakes WMA, best you can do get em out of their coat and on ice till it's time to freeze.

take a look at any butchers diagram of a cow, give it a go, just follow the seams in the meat, start by cutting into smaller pieces you'll get the hang of it!!

good luck

[jimdundee]

ha ha off topic......when you are proficient at boning out a deer, I'll tell you how to make the "Maiden Steak"......... always a hit at deer camp!!!!!!!

remember a dull knife will cut you quicker/worst than a sharp one!!!

[thedeerfarm]

quarter's and back straps go in the Yeti !!!  put ice in bottom of cooler /layer of meat/layer of ice REPEAT.....drain twice a day... top off with ice daily!!!...I do this for a 5 to 7 days and then grind or cube~~ENJOY!!!