[bowhunter86]

I am going to be hunting this weekend in Missouri, it will be in the low 80's. If i shoot a deer in the evening, would the meat be okay to let it sit in the bed of the truck over night with bags of ice in the chest cavity?

 

[leblanc822]

Nope

Just quarter it , put it in the cooler with ice poured over the top and leave the drain plug open....check the ice before you have your last night cap.

 

[TopOfFoodChain]

I've done both but quartering and puting in a cooler is better. If you can't do that, I'd hose it down to cool the meat and then fill the chest cavity with ice. Make sure you wrap the deer in plastic or a tarp to cool the cold in

 

[candless]

Should be ok if you wrap the deer and keep the cool in.
If it were me...I'd skin it, quarter/backstrap, and place in a big cooler with ice.

 

[Stump Shooter]

Personally, I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. At this time of the year with the temps the way they are, you have to allow yourself time to cut that animal up that night or that morning. If you can't, might not be the best idea to even go hunting in fear of the meat spoiling.

 

[illbowhunter]

I do it all the time. Put a couple bags of ice in the cavity and wrap the deer in a heavy blanket. I do it while it is hanging. Just do not skin it until you are ready to cut it up. The hide helps insulate too.

 

[Davy C]

It should be okay overnight. A few years ago we shot three deer on opening weekend. Temperatures were in the 90's. We hung them overnight, got up early the next morning, started skinning and immediately de-boned them and put them on ice in coolers. I get large FDA approved polyethylene meat bags from my butcher for about 7cents a piece. They are big enough to put a de-boned quarter in. Do not use garbage bags because they have an organic residue on them.

 

[FL-HNT-N-FSH]

quarter and put in a cooler with dry ice it last longer and doesnt soak into the meet

 

[deer_hunt'n]

Put it in your truck cab overnight with the AC on High. Just dont lock your doors

The above posts should work.

 

[Bees]

I am going to be hunting this weekend in Missouri, it will be in the low 80's. If i shoot a deer in the evening, would the meat be okay to let it sit in the bed of the truck over night with bags of ice in the chest cavity?

yep sure will. get a big cooler and put the whole deer in it and Ice it down, it will keep longer than overnight.

 

[hoyt bowhunting]

Take the time and butcher it then you can put it in your cooler and still have room to keep the beer cold.
matt

 

[buckhunter2054]

I like the AC in the truck cab idea. Make you to put the deer in the passenger seat though so you don't get a bunch of blood on your side.

 

[Ivorytooth]

Get the hide off ASAP. Quarter it and wrap it cheese cloth and then in old sleeping bags with dry ice. It will almost freeze solid.

 

[camoham]

keep in mind that some states have different regulations on how the deer is handled until checked in.

complete quartering and butchering may not be an option until checked in (like in my state).

wish i could just check in a "hoof" my job would be easier :wink:

camoham

 

[Ishi]

keep in mind that some states have different regulations on how the deer is handled until checked in.

complete quartering and butchering may not be an option until checked in (like in my state).

wish i could just check in a "hoof" my job would be easier :wink:

camoham

Good point! See it took this many posts for someone to come up with that. Your getting advise from a bunch of poachers. j/k :tongue:

Never wrap meat in plastic. It needs to breath. Freeze some milk jugs full of water and stick them in the body cavity. Cover with a blanket and get up butt early, go check it in and then butcher.

 

[twogun]

This subject comes up every year, and I've tried to find some authorotative standard but can't. Obviously, the sooner the meat is cooled the better. In general it is a meat quality issue, but at some point it becomes a food safety issue. So where is the cut off?

The only standard I have found concerning wild game was from New Zealand; get the internal temperature of the meat to below 40 degrees within 24 hours. That doesn't mean that you need to get it in the cooler within 24 hours. The actual temperature at the thickest point must be below 40. Once you get the meat to the cooler, depending on how warm it is, it will probobly take several hours to reach that.

 

[DeerAnil8r]

Where can you get dry ice on a moments notice?

 

[Ivorytooth]

Where can you get dry ice on a moments notice?

You don't, you plan ahead. Planning ahead is important in almost all aspects of hunting. If you don't think about what you need to do with an animal until you actually get one down, then you are not planning your hunt wisely.

 

[mntngrown]

dry ice

Just another point, if you have the luxury of dry ice in your cooler, it outgasses CO2, displacing oxygen, which would help prevent spoilage, since most bacteria need Oxygen to do their dirty work.

 

[Razor Dobbs]

My experience is this:
Gut the deer ASAP. Skin and Quarter. . If the carcus is real warm from it's body heat, let it cool down, Keep the flies off of course. As soon as possible put in a cooler with ice (meat covered and not in direct contact with ice). When the ice starts melting add more ice. I'm sure there are many great ways, this is just the way I have done it and it works for me. Thanks.