carrying deer

I usually break down the carcass into legs and backsteaks, hanging in a bush or tree to cool as I go, then skin the legs and into the gamebag. Sometimes I bone the legs right out so I’m only carrying meat.

One recent exception was on a farm hunt where the manager mentioned he hated hunters leaving meat in the bush, so I made my nephew carry his fallow hind out whole!

Well...If I can I will carry it out, even those guts like lungs as well blood, but I can `t carry 80kg carcass out of bush for now. I like cooking and actually those guts can make nice meal if you know how. Did anyone here ever taste deer brain?

I love to get them out whole, the shanks slow cooked are bloody nice.

Cut windows out of the rib cage, boil them until tender then maranade in the fridge overnight and cook on bbq, one of the best parts of the animal.

I'm getting smarter, but it was a close call.

My wife shot a nice fat 2yr sika stag yesterday morning just 300m from camp. It was just 6m down in a gut and the way back to camp was across mainly flat tussock, across a flat creek bed then a long rope onto the ute could drag it up to camp.
Geez it would look so good hanging whole in my meat safe.
Now if we gutted it and drag it just up onto the flat I reckon I could carry that. This used to be a doddle for me.
Now wait on, maybe it would be easier if we dragged it across the tussock.

Then the brain started to kick into gear a bit.

On Monday I've got an appointment for a cortisone injection in my lower back.
On Tuesday I have a hip Xray appointment prior to seeing the surgeon who gave me two tin knees.

We relayed it to camp in 8 pieces.

Eye fillet for tea tonight.

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Originally Posted by tanqueray

Shot this nice big hind on Saturday. Decided to carry her out whole, I have three kids under 10 so we use a lot of mince, and I wanted to take all the trim and poor cuts I could for this. Carry was just under 2km as the crow flies, which took me three hours.

I’m not particularly strong or tough, she tried to kill me a few times along the way. Ended up head down boots up in a creek at one point.

Unfortunately she was angling away so the shot ruptured her gut bag, so had to leave the eye fillets and was a bit cautious with what I took around the ribs and skirt. Still, got 17kg of meat off her all up.
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now weigh what you dumped.........and there is MAYBE 1kg of trimmings left on ribs etc that go into mince ok....flaps do to. great work on big carry but you can be a little smarter for very similar result...even boning out front half and carrying back wheels intact is a shit ton lighter and easier on body than whole carcass .
beauty of doing it that way is you dont need a huge daybag to fit meat of front end into...back wheels with pelvis stil lin,so cut off in one lump will ride nicely (and keep your ears warm LOL) if carried just like giving the kids a shoulder ride....

I shoot a couple of properties that require the whole animal be removed but it’s a different kettle of fish then on public land. No matter how clean my gutting is I never seem to get the same quality meat hanging a whole carcass overnight in the bush.

Removing and hanging the legs etc individually let’s the meat cool so much faster which I think is the key to limiting waste later on.

got these two a while back, took the spiker and his mate came wandering out of the bush to have a look see what was going on, so I took him too before thinking that I'd still need to get the meat out.
Attachment 220201
front quarters of the spiker were unusable, ended up packing out 45 kg of meat and some bone over about 5km of swampy tussock. my original plan was to bury the gut bag from them both and come back to see if the pigs were interested but I was so shattered from carrying the meat out I couldnt be bothered.
carrying a whole animal with the skin, bone and all that jazz out seems like a young fools game, I'm too old for that sort of carry on

There are reasons to salvage a whole carcass if possible. Leaving the muscles attached to the skeletal structure stops them from constricting to their shortest resting length, which results in a more consistently tender product. Its one of the reasons that comercial processors chill entire carcasses bone in instead of immediately boning out hot carcasses and chilling individual muscle groups or cuts.
I do agree that you probably shouldn't try achieve it at the expense of your body though, especially your spine...

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Originally Posted by LMcNab

There are reasons to salvage a whole carcass if possible. Leaving the muscles attached to the skeletal structure stops them from constricting to their shortest resting length, which results in a more consistently tender product. Its one of the reasons that comercial processors chill entire carcasses bone in instead of immediately boning out hot carcasses and chilling individual muscle groups or cuts.
I do agree that you probably shouldn't try achieve it at the expense of your body though, especially your spine...

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yes it will do it quicker...but resting it for a week in fridge seems to make all venison very tender,its been a game changer for me. and trimming the silverskin off PROPERLY too,I often find myself trimming a little off before cooking,the dogs dont mind at all....

this is one of my more favoured methods for recovery.....easy on the back :yaeh am not durnk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJe0mkNKqwo

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Originally Posted by SPEARONZ

I shoot a couple of properties that require the whole animal be removed but it’s a different kettle of fish then on public land. No matter how clean my gutting is I never seem to get the same quality meat hanging a whole carcass overnight in the bush.

Removing and hanging the legs etc individually let’s the meat cool so much faster which I think is the key to limiting waste later on.

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If they are clean gutted ( windpipe and arse tied, guts pulled out from the windpipe down) and hung by the head, not the legs and in a breeze, the meat will be perfect

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Originally Posted by LMcNab

There are reasons to salvage a whole carcass if possible. Leaving the muscles attached to the skeletal structure stops them from constricting to their shortest resting length, which results in a more consistently tender product. Its one of the reasons that comercial processors chill entire carcasses bone in instead of immediately boning out hot carcasses and chilling individual muscle groups or cuts.
I do agree that you probably shouldn't try achieve it at the expense of your body though, especially your spine...

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I made up a meat frame to carry deer and it makes it a lot easier than piggy backing them. All the weight is transferred to my legs and taken off my spine by the gut belt on the harness.
Totally agree with you re meat quality

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LMcNab

There are reasons to salvage a whole carcass if possible. Leaving the muscles attached to the skeletal structure stops them from constricting to their shortest resting length, which results in a more consistently tender product. Its one of the reasons that comercial processors chill entire carcasses bone in instead of immediately boning out hot carcasses and chilling individual muscle groups or cuts.
I do agree that you probably shouldn't try achieve it at the expense of your body though, especially your spine...

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yes agree but my original argument was why carry out a hind with the head still attached

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

If they are clean gutted ( windpipe and arse tied, guts pulled out from the windpipe down) and hung by the head, not the legs and in a breeze, the meat will be perfect

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Why by the head and not the legs ? Have probably seen thousands in feral deer premises over the years all hung by the back legs.

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

I made up a meat frame to carry deer and it makes it a lot easier than piggy backing them. All the weight is transferred to my legs and taken off my spine by the gut belt on the harness.
Totally agree with you re meat quality

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Any photos ?? It sounds interesting.

If I'm taking them to a butcher I Carey then out as intact as possible to avoid them having to clean them up much and maximize meat used. These are generally animals not too far from a track or with an easy enough carry to a track. I'll admit pride has driven a few carries that probably weren't justified though...:D

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

yes agree but my original argument was why carry out a hind with the head still attached

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Yeah sorry, I was replying to all the subsequent chat. I would agree that carrying that out is largly pointless. Maybe they eat tongue?

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Originally Posted by Puddleduk

Why by the head and not the legs ? Have probably seen thousands in feral deer premises over the years all hung by the back legs.

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Simple, hanging by the back legs puts the muscle under extra tension while it sets and makes it tough(er)
Hanging by the neck means the legs are only supporting their own weight and as well the animal drains better and and contamination in the gut cavity is kept away from the chest cavity and can drain out through the pelvic opening.
I remember feral chillers hanging animals by a front leg

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Simple, hanging by the back legs puts the muscle under extra tension while it sets and makes it tough(er)
Hanging by the neck means the legs are only supporting their own weight and as well the animal drains better and and contamination in the gut cavity is kept away from the chest cavity and can drain out through the pelvic opening.
I remember feral chillers hanging animals by a front leg

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I dropped a few deer at Wormsleys game chiller in the last week there was a heap in there hung by the top jaw from a professional culler (all from the same shooter).
I generally don't leave the head on but I do hang from the front legs simply because I find it easier to lift the deer that way and get the hook on the rail above my head, put hook through front leg then bear hug the chest and lift as high as I can then whack the hook over the rail at the peak of the lift.

Come to think of it, pretty sure the bulk of the deer in the chiller where hung by the front leg/s

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Simple, hanging by the back legs puts the muscle under extra tension while it sets and makes it tough(er)
Hanging by the neck means the legs are only supporting their own weight and as well the animal drains better and and contamination in the gut cavity is kept away from the chest cavity and can drain out through the pelvic opening.
I remember feral chillers hanging animals by a front leg

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It's seems to be true that you learn something everyday, will try that technique on the next victim.

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Originally Posted by dannyb

I dropped a few deer at Wormsleys game chiller in the last week there was a heap in there hung by the top jaw from a professional culler (all from the same shooter).
I generally don't leave the head on but I do hang from the front legs simply because I find it easier to lift the deer that way and get the hook on the rail above my head, put hook through front leg then bear hug the chest and lift as high as I can then whack the hook over the rail at the peak of the lift.

Come to think of it, pretty sure the bulk of the deer in the chiller where hung by the front leg/s

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Hanging from the brisket is better again

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Hanging from the brisket is better again

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No doubt, dunno if I could lift the brisket above my head with the rest of the deer attached to it still, generally I just hang by 1 front leg

Well I sure as hell couldnt lift ANYTHING above your head mate.....fark just about need oxygen mask up that high

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Well I sure as hell couldnt lift ANYTHING above your head mate.....fark just about need oxygen mask up that high

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Trust me it's not as graceful as I explained it :yaeh am not durnk:

Ive hung hundreds of deer in the chiller from back hooks and never had a problem with toughness, i have had issue's hanger back steaks taken from the field and put in the chiller for 1-7 days been tough off prime animals

I often wondered how the Germans actually ate some of the tough deer I sold.

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Originally Posted by Gamehunter

I often wondered how the Germans actually ate some of the tough deer I sold.

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Not to mention the fly spray, hosing down and dousing with vinegar :)

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Originally Posted by Gamehunter

I often wondered how the Germans actually ate some of the tough deer I sold.

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yes some of the stuff I sold was not what I would eat myself - barely passed sniff test - and yet got the money - had venison once in a fancy restaurant in Rotorua - hell it was manky -

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Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

I made up a meat frame to carry deer and it makes it a lot easier than piggy backing them. All the weight is transferred to my legs and taken off my spine by the gut belt on the harness.
Totally agree with you re meat quality

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I've only carried a deer on a pack frame twice from memory, the first with a guy that always wore a frame and insisted we use it. Bloody near wrecked my back as the neck and arse punched forward with every step and it was too heavy for him.

The second time I packed in some polythene for a bivvy on a frame pack and packed a deer out on the frame but stopped the forward slapping of each end by tying neck and arse back and up and it was a lighter deer.

You can see in photos it was yonks ago by yellow swannie and big jim torch.
I pikaud every other deer since and now cut them up into bits, but still have memories of that flying feeling you get when you drop that deer at the truck after a long carry.



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The good old days, when men were men and pants were optional.


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Just wait till this is commercially available and straining under the weight of an intact deer carcass will be a thing of the past.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ay-adventure-0


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