I am planning a bit of a hunting mission late in Jan in the Kaimanawas. and i was just wanted to know how people keep there meat fresh & cool? and how long will it go before it needs to be put in a fridge??
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I am planning a bit of a hunting mission late in Jan in the Kaimanawas. and i was just wanted to know how people keep there meat fresh & cool? and how long will it go before it needs to be put in a fridge??
I let it cool then put it into a dry bag and submerge in a creek. Make sure water can't get in. Use a cord and tie it to something on the bank. Will last a week if the creek is cool enough.
Warm humid rain is your enemy, otherwise a animal(venison) should keep 4-5 days no worry s hanging in the shade protected from flys.
Be sure to open up all major leg joints if hanging a whole animal(including the hip socket) And split brisket to drain any blood and promote cooling as sinovial (spelling?) fluid in the joint is the first place to go off and the rot travels from there.
Also open up any bruised or shot damaged meat,blood and bone go off real quick,if shot threw shoulders open up from brisket right up to nearly back bone so they are just hanging by a bit of meat then you can scrape out blood and trim around the hole for shot meat and bone fragments.
an hang as high as you canQuote:
Originally Posted by veitnamcam
You don't really believe that ol' 10 foot off the ground fairytale do you...the flies have already got to 3000 feet in the Kaimanawas and another 10 wont deter them.Quote:
Originally Posted by tui_man2
Bone it out,put it in a pillow case and hang it in the shade.
The dry bag in a creek works good too
I use the huntech canvas inner from an old pikau hung in the shade, never had a problem. Flys can't get through the light canvas.
http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/PB280042.jpg
they maybe up that high in alivation but they dont get far off the groundQuote:
Originally Posted by Spook
I would have thought that "elevation" & "off the ground" were the same thing
Perhaps altitude is a better word than elevation. tui_man is absolutely correct though, flies are far more likely at ground level or close to it. There is plenty of research on the subject online.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spook
So people who put flyscreens on windows of second floor houses are really wasteing their money? From my experiance in the bush the only places safe from flies is in a plastic bucket or in the creek.Quote:
Originally Posted by wildharvest
No, i don't think thay are wasting their money, its just not as well spent as the ones on the bottem floor. Studies on fly numbers at ground vs canopy suggest that if you had too choose between the top and bottem floor (I'm not sure if building would impact on things however) the choice would be a very simple one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spook
I'm not suggesting hanging meat up high is the best option for keeping meat cool; just that its better than hanging it 1 foot of the ground in relation to flies. I don't have the time or the inclination to dredge up the research however i pressume plenty of factors play a role (still air and more chance of finding food or suitable egg laying resource on the ground). My point is, it's obviously not a 'fairytale'.
Get it off the bone and get a skin on it fast, hung nice and straight and it's surprising how few flies will get at it if you can get that skin happening.
Out of interest, do you "cool" still, before placing in the canvas bag. Also, from your photo it looks like the meat is still on the bone, so do you remove the skin before bagging?Quote:
Originally Posted by Shootm
Cheers, C.
I have done the store in a dry bag in the creek for 7 days in the full heat of summer and it was great eating, let it hang in a pillow slip for a bit first though to let it "skin off" before sinking it in the creek under rocks.... Right beside the beer chiller Dam (one of the few chopper trips I have taken, dont carry in beer)
As above, Once it has a 'skin' on you're away laughing.
Last year we sadly lost four deer and three pigs at the end of summer. It was humid and the breeze kept the meat damp(all hung and cooled in a meat safe in the shade and open to the wind). devistating. Had to biff it all including one of the fattest sows we ever caught. When it's that humid, I don't think there's anyway to keep meat good for more than a couple of days(maybe underwater if you're near a river.
Doh. you already mentioned the water method.
If winter hunting - I just bone the meat out as fast as possible allowing it to cool by draping it over branches etc. Once it's cooled down I use a pillow case and hang it in a cool place in the shade up high.
If summer hunting - I do the same as leathel - I use a dry bag (or two or three big rubbish bags) and place the meat in a shallow rock pool with a bit of current. Surprising how long the meat can last like that.
Light a fire and smash it back!
Interesting thread,,,,reading peoples different ideas,,, comming up to that time of the year where there will be a few extened trips comming up no doubt and keeping meat from spoiling is important,,,meatbag and muslin going in the pack;)
if in the winter i find the most coolest place i can find and hang it in one of those fly resistant deer tents. my one is made by stoney creek and i find it very good. it has a little roof on so the water just runs off, and you are able to get in there and do your stuff whatever that might be;)
So lets get this straight for us NOT in the know.
1: Shoot it! F%@K&N BANG!
2: Gut, clean and then back to camp/car.
3: Hang with skin off and bullet wound cleaned up, joints separated to let meat get a 'skin'. Either up high, in a creek or in a chiller. (old tall fridge??, do you need to separate joints if chilling??)
4: Leave for 5-7 days.
5: Carve it up and then freeze and/or eat.
Is this about right. Any further tips?
:drool:
Thats about it, I dont bother opening joints if its in the chiller fairly quick.
I usually skin the next day.
Pretty muchQuote:
Originally Posted by Sniper
Cool as :D
Im going to get an old tall fridge and turn it into my own little chiller. Bang a hook in the top and should be sweet. The misses was quite happy with the idea too.
Has anyone else done this? Would be a good little chiller I reckon.
A tall fridge is better than nothing but make sure you keep the cuts as complete as possible and if you can keep the skin on. Domestic fridges run the same temp as your freezer (bout -30), they're just off for longer to give you a high average temp. This dehydrates stuff fast. Also be careful putting holes in fridges. Some have internal pipe work and if you put a hole in it, it is game over.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sniper
Anyone know if ill wreck my chest frezzer if I stand it upright? I could hang two animals in that
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Definite no. Compressor will be sideways and will fall out of its mounts.Quote:
Originally Posted by CreepingDeath
Ha! Ha! Your gunna come in handy in a couple of weeks;) I almost forgot you were a fridge mechanic.Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwijames
Nice cheers gkad I didnt jst give it a whirl
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