Thread: Overnight meat recovery - thoughts?

Morning all, I'd always been told by those older and wiser that unless it was freezing cold you needed to recover an animal as fast as possible to break it down an let the meat cool. Bone taint and all that they said.
However I've recently seen videos of people people recovering animals the next morning.

Is the meat alright if left overnight?

I’ve done it once, shot a deer on dusk didn’t find it for nearly 24 hrs. This was April in Southland. It had been cloudy and cold all day, meat was ok. Summer would be a different story.

I have recovered animals the following day countless times without issue. I fact some of the best meat I have ever eaten has been from these animals. I think the main consideration is where you shoot it. If it is a clean head/neck shot you will have no worries at all. If the diaphragm/gut cavity is ruptured then overnight shouldn't be an issue as long as you retrieve it before the day begins to warm.

Originally Posted by Shearer

I have recovered animals the following day countless times without issue. I fact some of the best meat I have ever eaten has been from these animals. I think the main consideration is where you shoot it. If it is a clean head/neck shot you will have no worries at all. If the diaphragm/gut cavity is ruptured then overnight shouldn't be an issue as long as you retrieve it before the day begins to warm.

Ok, thanks.
Had the panic set in the other night with it getting dark and was struggling to find the animal. I'll feel a little better knowing I can come back next light and continue the search.

Have left them overnight a couple of times for a few reasons. If you have spent a bit of time looking and can't find it if you come back to civilization see if anyone has a dog to take for a walk the next morning

Try avoid Moon light

Have never done it. Hate the thought of it. I know others' do it. When I was meat hunting in the Ruahines often enough I would find them in the dark and then bivy there and carry them out in the morning. I have spent some uncomfortable nights in an old fairy down bivy bag and all of my clothing. But its never longer than 8 hours and you can get going with the carry.

Leaving them overnight seems to go hand in hand with long range shooting. My approach has always been if I cant retrieve it or get to it that evening I don't shoot it.

Duleys do it and their vids seem to have normalised it. But I bet they don't kill a house mutton on their farm and then leave it laying outside for 10 hors before they get around to skinning and gutting it.

And while Im at it, WTF is this YouTube invention called a "blind"? Im guessing its what's always been called a "look out" or "shooting spot". And a "recovery" - jeez - what ever happened to "going to get it". And "checking weapon status"? What happen to "have ya checked ya gun"? And "got my eyes on one". FFS, it was always "there's one" or "I can see one". And people walk "clicks"?? My hip clicks when I walk, but I guess they are actually meaning something else. I dunno. Its whole new YouTube language.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Have never done it. Hate the thought of it. I know others' do it. When I was meat hunting in the Ruahines often enough I would find them in the dark and then bivy there and carry them out in the morning. I have spent some uncomfortable nights in an old fairy down bivy bag and all of my clothing. But its never longer than 8 hours and you can get going with the carry.

Leaving them overnight seems to go hand in hand with long range shooting. My approach has always been if I cant retrieve it or get to it that evening I don't shoot it.

Duleys do it and their vids seem to have normalised it. But I bet they don't kill a house mutton on their farm and then leave it laying outside for 10 hors before they get around to skinning and gutting it.

And while Im at it, WTF is this YouTube invention called a "blind"? Im guessing its what's always been called a "look out" or "shooting spot". And a "recovery" - jeez - what ever happened to "going to get it". And "checking weapon status"? What happen to "have ya checked ya gun"? And "got my eyes on one". FFS, it was always "there's one" or "I can see one". And people walk "clicks"?? My hip clicks when I walk, but I guess they are actually meaning something else. I dunno. Its whole new YouTube language.

I'm with you and I know who's you tube clips you have been watching.
It gives me the shits I just talk English.
I had to leave a stag overnight in April and got lucky but under it's legs it was still warm.
I never leave them unless I can't find them.

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Originally Posted by Tahr

Have never done it. Hate the thought of it. I know others' do it. When I was meat hunting in the Ruahines often enough I would find them in the dark and then bivy there and carry them out in the morning. I have spent some uncomfortable nights in an old fairy down bivy bag and all of my clothing. But its never longer than 8 hours and you can get going with the carry.

Leaving them overnight seems to go hand in hand with long range shooting. My approach has always been if I cant retrieve it or get to it that evening I don't shoot it.

Duleys do it and their vids seem to have normalised it. But I bet they don't kill a house mutton on their farm and then leave it laying outside for 10 hors before they get around to skinning and gutting it.

And while Im at it, WTF is this YouTube invention called a "blind"? Im guessing its what's always been called a "look out" or "shooting spot". And a "recovery" - jeez - what ever happened to "going to get it". And "checking weapon status"? What happen to "have ya checked ya gun"? And "got my eyes on one". FFS, it was always "there's one" or "I can see one". And people walk "clicks"?? My hip clicks when I walk, but I guess they are actually meaning something else. I dunno. Its whole new YouTube language.

Agree with everything you said there mate, all these military terms like ''checking weapon status'' really irks me , i dont have any ''weapons'' got a few rifles though, LOL

Tahr
The lingo those guys use is very much Army. A lot of youtubers hunting the Ruahines are either Army or ex Army.
Other classic give aways are the use of "team" all the time amongst others. I am Air Force and have spent quite a bit of time working alongside Army guys and can pick it a mile away.
It does my head in to the point i just flat out refuse to watch the vids.

Originally Posted by Bhess

Tahr
The lingo those guys use is very much Army. A lot of youtubers hunting the Ruahines are either Army or ex Army.
Other classic give aways are the use of "team" all the time amongst others. I am Air Force and have spent quite a bit of time working alongside Army guys and can pick it a mile away.
It does my head in to the point i just flat out refuse to watch the vids.

Must be an age bracket 'thing'. The guys I hunt with, we are all ex Army. But Viet Nam era and slightly later. And no one talks like that. Occasionally an acronym will slip out by mistake.

Oh, and we wouldn't dream of advertising ourselves like that by having a YT channel... Must be an age thing.

Back to the animals. Only ever leave them if I can't find them that evening. Which is not very often at all. And never when I had a dog.

This time of the year the heat can start an animal going off just while you look at it. We mainly do evening hunts, and will gut and throw into a creek bend with some stones in their gut cavity, out of the way of the morning sun. Have not had one that being underwater has buggered. Come back the next morning and break down into boneless joints prior to the trip back out.

No eels where we hunt but

Originally Posted by Tahr

Have never done it. Hate the thought of it. I know others' do it. When I was meat hunting in the Ruahines often enough I would find them in the dark and then bivy there and carry them out in the morning. I have spent some uncomfortable nights in an old fairy down bivy bag and all of my clothing. But its never longer than 8 hours and you can get going with the carry.

Leaving them overnight seems to go hand in hand with long range shooting. My approach has always been if I cant retrieve it or get to it that evening I don't shoot it.

Duleys do it and their vids seem to have normalised it. But I bet they don't kill a house mutton on their farm and then leave it laying outside for 10 hors before they get around to skinning and gutting it.

And while Im at it, WTF is this YouTube invention called a "blind"? Im guessing its what's always been called a "look out" or "shooting spot". And a "recovery" - jeez - what ever happened to "going to get it". And "checking weapon status"? What happen to "have ya checked ya gun"? And "got my eyes on one". FFS, it was always "there's one" or "I can see one". And people walk "clicks"?? My hip clicks when I walk, but I guess they are actually meaning something else. I dunno. Its whole new YouTube language.

On these points I’m with you Tahr. Never have I ever killed a house meat(mutton) then left it overnight to skin/process next day…

Same as veni, it recovered there and then….


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Originally Posted by Tahr

Have never done it. Hate the thought of it. I know others' do it. When I was meat hunting in the Ruahines often enough I would find them in the dark and then bivy there and carry them out in the morning. I have spent some uncomfortable nights in an old fairy down bivy bag and all of my clothing. But its never longer than 8 hours and you can get going with the carry.

Leaving them overnight seems to go hand in hand with long range shooting. My approach has always been if I cant retrieve it or get to it that evening I don't shoot it.

Duleys do it and their vids seem to have normalised it. But I bet they don't kill a house mutton on their farm and then leave it laying outside for 10 hors before they get around to skinning and gutting it.

And while Im at it, WTF is this YouTube invention called a "blind"? Im guessing its what's always been called a "look out" or "shooting spot". And a "recovery" - jeez - what ever happened to "going to get it". And "checking weapon status"? What happen to "have ya checked ya gun"? And "got my eyes on one". FFS, it was always "there's one" or "I can see one". And people walk "clicks"?? My hip clicks when I walk, but I guess they are actually meaning something else. I dunno. Its whole new YouTube language.

Pretty much spot on as far as my opinion gos as well.
Ive left one deer over night to recover next morning. it was edible but did look suspicious. not something I would ever do out of choice again. Have seen a big boar go off on a hot summer night on the carry out! Poor brother, carried it all the way home and then had to dump it.

On a side note. The moon light thing. i think it gets brought up alot because people are hunting more often on fine warm nights than cold ones. Ive never seen a correlation between moonlight and meat going off. just in warmth and meat going off.

Like Tahr brought up old school. Needs to be bleed and gutted as soon as possible.

Originally Posted by ariki

Like Tahr brought up old school. Needs to be bleed and gutted as soon as possible.

Yep, it was a good common sense post Tahr - and something I'll try to follow.
I was more asking if I HAD to leave it overnight would the meat be ok.
I'd taken my young boy out and had shot just on dark, but could not for the life of me find a blood trail. Was getting a little frantic. In the end the younger eyes actually found the spot where it had exited the clearing and fallen in a channel in a hidden clearing less than 20m from where I hit it. Looking around - absolutely no blood.