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

I’ve only done it once, in the middle of summer. My friend shot one at long range and there was no time to go get it.
We just avoided taking the eye fillets as they’re close to the guts but everything else was fine and tasted fine.

I wouldnt make a habit of it

I should clarify, first time I rolled an ankle, came back in the morning with the quad, no way I was going to be able to carry it out that night. Have had two that I couldn't find after a couple of hours looking, came back with the dog the next morning and found them in both cases. One I would have found on my own once it was daylight.

I'd rather play it safe and come back in daylight for a proper look rather than risk walking off a bluff when your tired and frustrated wandering round with a headtorch on

Originally Posted by 223nut

I should clarify, first time I rolled an ankle, came back in the morning with the quad, no way I was going to be able to carry it out that night. Have had two that I couldn't find after a couple of hours looking, came back with the dog the next morning and found them in both cases. One I would have found on my own once it was daylight.

I'd rather play it safe and come back in daylight for a proper look rather than risk walking off a bluff when your tired and frustrated wandering round with a headtorch on

Yes. Always play it safe, especially when on your own. I did that a year ago. Arsed up over a bank in the dark with a pack full wen I should have gone back for the load in the morning. Concussed my-self and dislocated 2 fingers. Putting them back in there and then was an ouch moment. One finger is still pretty buggered. So the co-reltionship between age and wise is a fallacy.

I want to like that @Tahr but I've dislocated a thumb and there is nothing to like about it....

Have done it once with a fairly large animal. Shot just on dark and couldn't find it due to windfall trees. Found it at first light the next day. Animal was still pretty warm, particularly on the side resting on the ground. Boned it out and the hind quarters had bad bone taint.

The smell of the meat was unlike anything I had smelt before. It didn't smell rotten, but there was a distinctive odour to it. I was sniffing each portion of muscle as I removed it and you could easily tell which meat was tainted. After a while, sniffing the tainted meat made me feel sick and wanting to throw up.

Like all things meat, let you nose be your guide. If it doesn't smell good, it generally isn't.

As others have said above, I'm old school and meat should be respected and looked after, which means dressing the animal out at the time of the kill.

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.