Thread: What to do about bone taint

Originally Posted by MightyBoosh

I'd be interested to hear what experienced hunters have to say about dunking meat in a creek. I'm careful to avoid anything I shoot or catch coming in to contact with water unless it is going straight in to the freezer. I never wash snapper fillets for example. Bacteria love water!

I avoid water for any meat (homekill mutton, game or fish). Whole fish will get a hose down before filleting but I never wash fillets - at most they get a wipe with a dry paper towel.
The one exception was we used to dunk pigs in the creek for singeing the hair off, and once we got a boar that had been feeding on a dead cow and stunk to high heaven. We dragged him out down the creek and threw him over a waterfall. Didn't help the stink much, still got lots of comments at the weigh-in!
I think in most cases a bit of water is probably okay for animals and fish that are gutted and skin still on.