Quartering deer and keeping it cool
- Ryan
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Quartering deer and keeping it cool
For you guys that hunt miles off the roads, have you ever or considered packing out the kill just like they do out west with elk and other game, I'm hunting temperatures that are pretty high early bow season and figured if I'm a mile or two in the swamp I might just pack out Alaskan game bags, and salvage as much meet as possible, do you guys think that is a better way to save more meat seeing that if I kill one it is going to take at least 4 hours to get it back to my house including hiking/drive time once i find it.. or does keeping the hide on it keep it cooler?
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
While I haven't killed one "way back", I have had some take a while before I could get them on ice.
I think a lot of people mis judge how long is too long before getting a deer cooled. We live in a time when USDA has made everything "safe" and we carry that over into the field.
Field dressing will help tremendously but unless it's 85F+, four or five hours til I can get one on ice does not concern me in the least.
I'd leave hide until I get it out unless it was a must to break it down to get it out.
People have different opinions but I've had deer that were killed in NC in September that were shot at 7:30 PM, in the cooler at midnight, only gutted right before going in cooler, and butchered the next day, that tasted just as good as one shot on a frosty Novwmbwr morning,gutted promptly and hung for 10days in a 34F cooler.
Sorry I went a little long winded but I do crack up about the "aging deer meat" debate that I led myself into haha
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I think a lot of people mis judge how long is too long before getting a deer cooled. We live in a time when USDA has made everything "safe" and we carry that over into the field.
Field dressing will help tremendously but unless it's 85F+, four or five hours til I can get one on ice does not concern me in the least.
I'd leave hide until I get it out unless it was a must to break it down to get it out.
People have different opinions but I've had deer that were killed in NC in September that were shot at 7:30 PM, in the cooler at midnight, only gutted right before going in cooler, and butchered the next day, that tasted just as good as one shot on a frosty Novwmbwr morning,gutted promptly and hung for 10days in a 34F cooler.
Sorry I went a little long winded but I do crack up about the "aging deer meat" debate that I led myself into haha
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
I've quartered & packed & also boned out & packed. Imo no better way to retrieve game solo. All that is needed is a garabge bag & medium Alice pack. I learned this technique from Mr Warren Womack he's packed out a couple hundred deer so his method is well practiced.
http://youtu.be/KanEXYWB3gY
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http://youtu.be/KanEXYWB3gY
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
I have quartered and packed out several deer now - and two elk out west. Most of my hunting spots are places I would never want to drag something out of so it is by necessity.
Quartering works very well and in my opinion is faster and easier than field dressing and then dragging a deer out a mile or up a big bluff - I keep my pack frame in my vehicle all fall long with a good skinning knife, disposable gloves, game bags, wet wipes and a little paracord. That's it. There also does not need to be very much waste. I estimate I get about 5 pounds less of scrap meat when I pack out a big buck versus getting him out whole - that's about 5% waste.
A few hours before you get it on ice is no problem. Just getting the hide off cools meat immensely. Hunting the back country out west game bags might be hung in the shade for several days with daytime highs in the 70s no problem. Its pretty amazing. The big thing is getting that initial cool down, cooler than body temperature. Meat at body temps will spoil much faster.
Note some states have laws restricting if you can pack out a deer. Wisconsin comes to mind. Check your regs.
Good vid Cbigbear. One thing though, it looks like they left the tenderloin. No need to do that - it can be removed through a slip between the pelvis and last rib next to the spine on each side.
Quartering works very well and in my opinion is faster and easier than field dressing and then dragging a deer out a mile or up a big bluff - I keep my pack frame in my vehicle all fall long with a good skinning knife, disposable gloves, game bags, wet wipes and a little paracord. That's it. There also does not need to be very much waste. I estimate I get about 5 pounds less of scrap meat when I pack out a big buck versus getting him out whole - that's about 5% waste.
A few hours before you get it on ice is no problem. Just getting the hide off cools meat immensely. Hunting the back country out west game bags might be hung in the shade for several days with daytime highs in the 70s no problem. Its pretty amazing. The big thing is getting that initial cool down, cooler than body temperature. Meat at body temps will spoil much faster.
Note some states have laws restricting if you can pack out a deer. Wisconsin comes to mind. Check your regs.
Good vid Cbigbear. One thing though, it looks like they left the tenderloin. No need to do that - it can be removed through a slip between the pelvis and last rib next to the spine on each side.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
cbigbear wrote:I've quartered & packed & also boned out & packed. Imo no better way to retrieve game solo. All that is needed is a garabge bag & medium Alice pack. I learned this technique from Mr Warren Womack he's packed out a couple hundred deer so his method is well practiced.
http://youtu.be/KanEXYWB3gY
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Another one that's slower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FntqOrMKjQ4
I also go inside the cavity and get the tender loins and tend to debone neck to a greater extent than he does.
Last edited by Ruger on Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
I bought an alice pack this summer, I plan on using it this fall. Getting tired of dragging deer up the mountain. The last two years we tied them on a pole. That was better than dragging. But after working with this pack this summer. I know I'm going to like it even better. We still plan to use the pole if we are going to do a shoulder mount.
- PK_
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
I think people make a bigger deal out of this than it really is. We have killed many, many bucks that took 4+ hours to get back to the truck in 90 degree weather. We rarely field dress them if ever. Don't ask me why that is a habitat down here, just is. Out of state I almost always dress them immediately, and it is usually cooler, go figure.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
PK_ wrote:I think people make a bigger deal out of this than it really is. We have killed many, many bucks that took 4+ hours to get back to the truck in 90 degree weather. We rarely field dress them if ever. Don't ask me why that is a habitat down here, just is. Out of state I almost always dress them immediately, and it is usually cooler, go figure.
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Agreed it takes some serious time & high temps for meat to go bad. This " took 4+ hours to get back to the truck in 90 degree weather" is exactly why I prefer to pack out turns a 4hr job into hr & half.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
Do you guys hang the deer when quartering or just do it on the ground like the vid?
Last edited by Iabow on Wed Jul 29, 2015 5:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
Iabow wrote:Do you guys hang the deer when quartering or just do it on the ground?
On the ground, same method as the posted videos.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
Cool thanks, never done it but might have to give a shot.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
cbigbear wrote:PK_ wrote:I think people make a bigger deal out of this than it really is. We have killed many, many bucks that took 4+ hours to get back to the truck in 90 degree weather. We rarely field dress them if ever. Don't ask me why that is a habitat down here, just is. Out of state I almost always dress them immediately, and it is usually cooler, go figure.
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Agreed it takes some serious time & high temps for meat to go bad. This " took 4+ hours to get back to the truck in 90 degree weather" is exactly why I prefer to pack out turns a 4hr job into hr & half.
Good info, I usually get nervous if it gets above 50 up here.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
I've kicked around the idea of trying this. Seems it would really be a benefit in the places I hunt. I hope no one here tosses the legs off into the woods like that. Braised venison shanks are mighty fine!
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- johndeere506
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
This method looks very interesting to me, but I have a couple questions about it. Do you only do this if you had a long drag? Is this much tougher than field dressing in the dark? What do you do with meat once back to camp or home? I'm assuming cool it and process asap. I need to try this.
Anyone recommend a good knife but reasonable price. I use cheap knives and they suck mostly. I uses my buds rock river and it was very nice but expensive.
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Anyone recommend a good knife but reasonable price. I use cheap knives and they suck mostly. I uses my buds rock river and it was very nice but expensive.
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Re: Quartering deer and keeping it cool
johndeere506 wrote:This method looks very interesting to me, but I have a couple questions about it. Do you only do this if you had a long drag? Is this much tougher than field dressing in the dark? What do you do with meat once back to camp or home? I'm assuming cool it and process asap. I need to try this.
Anyone recommend a good knife but reasonable price. I use cheap knives and they suck mostly. I uses my buds rock river and it was very nice but expensive.
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I use this method anywhere legal. I'd rather cut & pack vs drag 100 yds.
The hardest part in quartering is finding the knuckle joints on the front legs. I would prefer to quarter a deer vs gut. It's a much cleaner job.
I dump the deer from the pack straight into an ice chest. It then stays there for 7-10 days changing ice before I complete processing.
I use a $40 buck paklite.
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