Early season recovery and processing time

[Bowonly]

If possible I’d bring a gambrel and hoist and break them down at the truck and straight on ice - mostly just due to the drive. If after dark and no sun I’d just head home.

Bio1

This is actually what I think I’m going to do.

Drag it to truck and cut it up there, bag em and put them in a cooler, head home and clean it up well.

Just my opinion, but if you're going to quarter it at the truck anyway, I'd learn to field quarter and skip the dragging.

2 old pillow cases and likely the same knife you already carry to field dress with and you're able to leave at least 60% of the weight at the recovery site.

[elk yinzer]

It's kind of a mystery to me. A cousin a couple years ago double lunged one but thought it was guts. Left it lay over night, it was in the 60's, super warm night. It was fine at 8 the next morning.

That same year I gut shot a doe, we had a hard frost. The back hindquarter touching the ground was soured the next morning. Rest of her was fine but first meat I had ever lost.

Generally I say more time than you think, but get to them as quick as you can. But always prioritize erring more time for marginal hits over pushing a bedded deer.

Once you get the hide off, you have a lot of time.

Any chance your cousin's deer had a thinner early season coat that would have shed heat better that a later, thicker winter coat?


I had a similar experience last September. 1 lung and liver hit a doe , reluctantly left her overnight. Temps never got below mid 60's. Lost just the bottom hindquarter as it was just starting to turn. You could start to smell it and see a slight motor oil sheen to the blood.

Yes, I do think the coat was a factor.