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To those who don't process there own ??? #5963568 10/06/15 01:59 PM
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StephensCnty308 Offline OP
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I have hunted in areas in the past where a local processor wasn't close or near by. I learned from a young age how to process my own game and pack it so I can fit it all in my cooler.
I have never thought about it but what do you folks do who hunt real far out and take your deer to a processor
How do you keep it cold in early season hunts?

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963612 10/06/15 02:22 PM
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Quarter the deer and throw it on ice in the Yeti....Gives me at least 4 days and usually more. I usually don't take my deer into the processor until the following weekend and only have to add a bag of ice or two to the cooler once I get home.

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963619 10/06/15 02:27 PM
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I do process my own, but still have to get it home. Big ice chests. I freeze gallon milk jugs and 3 liter bottles in the garage chest freezer and fill the ice chest before we leave. When you get something a hatchet and a few minutes and you have crushed ice.


It's hell eatin em live
Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963668 10/06/15 02:56 PM
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Quarter it immediately and put it on ice

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963777 10/06/15 04:08 PM
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Interesting so even the folks who use processors at least know how to quarter a deer.
I always wondered how y'all/they cooled there kill during transport.

Last edited by StephensCnty308; 10/06/15 04:09 PM.
Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963801 10/06/15 04:14 PM
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Careful throwing meat into a Yeti. It gets freezer burned really quick.



Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963822 10/06/15 04:22 PM
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If we don't quarter it, we'll throw bags of ice into the chest cavity and cover with a tarp to keep cool. Done this a couple of times in a pinch while not having a big enough cooler.

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963835 10/06/15 04:27 PM
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I have seen people pull into the processor with deer that hasn't been gutted. I don't care if the processor is less than an hour away, that's disgusting

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: titan2232] #5963836 10/06/15 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted By: titan2232
Careful throwing meat into a Yeti. It gets freezer burned really quick.


I like to wrap the meat in towels to keep it dry and from making contact with the ice

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: Bill Waldschmidt] #5963848 10/06/15 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted By: Bill Waldschmidt
I have seen people pull into the processor with deer that hasn't been gutted. I don't care if the processor is less than an hour away, that's disgusting
if it's not gutted how do they cool it?

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963851 10/06/15 04:36 PM
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Exactly

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963860 10/06/15 04:39 PM
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Yikes

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963882 10/06/15 04:45 PM
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We keep several boxes of them Hefty 2 1/2 gallon zip lock bags from Walmart. They are big enough to hold a whole large whitetail ham or both shoulders (they will hold two hams from a smaller deer). Put the backstaps and tenderloins in another bag if they wont fit with in other meat. That is 3-4 bags max.
Then throw on ice in the cooler and top off with ice.
In cooler weather we will leave a deer hang and cool naturally for a bit (saves ice). We have let them hang all night or even all day if weather is <40 degrees.


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"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: titan2232] #5963929 10/06/15 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: titan2232
Careful throwing meat into a Yeti. It gets freezer burned really quick.

rofl i pud a baby gorrilla in one once, for three years & ended up with a little yeti .. flag



i'm postaddic
Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5963982 10/06/15 05:37 PM
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is it bad to let the meat sit in the ice and water slush? Ive always heard to drain the bloody water as it accumulates and to keep adding ice. Is it better to zip lock the meat and keep it from getting soaked?

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: HuntinForTail] #5963997 10/06/15 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted By: HuntinForTail
is it bad to let the meat sit in the ice and water slush? Ive always heard to drain the bloody water as it accumulates and to keep adding ice. Is it better to zip lock the meat and keep it from getting soaked?


This is about to start a debate but no it doesn't hurt it. I've been doing this for my entire life basically and there are no negative impacts. Some say it is a waste of time and that it does nothing but it definitely doesn't hurt it.

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: HuntinForTail] #5964044 10/06/15 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted By: HuntinForTail
is it bad to let the meat sit in the ice and water slush? Ive always heard to drain the bloody water as it accumulates and to keep adding ice. Is it better to zip lock the meat and keep it from getting soaked?


I prefer to dry age the meat while I wait to take it to the processor or if we're processing it ourselves. I like to keep the meat dry and cold.

If I don't do that, I absolutely drain the water as often as possible and keep fresh ice on it. I have heard rumors that this process can make the meat taste "cleaner" but I'm not sure if this is true.

All I know is I never never ever want meat of any sort footing around in water, bloody or not, regardless of the temperature

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964057 10/06/15 06:30 PM
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If you put the meat in plastic bags and then on ice it is not dry aging. the meat will be wet.

If im going to leave meat on ice I prefer to stick a brick under the opposite end of the ice chest from the drain and leave the drain open so it will continually drain.


It's hell eatin em live
Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964064 10/06/15 06:34 PM
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We quarter it, put it on ice in the cooler, drain water every few hours and replace ice if necessary. We use frozen jugs, like someone said above, but we don't crush that ice we just leave it in the jug. Usually with the frozen jugs we only have to add one 10 lb. bag of ice to the cooler. We then take the deer to the processor within 4 or 5 days tops.

I may try putting the meat in a large ziploc like was said above. Do y'all think having the meat in direct contact with ice is bad for the meat even if you regularly drain the water?

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964067 10/06/15 06:35 PM
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My dad has with help taken a whole cow elk gutted and thrown down a tarp then a sleeping bag and another tarp then put about 10 gallon milk jugs frozen and about the same bags of ice to keep her cool for a couple days. Wrap up tight. Worked like a champ!


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Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964069 10/06/15 06:37 PM
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I like the meat to be able to "breathe" too... I don't know that I'd want to put it in bags. We wrap it in towels and keep it on top of a bunch of ice with a small amount covering it

Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964121 10/06/15 07:02 PM
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I have 2 deer in my Yeti sitting on my back porch right now. I shot both Sat morning. I drain the water daily and have added a little bit of ice. I may start tonight at boning the meat out and work on it today and tomorrow evenings. I am just going to bone it out, cut it in chunks and freeze it to get ready for sausage making. I will go ahead and prep/freeze my jerky meat, stew meat and backstraps/tenderloins.


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Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964175 10/06/15 07:39 PM
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Usually the meat is put in first and then the ice on top of it. The melting ice drains through the meat, flushing the blood out of the meat.

Yeah, experts say meat should never get wet, but people have been doing this for decades with no problems.

And leaving an animal ungutted for an hour won't hurt anything. Letting it sit on the ground overnight, unrecovered, doesn't hurt anything, why should one hour ungutted hurt?


Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: StephensCnty308] #5964205 10/06/15 07:48 PM
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A few years ago, unless I was saving the hide to make rugs, I used to skin/quarter every deer and put it in my big igloo chest. I'd then take it to the processor the following day. Since my processor is less than 20 minutes way and only charges $10 to skin the deer, I now gut them, spray them out with a hose, toss them in cooler in the back of the truck with some ice and take them straight to his shop. Saves me a bunch of time and I find I get more meat for sausage or ground deer when I let his guys butcher it up. For $10, it's a no brainier for me.


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Re: To those who don't process there own ??? [Re: postoak] #5964206 10/06/15 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted By: postoak
Usually the meat is put in first and then the ice on top of it. The melting ice drains through the meat, flushing the blood out of the meat.

Yeah, experts say meat should never get wet, but people have been doing this for decades with no problems.

And leaving an animal ungutted for an hour won't hurt anything. Letting it sit on the ground overnight, unrecovered, doesn't hurt anything, why should one hour ungutted hurt?


I was thinking the same thing. People shoot deer, find them the next day and still keep the meat. A 1 hour drive to the processor won't hurt anything.

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