My friends Moose spoiled In a day????

Well, for my part, I've never seen any flies that burrow into the meat to lay their eggs.

Seen lots of fly eggs stuck to the surface of lots of carcasses, though.

I always try to wash out the body cavity with water. Cleaner is gooder!

Snow works.

Then dry the cavity out.

The moose that I was involved with, before I finally hooked up on one myself, were all got back to camp with full haste, hide on, in quarters. Then the hide was removed. Then the meat was washed, then wrapped in cheese cloth.

Then the whole camp slept.

A-holes that won't help with a recovery, are not friends, and shouldn't be hunting partners. Look for new ones.

Meat drops= fun stops! Until the meat is on the hook, anyways. That means all hands that are capable of participating, even if it is just to hold the light! Anything less, and I figure that they have no expectation of a share of the meat.

To the point though. Warm weather is a summofffbi..... when it come to meat hanging.
If I were in that circumstance, I'd have been all over getting the meat out of the bush that night, getting it skinned, cooled down, washed and wrapped, then getting it into a truck and high-tailing it to the nearest cooler facility.

Cheers
Trev
 
Good reading lads... I always wondered on all those hunting shows why they insisted on leaving the animal till the next day to recover. I know it makes for better tv finding your animal in the light of day, but the quality of the meat HAS to suck, especially in early season hunting.
Ive only ever hunted with family, and we've been out long and late looking for deer with flashlights. End up dragging them back to some form of light and gutting away! :D Couple years ago my brother and grandpa were lookin for an old doe my grandpa shot in thick bush, barely knowing where i was without the GPS, and I remember thinking it was the most enjoyable night of hunting yet. Just adds to the experience I guess :D
 
Demonical's points are very good. I want to emphasize the importance of getting the hide off a moose quickly. IT IS IMPORTANT.


Demonicals points are right on the money, if I didnt know better I'd swear I was listening to my Grandfather teaching me the finer points of cleaning game. He shot many a moose and stayed long into the night to make sure they were completely cleaned, skinned and quartered for transport. He never carried a quarter of moose or deer out ever with a hide still attached or anything of any kind left in a body cavity. The game he served was always top table fare, and yes sounds like you need new hunting partners to me!
 
For me, best way to lost moose meat, it's to leave it in one entire part.

Shoulder erea is very thick, and get very long time to get cold.

SO, best way to preserve your meat, it's separate your moose in 4 quarters, hang it in a fresh windy erea without any bug.

Whem meat surface is dry and black, your moose is O.K..

WHEN all this is done, now you can take a good beer.
 
Very sad story! I'd be looking for another group of people to hunt with! Serious ones who understand that shooting an animal & not taking care of it is just WRONG!
Too cold? Is it not October? Responsible hunters do EVERYTHING possible to process the animal the best & as quickly as they can, not just when they feel like it!!!
 
That is the main reason that I prefer to hunt the morning than the evening.
If I or my party are hunting till dusk, then we are fully prepared to be working to retrieve and care for a kill untill the wee hours if needed.
Also you do not have to belong to Mensa to realize the weather is too warm to hang an animal safely and someone will have to take a day from the hunt to get the animal to a butcher or a cold room to cure.
These are basic truths and skills that you should already have before you pickup a rifle and decide to go hunt.
If people can't take the time to learn these skills and apply them properly when taking to the field then they should take up another hobby.
 
Hi guys,

I've never hunted myself (yet!), but have hiked in the backcountry a few times and you always have to be concerned with bears getting to your food during the night... So how the heck do you guys manage to leave delicious critters overnight in the woods without some carnivorous animal eating half your catch?
 
Hi guys,

I've never hunted myself (yet!), but have hiked in the backcountry a few times and you always have to be concerned with bears getting to your food during the night... So how the heck do you guys manage to leave delicious critters overnight in the woods without some carnivorous animal eating half your catch?

Take an article of clothing and make a scent trail around the kill site....then leave jacket or sweatshirt over top of the carcass. That is usually enough to keep the carcass safe from Wolves or Bears.

Fresh human scent in the area will keep predators/scavengers away over-night.
 
Never skinned one in the bush, never seen one skinned. Someone should tell all of the professional guides in the Matane Reserve. The hide is an excellent protective layer for transport. Leaving it on will also mean less loss once the animal is done hanging.
 
"...like theyre on [bleep]..." Dead meat?
"...possible for the animal to spoil so fast?..." 60 to 65 F, sure. It's an offence to allow game meat to spoil too.
 
Sounds like you need new hunting partners!
For me I enjoy the hunt, the kill and everything that comes after. Need some help getting something out at midnight I am the guy to call! But you better have beers available!
 
Never skinned one in the bush, never seen one skinned. Someone should tell all of the professional guides in the Matane Reserve. The hide is an excellent protective layer for transport. Leaving it on will also mean less loss once the animal is done hanging.

It(along with the fat) is insulation. If you need to cool the meat fast, removing the insulation is as important as removing the thermal mass(guts). I agree hide on for dragging but if you're packing, it is unnessesary. I don't "age" game meat.
 
Pepper for flies??? I've never heard of that before. Does it actually work?? I have heard of using vinegar(which I still find odd) but never heard of the pepper thing.

We have used pepper if it turned warm and the flies were out. I am not sure if it was necessary but a big jug of black pepper is cheap insurance. We use vinegar to wash out the body cavity as well. It doesn't hurt and again cheap insurance. I allways thought it would be a great idea to build a cooler in the bush made out of a double wall of 6 mil plastic and a window air conditioner as just about all camps have a generator. Anyone else tried it?

Bill
 
Never skinned one in the bush, never seen one skinned. Someone should tell all of the professional guides in the Matane Reserve. The hide is an excellent protective layer for transport. Leaving it on will also mean less loss once the animal is done hanging.

When I hunted moose with my Dad we allways gutted, skinned, quartered and hung it at the kill site. Many a late night for those evening shots. The next morning after the hunt we would go and but a plastic rain roof over it and wrap in cheese cloth. If it was in a bog or something we would move it back closer to the vehicles. When we got home we basically skinned all the dry and possibly dirty stuff off before butchering.

Bill
 
It is absolutely vital to properly clean a dead animal. Time
is of the essence. I have been hunting for 65 years now,
and have never lost any meat to spoilage. Cooling is the
key, IMHO. Under some conditions, the hide must come off
promptly to achieve cooling. Dave.
 
Back
Top Bottom