How far, is too far?

[clutchkiller]

I was just wondering how far most of you hike while hunting for larger game, pigs, deer, and etc? This year will be my first, hunting for anything larger than upland and small game, and my concern is how fast will meat begin to spoil before you can get it to a cooler?

 

[prohunter]

On my last deer hunt my GPS said I hiked 4 miles for the day.
As for meat get it gutted as soon as possible, then skin it it and hang it in a shady place. My hunting group has had deer hanging like this for up to a week. The key is gut it & get it opened so it can cool off.

 

[hicntry]

I would say max, 2 miles in hot weather with pork as long as there is a good sized ice chest back at the truck. I will skin it and strip the tenderloin, hams and shoulder roasts off it and head for the truck and the cooler. If the hog is fair sized I will take the ribs also. Doesn't take long to bone those parts out and helps cool them. Deer season is still pretty hot here but doesnt tend to spoil as fast. If very far back I will bone it all out. Won't hunt bear till it gets cold because of the hide. I just hang what I can't take in one trip and go back the next day. I still try to keep it within a couple of miles from a road but can't get that across to any of the dogs.

 

[Shot]

There are to many variables that are involved. Like wheater, how fast you can hike, terrain, where the pig was shot, and proper field dressing. You have to use some comman sense and almost every situation is different. They only good advice I could give is go out there and experience it for yourself, thats the only way you can learn how to judge most situations. Good luck.

 

[reddog5]

My pig hunt , the guide field dressed it put it in the back of the truck for maybe 3 hours till we found more pigs for my brother to shoot. As long as its clean and done properly i would guess 2-3 hours will be no problem. BTW my piggie was delicious!!!

 

[pigdream]

I will probably get some comments on this one, but I just simply hunt. I personally don't kill enough animals to worry about this problem. If I thought hiking 10 miles would produce a kill I would do it. Generally speaking though I would say most of my hikes are between 2-6 miles in a day and I have dragged some pigs a little ways in hot (maybe 85-90 degrees) weather without any problem. The only thing is gutting them before the journey.

 

[Speckmisser]

Clutchkiller,

The main thing, as you've probably gathered, is temperature. The hotter it is, the quicker meat will spoil.

BUT.. fresh-killed meat will last a long time (relatively). Even pork will hold up fine for many hours on a hot day... if it's handled properly. Get the carcass open and the skin off. If you're packing it out, make sure you use a good, breathable meat bag. You want to get air to it. Wetting the bag will also help cool the meat, but you only want it damp. Soaking the bag (and the meat inside) will allow water to pool and create a habitat for all kinds of nasties.

Big game is much easier to pack out in pieces than whole, and cutting it up helps speed the cooling process, so it's a win-win situation if you quarter or bone your animal in the field.

If you're hunting in CA, the cool, dry nights are ideal for hanging meat... even if it doesn't make it down to refrigerator temps. A pig can hang all night with temps in the 50s. Deer and elk are even more forgiving.

Bottom line, if you're within a day's hike of the vehicle (and some ice), you're in fine shape.

 

[Arrowslinger]

I've hunted early archery season Tennessee whitetails & have had them hanging 3 days with daytime temps in the 70's. I would hang 'em in a shady spot, cut the brisket and prop it open with a stick, and if available i would throw a couple bags of ice in the chest cavity & pelvis. The bugs are a problem though, i use a cheese type cloth to cover the body to prevent flies &/or debris from getting in.
18 deer & no spoiled meat.
Hope this helps & eases some worrries

 

[hicntry]

I have found if it is the bug season, I find that carrying a can of black pepper helps a great deal if you are going to hang the carcass. Skin ithe animal, liberally sprinkle the pepper all over the outside and cover it.

 

[vandal968]

Bugs don't like pepper?

c

 

[hicntry]

While I can't speak for all insects, it definitely seems to curb the blow flies which can lay eggs throught the cheaper cheesecloth bags when they are stretched over game. We have a lot of meat bees here during a lot of our seasons but they pose more of a problem while you are working on the carcass. You have to fight them for the meat.

I usually throw the gutpile a ways from where I am working to distract some of them. I have always considered it a blessing that they don't know a good cut of meat from the gut pile.

 

[elkron]

As always the members of JHP offer the right advice...In hot summer weather you must remove the hide to get the game to cool down! The hide acts like an insulating blanket. I have left elk gutted and in the snow at 10 degrees. 12 hours later when you skin the elk clouds of steam will still roll off the body.

Some of you may not know it but BLOW FLIES will lay eggs and the eggs will hatch to produce maggots in less than 4 hours!!! So, say you have gutted and skinned your Hog and hang it in a tree {so you can hike back to your truck to retrive your back pack} If you take longer than three hours in the hot summer you may return to a hog with a few hitch hikers... they will look like a pile of white saw dust at first or like very fine cottage cheese...I havent tried the BLACK PEPPER but if it will stop the blow flies I sure would carry some in the back country...Good idea HICNTRY, and welcome.

Good Hunting,
elkron

 

[vandal968]

EEeeeewwww....

Ok, based on new information about maggots, gutpiles, etc. Here is my revised hog-hunting plan.

1. Sneak up on hog, and hit him with a bat. Not hard enough to kill, just stun.

2. Harness the now sleeping pig with a large dog collar.

3. Wake up hog and calmly walk him back to the truck.

4. Drive him to a butcher and let the butcher take care of the nasty bits. In fact if the hog is well behaved I might even let him hand his head out the window during the drive...

This is a good plan because it avoids gutting, skinning, bugs, carrying a hog carcass up and down mountains, etc. Think it'll work?

c

 

[pigdream]

Vandal I think that is a wonderful idea!

 

[MNHNTR]

 

[oneclearshot]

Everybody's in agreement about the "Cool It Quickly" aspect....and after the Hide's off and the Innerds are Out...make the transporting part as easy on yourself as possible! If you can HANG it and come back with the vehicle...that's the BEST move! But if you gotta "Hump" it outta the "Bush"...cut it into manageable size pieces (quarters or whatever) sack it in mesh or cheesecloth "Game Bags"...
AND DON"T PUT PLASTIC TRASH BAGS AROUND, "THESE"!...then tie them together and sling'em over or around your shoulders and "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, it's off to camp you go!
Bob "Good Huntin', Buddy"

 

[ozstriker22]

If you put the meat on ice when you return to the truck, it's important to remember, moisture fosters bacteria. When the ice melts, it turns into water. If you plan ahead and take some plastic milk jugs, you can freeze them real good and put those inside the cavity. When the ice melts, the water is trapped in the jug. There will still be moisture from condensation, but not as much as if it were straight melted ice.

Question: What about using a clean, thin, canvas drop cloth like painters use instead of cheese cloth?

I was told to buy a sizeable portion of thin canvas ($8), wash it a couple times in the machine w/out soap (remove any packaging chemicals), fold it up and take it along. It should be thick enough to keep the BlowFlies out, and still allow air to circulate cooling the body. It also can be placed on the ground under the meat while quartering to keep the meat from getting dirty, them wrap the pieces and off you go. Of course, it can be cut to size if need be - not expensive to replace.

Do you think that would work too? Or would it not breathe enough?

Jesse

 

[Speckmisser]

You can get some nice game bags made out of a thin canvas, so OZ's option isn't bad. They're more expensive, though, so it would pay if you can make your own.

Black pepper definitely works, as it kept the blowflies off my elk for almost a week. I did include a misting of vinegar, which also works pretty good.

Another thing I've done in the cooler to keep the meat off the water is layer a big plastic trashbag over the ice, then lay the meat on top of that. I leave the plug open on the chest so the water can run out (I carry my ice chest on a hitch-hauler so the drip goes on the street... don't try this in the back of an SUV).

 

[spectr17]

Game bags are available in the JHO store for a fair price. 80 inches long
44 inch opening. 4 tie strings to seal off the top


http://www.jesseshunting.com/osCommerce/pr...products_id/141

 

[Marty]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

don't try this in the back of an SUV[/b]

You might be able to do this if you have a newer model Suburban with the rear a/c. If you can run it into the rear a/c compartment and tee into the condensate drip line.
I'll have to check my service manual.