Meat care advice

[JFox]

Good afternoon folks!
I was wondering if anyone had any specific tips regarding meat care for a pronghorn harvested in the first few weeks of October? I have a couple very good quality coolers, and was wondering if this forum had any pointers on specific ways to handle after the shot has been made. Ex., dry ice use, ice on top or bottom, etc.
Thanks very much!

 

[sleepingbear]

Antelope in Nevada starts AUG 1st at 100 degrees+ Many different answers will get you the same result. We just freeze bottles and put something non-absorbent between the meat and the bottles (block ice will work,) in a 180qt to 220qt ice chest and crack the plug so any water will drain. Always have left over ice even after a week. I do use a canvas drop cloth folded over four times as a cover on the cooler with the ice and only open at night if necessary (cocktails). Staying for a length of time just check it and add ice if needed. Never had a bad animal and I butcher all my own meat, so if there was a problem it was on me. Never really needed dry ice but sure some here can advise on it. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Yell Co AR Hunter]

The best advice with really any meat care is to remove internal organs, hide, make sure meat is clean and cool down as quick as possible. Best to debone so there is less to cool down. I do not care for dry ice due to amount needed and cost. Block ice with a couple bags of regular ice will go a long way. Frozen water jugs will work well also. Important to keep ice chest out of the sun like said above.

 

[Hilltop]

Average high temps in October are in the 50s for most of Wyoming. It's pretty rare you will need much to cool them down that time of year. My last early October antelope was shot in a foot of snow- no ice needed. I typically have a cooler with a few bags of ice just in case.

 

[JimP]

Here is my hot weather meat cooler. It is a Colman 220 quart one. I built a frame out of 3/4"PVC and a screen out of expanded metal. I can place 4 blocks of ice in the bottom of it and then replace the screen keeping the meat out of the water and off of the ice. Also if you bone out the meat you will want to separate the bags so that air can get around to all sides of the meat while it is cooling. I have kept ice in this cooler for over a week with no problems and used it to cool off 2 antelope at a time.

 

[Work2hunt]

I bring 2 120 qt coolers. 1 full of ice and the other empty. Once i shoot an antelope i will quarter it, place it in plastic bags, and layer with ice and meat alternating into the empty cooler. Never have had an issue.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I bring 2 120 qt coolers. 1 full of ice and the other empty. Once i shoot an antelope i will quarter it, place it in plastic bags, and layer with ice and meat alternating into the empty cooler. Never have had an issue.

It is very warm during our NV antelope seasons.
This is very much like what we do using 120 qt coolers. Skinned and quartered deer or antelope will melt a bit of the blocks but what is left after the initial cool down lasts me over a week. Just keep cooler in the shade, take the plug out to make sure all water keeps draining out.

 

[JimP]

One thing on draining the water out of the cooler. If the meat is kept out of the water and above the ice the melted ice or water will help keep things cool since it is cooler than the outside air. That is where I like what I did where you can have the ice in the bottom of the cooler and the meat will never come in contact with either the ice or the water as long as you don't start sloshing it around. But then if you place a plastic bag down on top of the screen that should keep the water off of it even then baring flipping the cooler over.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Here is my hot weather meat cooler. It is a Colman 220 quart one. I built a frame out of 3/4"PVC and a screen out of expanded metal. I can place 4 blocks of ice in the bottom of it and then replace the screen keeping the meat out of the water and off of the ice. Also if you bone out the meat you will want to separate the bags so that air can get around to all sides of the meat while it is cooling. I have kept ice in this cooler for over a week with no problems and used it to cool off 2 antelope at a time.

That’s awesome. I like the pvc shelf.

Keeping the meat our of the water is a big deal. Nothing like white meat from it laying in melted ice.

 

[Yooper Bob]

Nice job and a great idea and not a lot of expense.

 

[HiMtnHnter]

Some good ideas here. Two important themes are, get the meat cooled quick and keep it out of the water. I keep frozen jugs in my freezer to load in coolers as cheap block ice. Be careful though, as I hit a few bumps and the jugs cracked the bottom of my cooler. Little plastic weld and we're back in business. The 120 qt Coleman's are nice and relatively cheap. Use game bags and not plastic so the meat can breath.

 

[wy-tex]

We use canvas game bags for everything these days, except for packing out game.
You can also put one frozen ice jug in the body cavity to help get it cooled if not quartering. Keep the head separate, keeps those gland hairs off of your meat.

 

[Tim McCoy]

You’d asked about dry ice. It has its place. I have added it to ice to keep the ice frozen. 6-10 bags/blocks of ice with 10lb of dry ice on top will add several days to your ice. It will stay frozen for an extra 24-48 hours. It also works well the same way to transport frozen meat if you are over 24 hours or so from getting home.

If you use it to cool meat be careful, it can burn and freeze meat. Were I to use it to cool or keep meat cool, it would be on the bottom of my cooler covered by ice. May not freeze your meat that way, hopefully just freeze the bottom of the ice.

I don’t use racks etc in my cooler, I do place a couple blocks on the bottom to place quarters on while cooling them, serves the same purpose, and crack the drain on my cooler with a rock under the opposite side. Once cool, I usually bone it and place in unscrented garbage bags on and covered with ice.

The last two years I have been using insulated fish kill bags to hold my boned out and cooled meat. They take up little space when empty, are light, and can hold lots of cold bagged meat with a couple bags of ice on top. Saves me taking one large 120-150qt cooler. I’m going to be using them more going forward. I still prefer a hard cooler for cooling, easier to keep drained of water.

Many ways to skin the cat, good luck!

 

[JFox]

Thanks all for the replies! Very helpful. I love the PVC rack in the cooler, great idea and one that I will have to replicate!

 

[CrisGudvin]

Thanks all for the replies! Very helpful. I love the PVC rack in the cooler, great idea and one that I will have to replicate!

I agree the idea is excellent!)

 

[Gr8bawana]

Thanks all for the replies! Very helpful. I love the PVC rack in the cooler, great idea and one that I will have to replicate!

You could simply put a layer of frozen half liter bottled water on the entire cooler bottom. They will keep the meat out of any water as your ice melts.
There is a lot of wasted space under the PVC frame. In the pic it looks like almost half of the cooler.

 

[Hilltop]

You could simply put a layer of frozen half liter bottled water on the entire cooler bottom. They will keep the meat out of any water as your ice melts.
There is a lot of wasted space under the PVC frame. In the pic it looks like almost half of the cooler.

The problem with that would be keeping those bottles frozen for several days while out hunting... the great part about the pvc frame is a guy can buy ice to fit under it at most convenience stores.

 

[Gr8bawana]

The problem with that would be keeping those bottles frozen for several days while out hunting... the great part about the pvc frame is a guy can buy ice to fit under it at most convenience stores.

The frozen bottles are used as a layer of ice and for keeping the meat up out of the bottom. The rest of the cooler is filled with block ice and will last for well over a week even in our hot August antelope season.
Go with whatever works for you.

 

[JimP]

I will admit that there is extra space under the screen that sits on top of the PVC frame but it works for it's intended purpose. I purchased this large cooler with hauling and keeping meat cool and built the frame with the idea to keep the meat out of the water.

There are other ways to accomplish the same thing so it is up to the individual on which way they want to go.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Take 1 1/2 in PVC cut to size for cooler.Cap one end and fill them 80% full of water add rock salt,cap the other end and freeze.
Keeps meat cold and high and dry.