OK some of you are going to jump back at me , But what did your Grand father and Great Grand father do after they shot their game. I have hunted since I was a small boy 53 years. Back when I started hunting you didn't have bags of ice or people to process your game. Yes we would gut the game as soon as possible and hang it from a tree. I use to carry a can of pepper with me and would cover the meat the best I could this would keep the blow flies off. Then wash it off and cut up meat . also keep it out of the direct sun. Many people in other countries hang meat out side for days and then eat it and I have to say many of them out live us. Oh and what about the old days when people would strap a deer on the hood of their truck and drive it around town showing it off. You would think this would cook the deer, I never heard of someone dieing from eating it. Gut them as soon a you can and try to keep the meat clean and as cool as possible but remember you GGGG Grand father ate meat that hung for days and weeks and it didn't kill them, if it did you wouldn't be hear reading my post. :sailor
i only used a processor one time. and it was for two hogs i shot early in the morning and i was 3 hours from home.. was tired so i dropped it off at the processor.. otherwise i process my own now.. unless im just too tired.. or have to drive back south and will be back the following week.. or if i want sausage (dont have the stuff to do it) or slim jim or summer sausage.
gotta start that.
You can get to them without gutting, after you pull the backstraps, look inside the body cavity along the spine in the rear 1/4 of the animal. They are only an inch or two around, and maybe 8-12" long. They are so tender you hardly need a knife to get them out. I usually cut a slice up each side of them then just pull them out with my hand.
I gut them where they fall and then start boning. I carry a collapsable pack frame and a big canvas bag. I can put the frame together in less than 5 minutes and an entire deer will frt in the bag. The meat stays clean and since the bag lets air circulate through it, the meat begins to cool. Since most animals only produce about 42% of their live weight in edible meat it makes getting it out easier. I leave the bones, skin, guts and head for the varmints to consume. After all, they have to eat too.
When I get the bioned meat bag to the truck I put it in those big ziploc bags and put it inb the cooler. I always have at least 2 bags of ice in the cooler when I go out. That way the meat gets nice and chilled and I can leave it in the cooler for a day or 2 if needed. Just add more ice if it melts down.
The WMA I hunt (Perdidio River by Pensacola) doesn't have a check station so I can take them out legally this way. I grew up in Colorado and we always used the same system for elk and mule deer, both of which are a whole lot bigger than these southwern whitetails. I personnally wouldn't drag a deer 10 yards. It's much easier on your back to pack them on a frame than pull them along the ground. I've never understood why more people don't carry a pack frame in the woods in the east and south. It's a common sight in the west and it really makes the job easy and clean.
Cheers :cowboy
