The early season can deliver one of the best opportunities to punch your deer tag. But with warm temperatures typically in the forecast, you better have a game plan for how to take care of your meat to prevent spoilage.
Below you’ll find some of the steps to take to make the most of your deer meat in the early season. Here’s a look at how to cool your meat quickly.
Field Dress First
A lot of hunters seem to be more concerned with showing off their deer than taking care of the meat. They’ll toss their buck in the truck and drive all over town showing it off before they even field dress the animal. The end result is a big-swol buck in the back of the truck and meat that’s on its way to spoiling.
Field dress first! It’s okay if your buck won’t look as big for photos. Get the guts out quick. Worry about photos later.
Skin, Quarter, & Hang
Get the hide off your deer as quick as possible to begin the cooling process. The hide holds more heat than most hunters realize. Skin your deer at the first opportunity possible, then quarter it out and hang it up in the shade to cool fast.
Antimicrobial Spray
Another new tool to help you protect your meat is the Koola Buck Antimicrobial Spray. No, it isn’t designed to cool your meat. But when applying it to your skinned carcass, it helps lower bacteria and mold growth. And by lowering microbial growth, you can age your carcass longer with less waste and spoilage, while insuring the safety of the meat you feed your family.
Game Bags
Game bags are a great way to protect your meat from flies, and the funk and junk that can quickly contaminate your meat. Game bags are the go-to option if you have to break your deer down for packing out or anytime you can’t haul your deer out whole.
You’ll find some great game bag options from brands like Mystery Ranch, Argali, Koola Buck, and Caribou Gear.
Get Meat In The Cooler ASAP
Make sure you have a cooler with ice in the truck or back at camp for all your warm weather hunts. Don’t wait until after you kill a deer to worry about digging the cooler out of the garage or shed. Have it ready to go, pre-cooled with ice, so you can quickly cool your meat down when your deer tag is punched.
Koola Buck
If you truly want to take your hunting camp to the next level, you need to consider adding the Koola Buck Portable Walk-in Cooler to your meat prep equipment. This thing is really slick, easily handling multiple deer, to help you get your meat cooled down quick.
It’s built super tough with a ceiling that can handle 800 pounds of meat (comfortably holds four deer). It’s built with a powerful commercial refrigeration system that maintains the cooling area at 36-41 degrees Fahrenheit even when the outside temperatures reach 85 degrees. Beyond the deer, it can hold 50 cases of your favorite beverage. And you can use it for far more than just hunting when you put it to work for parties, wedding receptions, catering events, and family reunions.
- Folded size: 48″ x 48″ x 35″ (W x L x H)
- Assembled size: 48″ x 72″ X 83″ (W x L x H)
- Product weight: 325 lbs.
- Recommended power: 110 volts/15 amps
Take a closer look at the Koola Buck portable walk-in cooler in the video below.
Quick Tips for Keeping Your Meat Cool
We reached out to our buddy Dustin DeCroo of Big Horn Outfitters for some expert advice on how to cool your meat quick and clean. Here’s a look at some of his favorite tactics when dealing with clients, friends, and family each season.
- Get the skin/hide off as quick as possible. The purpose of the hide is to insulate and protect. Taking the hide off allows the whole body to cool from the inside and out.
- When hauling meat in a pickup truck, get the deer off the bed of the truck. A pallet works great in warm weather to allow air flow all the way around the animal.
- Cut the animal as deep as possible to the spine, from the base of the skull down to the shoulder blades. This is the part of the animal that is slowest to cool and fastest to spoil.
- Use bags of ice inside the body cavity, but don’t keep it for too long as moisture will hold/grow bacteria.
- Keep animals out of the sun. Get meat into the shade as quick as possible. Most animals have a body temperature of around 110 degrees, so even on a really hot day, they’re still cooling when placed in the shade.
