packing meat out

[fast_pass88]

i'm planning a backpack trip into wilmore this fall for a NT sheep, and was just wondering if anyone had some tips for keeping the meat from spoiling during the pack out. i've heard some guys say they carry it in a dry sack, full time, and then submerge it in a creek during the night to cool it off. sealing it in your pack is easiest to carry, but doesn't allow the meat to air out at all which i'm not sure is a good idea. would 2 or 3 days in a dry sack cause the meat to spoil? any insight would be greatly appreciated! i really don't want to work that hard and have to pitch the meat when i get home

[bdub]

Skin and debone all the meat. Put the quarters in game bags and hang them not touching each other the first night, preferably under a big pine that will keep the rain off a bit if you get some. Have a backstrap pigout that night as well. The meat should get a bit of a crust on it and cool off overnight. In the day wrap them as much as you can to insulate them in your pack and you will be good for a couple of days no problem. At night take them out and hang them up again. To initially cool the meat you can put it in a plastic bag and cool it off in a creek. This works for me anyhow. Hope that helps.

[BackPackHunter]

X2 with Bdub

Don't not let the meat get wet if cooling in a creek...
It will help the bacteria take hold, and ruin your meat...

Eat ribs the night you shoot it, this cuts a lot of weight
and debone everything

Kifaru has some nice gear for for hauling meat out

https://kifaru.net/meatbag.html

[sheephunter]

If it's really hot, I'd submerge it in a creek at night in a sealed large ZipLoc but definitely don't keep it sealed during the day while it's in your pack. If it's cool at night, just keep it in a game bag and hang it in a tree to air cool. It takes a lot for meat to spoil.

[fast_pass88]

If it's really hot, I'd submerge it in a creek at night in a sealed large ZipLoc but definitely don't keep it sealed during the day while it's in your pack. If it's cool at night, just keep it in a game bag and hang it in a tree to air cool. It takes a lot for meat to spoil.

What do you put it in while it's in your pack? I was going to use a zip loc or dry sack so it doesn't get all my other gear messy, but that wouldn't exactly breath very good.....

Thanks for the info guys!

[elkamaholic]

X2 with Bdub

Don't not let the meat get wet if cooling in a creek...
It will help the bacteria take hold, and ruin your meat...

Eat ribs the night you shoot it, this cuts a lot of weight
and debone everything

Kifaru has some nice gear for for hauling meat out

https://kifaru.net/meatbag.html

I bought one of these when I upgraded to a kifaru pack last fall..haven't had a chance to field test it yet but it looks like it will do the trick.

Luckily the nights are always cool in the mountains so initial chilling is easy, keeping it in a fairly tight but breathable ball in your pack means meat doesn't typicallly warm up enough during the day to spoil.

I have packed 4 archery elk out now that were shot early morning when air temps were around 10 degrees C. By deboning quickly and spreading the meat out, off the ground, the meat cools enough that even though the afternoon temps got into the high 20's, the meat was just as tasty as can be.

[sheephunter]

What do you put it in while it's in your pack? I was going to use a zip loc or dry sack so it doesn't get all my other gear messy, but that wouldn't exactly breath very good.....

Thanks for the info guys!

Just a game bag seems to do the job.

[Lonnie]

get a good bleed as meat cures, blood rots & blood seems to start the rotting prosses as soon as the animal dies.I've seen a lot of meat spoil because it was full of blood.they thuogh that with modren ammo bleeding was not nessesary and in a lot of cases its not but a neck or head shot doesn't bleed the meat out that good.

[jrs]

I think 3 days would be pushing it. I packed mine out last year on a +25 day. I cooled it in a creek (in a dry bag) then hiked straight out in 14 or 15 hours. The meat stayed cool during that time, and it tastes awesome. I let the meat cool in a flowing creek for over an hour to get it that cold (while i caped and fleshed the sheep to cut a bit of weight). Fish and Wildlife officer commented it was a lot more effort than the average guy puts in up there, and that a lot of guys end up wasting meat due to lack of effort. Id be submerging it every 3-4 hours for a good length of time if i was going to take 2 or 3 days to get out though. The head was starting to smell a bit bad by the next morning (i didn't keep it cold as the cape was off).

[BackPackHunter]

the Kifaru has a 1 oz bag designed to drain ur meat at night when you take it out of your pack and hang it in a tree... I use this same bag to put all my food in before the pray is down. its long and puts the weight over your hole back, so u don't have the "bowling ball" feeling in your pack...
You can do the same draining with the "hanging bag"
the 1oz bag needs to be seam sealed b4 you put meat in it, or it will mess up your other gear.

hanging bag comes ready for meat... If i remember right the hanging bag is 84 grams

[fast_pass88]

Thanks for all the info guys! Those Kifaru bags look pretty nice