7/1/2006
Division of Wildlife
Take Proper Care of Big Game Meat
By the Colorado Division of Wildlife
Ethical hunters not only make a clean kill, they don’t waste what they kill – and that means taking care of the meat.
It’s against the law to waste game meat. If you harvest an animal, it is your responsibility to remove and care for the meat.
Start preparing before you go into the field. Get your body in shape and be ready to carry heavy loads over rough terrain. Be sure you know how to field dress an anima. Numerous books and web sites are available to provide explanations. If you will be hunting with someone who is inexperienced, teach them the proper techniques.
Get your gear in shape. Collect and test all of the equipment you need for cleaning, hauling and caring for your meat. A short list to consider: high quality knife, bone saw, tarp, game bags, frame pack, paper towels, rope, rubber gloves and a first-aid kit.
Get your freezer in shape. Be sure you have enough room in your freezer to store the meat.
Make a clean kill
Shot placement can affect meat quality. Try for a quick kill with a shot that will produce minimal meat damage. The best targets: the heart/lungs area just behind the front quarter, the head or neck. Avoid shooting an animal in the gut or hindquarters.
Also, be aware of where the animal might fall. You don’t an animals lodged in an area where you will not be able to retrieve it. Make sure you are capable of retrieving all the meat before it spoils, is claimed by a predator, or you become exhausted.
If you can’t, don’t shoot!
It’s down; now what?
When you bring down a big game animal with bullet or arrow, you have achieved one immediate goal, but you haven’t fulfilled all of your responsibilities as a hunter. You still have to field dress, transport and butcher your animal properly.
Animals must be field dressed immediately. That means removing the guts, heart, lungs, liver, esophagus and other internal organs and cleaning out the rectal bone.
After removing all the entrails, roll the animal over to drain the body cavity, then use a clean rag to wipe off excess blood, bone chips, dirt, partially digested food particles and other foreign matter.
Only leave the hide on long enough to keep the meat clean while dragging it on the ground or transporting it over dusty roads in the back of an open pickup.
Next, cool the meat as quickly as possible. Time is critical, even in cool weather. Bacterial growth begins at any temperature over 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Maggots can hatch within eight hours if the carcass is exposed to flies and other winged insects. Skinning improves airflow around the carcass and hastens cooling. Without air circulating around the carcass the meat can sour quickly.
More and more hunters are “boning out” their game. Deboned elk or deer meat tastes much better than one with the bones left in. That’s because bones and bone marrow impart a more “gamy” taste, as does the fat.
Remove the head, trim as much fat as possible, place in game bags and hang them in the shade. Keep the meat dry. Do not allow meat to hang more than two days in the woods. If the weather is warm get the carcass into cold storage as soon as possible.
Remember – aging does not improve game meat. Beef can be aged to become more tender and flavorful because the fat on a domestic cow protects the meat from rotting at 38 degrees. But aging does not tenderize or improve the flavor of game animals. Deer and elk are 90-95 percent lean, and the leaner the meat the faster it deteriorates.
When taking the animal home, keep it cool and out of sight. Do not strap an animal to the top of your car.
Game meat can last for several years in a good freezer if it is well-wrapped. And the best wrapping is a vacuum seal. If you don’t have one, use freezer paper. It’s better than plastic in staving off freezer burn.
For a more in-depth explanation of field dressing animals and caring for meat, go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/ResourcesTips/FieldDress.htm.
Division of Wildlife
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