Elk Field Care

[BiggWimm]

Saw a wonderful example of Utah hunters living up to their reputation. While I was driving back from a quick 2.5 day hunt/scouting trip, a truck passed me with a decent bull. The bull was gutted, it's hide still on, and whole in nature. The elk was still strapped to the giant, black sled that I presume they dragged it out on. It was about 94 degrees out, full sun. Made me sick. No wonder most people think that wild game has a "gamey" flavor.

Ironically, the bull was still in full velvet.

Sometimes I wish people would get a clue.

 

[Zach]

Sad!

Saw some guys a few years ago that had a deer hanging in 80 degree weather, hide still on and blue tarp wrapped around it. Saw it there at least 4 days in a row.

 

[whiskeydog]

as long as they eat it...i don't care what it tastes like! just don't invite me over for dinner!

 

[OriginalOscar]

First point. Don't classify all Utah hunters.

Second point. Why do archery hunts open so early? Seems logical to push the opening back to early September.

 

[dustinf]

Why do archery hunts open so early?

$...

 

[BiggWimm]

@ dukes_daddy - I am a Utah hunter myself. You will find many Utard jokes on here. Archery hunts open so early to give archery hunters a month to attempt to fill their tag, only to be teased in the last few days of the season with bugles. Also, the deer and elk are unpressured making them more susceptible to my carbon fiber.

I will say, on my adventures this weekend, I had the pleasure of witnessing many bowhunters "road hunting." There were many that would stand in the back of a side by side or a jeep with their bow at the ready while someone drove them around...

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

there are those types in about every state,,,stupid is as stupid does

 

[sbhooper]

Yep. You can't get away from the road dogs no matter where you are. That is the same reason that people say antelope tastes bad. Rotten does not equate to gamey in my book.

 

[StrutNut]

The one trip I made it out west I had noticed a lot of archery road hunters as well. Public land in CO. If there was a road nearby you would hear trucks rolling along quietly. You could actually hear the gravel on the tires more then the engine. They would stop and bugle. Wait a few minutes and proceed on down the road. No wonder the elk where quiet as can be as this went on all evening. I was off a little known water hole not 200 yards off a main road but I was told that it is so close to the road and it was very steep uphill from the road that it seldom gets hunted. There were elk tracks everywhere and I did have on coming in but wouldnt you know, more road hunters spooked it off. Opening weekend in CO. Wished I was there again this year.

 

[junior88]

my first archery hunt in kaibab in the early 90's i was shocked at the amount of roadhunters. i figured archers were better than that. over the years i have really come to like roadhunters......less people to compete with in the woods.

 

[noharleyyet]

During 2nd rifle years back, the FS road to the Platora Reservoir was lined with Co plates..motors running, momma in curlers at the wheel & hubby pacing, glassing uphill w/left hand, 300 boomer in the other. Kid you not.

 

[Bambistew]

I have a couple questions...

If its 94 degrees what good does it do to take the hide off?

What temperature should we be hunting to ensure minimal spoilage? I presume you only hunt when its cold out??? If that was the case most hunters in the Southwest should just stay home to avoid hunting when its hot.

If it takes you an hour or more to get the hide off, break it down etc, vs, whole in the back of the truck and hauling ass to a cooler which is the better solution? Not like its going to cool out faster without the hide...

In Africa, shit doesn't even get gutted until hours after its shot. Can't say that the couple dozen animals I ate there were 'gamey'. The elephant was a little tough, but still tasted like an elephant.

 

[trevore]

Trust me it isn't just the Utah boys who partake in baffling practices. We have more than our fair share of knuckleheads in Tx. Plenty of roadies here. Hell I've had customers bring me animals completely intact (guts and all) wanting a shoulder mount.

One customer called me at about 8 am to let me know he just knocked down two animals that he wanted mounted. I told him great no problem I can be at the shop in 30 mins. He said no rush I'm about 2 hours away and I still haven't go them in the truck yet. I say ok. I tell him to call when he's 30 mins out so I can meet him. He calls about 1:30 and says he's 30 from the shop. I hop in my truck and go to meet him. 2:30 he shows up with two fully intact animals bloated to the max. It's 90-95 already and they're laying in the bed of a pick up truck with your typical black plastic bed liner. It was an interesting conversation to say the least. He asked me if I wanted the meat??? Yeah right friggin idot.

 

[bjtc_brian]

I have a couple questions...

If its 94 degrees what good does it do to take the hide off?

What temperature should we be hunting to ensure minimal spoilage? I presume you only hunt when its cold out??? If that was the case most hunters in the Southwest should just stay home to avoid hunting when its hot.

If it takes you an hour or more to get the hide off, break it down etc, vs, whole in the back of the truck and hauling ass to a cooler which is the better solution? Not like its going to cool out faster without the hide...

In Africa, shit doesn't even get gutted until hours after its shot. Can't say that the couple dozen animals I ate there were 'gamey'. The elephant was a little tough, but still tasted like an elephant.

I agree with Bambi. I have shot numerous elk in 80+ and never taken he hide off. Never had an issue with them tasting "gamey". As a matter of fact, I have passed most of them off as beef to unknowing participants and they still don't know it was elk.

 

[BiggWimm]

From my personal experience, the faster that meat can be cooled, the better it will taste. If this means that spending time in the field to quarter the elk up so that the meat reaches the temperature of the ambient air vs. normal body temp, then do it. If it means hanging the quarters in the shade and allowing the evaporation process and wind to cool it more, then do it. If it means putting it on ice for the 4 hour drive home, then do it.

My issue was that the elk was whole, sitting in a black sled, in a black pickup bed, in the full sun. Is that not going to significantly raise the temperature of the meat?

Maybe I am off-base here, but what I witnessed seems to deviate from all the lessons that were taught to me through the years. If there is a better answer, I would love to be educated.

 

[2rocky]

No doubt Cooling the carcass is of paramount importance to meat quality.

I look at commercial processing facilities as the gold standard for carcass handling.

The cooler stage consists of four processes. In the first, called the"hot box”, carcass temperatures are reduced from approximately 105 degrees to 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit over a twenty-four hour period.

That is still in the Bacterial Playground temperature range. It is necessary to allow rigor to set in and relax before freezing. Those big muscles hold heat for a long time. Most people just say Get it cold as fast as possible. Better to err on the side of caution no doubt.

So there has to be a time frame where you are in the clear. Looking back on my Blacktails killed in the summer TOD was usually between 8 am and 11am. Gutting was immediately upon recovery. Skinning was done by 5 pm and the locker received the carcass at 7:00pm.

My Tule Bull Elk killed at last light on a day with a high of 102 degrees (low of 70 degrees) died at 7:00 pm and was in the locker at 11:30 pm. He wouldn't have lasted the night. By morning the hams were cool to the touch, but I'll bet the core temp was still 60 or better. After an 8 hour drive in my truck box with 12 blocks of Ice I was sweating but he was probably my most tender bull so far.

So it can be done, but it takes meat quality being the #1 priority once the critter is down.

 

[MontanaElkFanatic]

Yes, removing the hide is important but not the most important piece of saving a dead animal on hot hunts. The most important part is deboning, you must get the meat off the bone in a timely mannor. Last season I got my bull and deboned it, left the last sack of meat over night and worried all night. Got it in the morning and added it to the cooler with ice. Processor was suprises that not one bit was spoiled, he told me about deer and elk that were coming in just green as could be.

I have also listened to guy say they have spoiled elk quarters in november because they just threw the quarters in the back of the truck (hide on) on top of each other.

Bottom line to save more meat is learn how to debone elk, vital for bow hunters to know. Kill....remove hide....debone....cooler....enjoy the elk for the year!

Its amazing how much steam you can see and feel coming off the bones from an elk in mid sept on a hot day.

 

[Bambistew]

My issue was that the elk was whole, sitting in a black sled, in a black pickup bed, in the full sun. Is that not going to significantly raise the temperature of the meat?

Insulation works both ways... If it won't cool off with the hide on, why would it warm up? If its in the back of the truck going down the highway, I doubt it would warm up too much in the wind.

Bottom line, you have no idea how far they had to go, or what they planned to do with it. Its not your elk so who cares... For all we know they could have a giant walk in cooler to hang it up and deal with it 5 minutes from the time you saw them, or maybe the want to eat rotten elk...

I've never been lucky enough to get an bull out whole, so I can't say what I would do one way or the other. I will say that of the 150+ dead ones I've been around, none were ever 'boned' or skined on the spot, some were left for a week or more in the field with the hide on before we could pack them out. We never lost an ounce of meat, nor had any that were gamey tasting. However, we always opened em up, and got them off the ground. Day time temps were maybe 50 degree's and around 30 at night, so there was never really a chance of spoilage.

 

[jlmatthew]

Sad!

Saw some guys a few years ago that had a deer hanging in 80 degree weather, hide still on and blue tarp wrapped around it. Saw it there at least 4 days in a row.

I remember that, pretty wasteful IMO

 

[BiggWimm]

Well, I guess it just means to each their own. I know that I will keep doing it my way, but maybe I will not be as quick to criticize in the future. I know that you know what you are doing Bambistew, as I have seen many of your posts on here. As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat, or an elk in this case.