Stinky meat, spoiled?

[Muley_Stalker]

A lot of leaving it overnight depends on the temperature too. I've never had to do it, but it would seem cold weather has a better chance of keeping the meat fresh. As long as you gut it. I use the gutless method, but would gut it for overnight.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Short memory in your old age? I thought we were friends? This is Pete.

LOL! Pete or not, when you're wrong you're wrong and calling me what you did in your PM to me today was plain stupid and not something a friend would do! Since when can't a friend tell a person the truth that they were wrong on something?

 

[RobG]

[video=youtube;YPnGp1QZbxM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPnGp1QZbxM[/video]

 

[Topgun 30-06]

[video=youtube;YPnGp1QZbxM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPnGp1QZbxM[/video]

That was a good one Rob! Should I pull out my "six guns" on Pete, LOL!

 

[noharleyyet]

Huntin' seasons must be 'bout over. Ah the sweet sound of bellicosity on the interwebs.

 

[jvanhoy]

Man hate you lost your meat but I'm glad I read this thread. I've left deer overnight with no problem before and probably would have a elk until reading this.

 

[noharleyyet]

Have had to leave one elk overnite. Entrails. esophagus out, stick pried open carcass,...stinky undershirt laid on it...cold temps. Skinned & game bagged early next morning...meat fine.

 

[Addicting]

Man hate you lost your meat but I'm glad I read this thread. I've left deer overnight with no problem before and probably would have a elk until reading this.

My main concern when we were deciding to leave it was the coyotes that were howling around us. I’ve seen deer completely eaten over night. The thought of it spoiling never crossed my mind. I have recovered a couple gut/liver shot deer the next day and never had a problem. So, I am glad some positive education is comming out of this.

 

[Addicting]

Thank you for the explanation. I won't comment on the shot. Good luck next year.

BTW, the synopsis of the shot wasn’t for you. I’m glad that you decided to keep your opinion to yourself, it’s probably better that you did seeing how many friends your making.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Have had to leave one elk overnite. Entrails. esophagus out, stick pried open carcass,...stinky undershirt laid on it...cold temps. Skinned & game bagged early next morning...meat fine.

I have left elk on the ground overnight in less than optimal temperatures (i.e. upper 40's). We had a number of elk on the ground, some of them pretty good sized animals. We field dressed (all the way to the chin), split shoulders back, and opened hams down to the femur. We were not able to prop them off the ground or skin them and hang quarters. As I recall, we did not lose any meat from any of the animals.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Just so you guys know, Pete (Elkstalker) is well into his 70s and only hunts with a muzzleloader in CO where he lives. His only method of elk hunting is spot and stalk in the heavy timber and he'll only shoot very short distances because of that from what I have gathered on another website he's on. I guess in his mind a shot that is hundreds of yards with a centerfire rifle is not his bag and a bad shot like the OP stated, especially at what he considers a very long distance, is just asking for trouble and isn't sporting. Anyway, that's my take on Pete and if he differs with what I have posted here he can come on and say so.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I have left elk on the ground overnight in less than optimal temperatures (i.e. upper 40's). We had a number of elk on the ground, some of them pretty good sized animals. We field dressed (all the way to the chin), split shoulders back, and opened hams down to the femur. We were not able to prop them off the ground or skin them and hang quarters. As I recall, we did not lose any meat from any of the animals.

IMHO in most instances you can get away with what you mentioned, but it's way better if you can at least get them off the ground and even better if you can also get the hide off ASAP.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

IMHO in most instances you can get away with what you mentioned, but it's way better if you can at least get them off the ground and even better if you can also get the hide off ASAP.

Agreed. This was a removal and meat salvaging wasn't the highest priority.

Had we been hunting, everyone of them would have been taken care of that night. Just pointing out there are things you can do to mitigate under bad circumstances.

 

[mtmuley]

harley and JLS speak the truth. A recovered elk can safely be left whole overnite. Must be done properly, as they described. I've done it many, many times. Can't speak of a cripple recovered later. mtmuley

 

[tjones]

harley and JLS speak the truth. A recovered elk can safely be left whole overnite. Must be done properly, as they described. I've done it many, many times. Can't speak of a cripple recovered later. mtmuley

I have left properly prepared elk for the night, the only meat lose was to an ambitious pine marten.

On a different note just think of the battle lines drawn if elkstalker would jump in on a BHR forest management chit show.

 

[RobG]

I have left properly prepared elk for the night, the only meat lose was to an ambitious pine marten.

On a different note just think of the battle lines drawn if elkstalker would jump in on a BHR forest management chit show.

On the other end of the spectrum is quartered elk left overnight that froze solid. I’ve had two elk that were tougher than getting a straight answer from BHR. Both froze hard in sub zero weather when we had to leave them overnight after quartering them up. It might be a coincidence but I’ve heard that freezing too soon can cause toughness. Burying the meat in the snow in plastic bags keeps it chilled, but not frozen. This only works if the elk is broke down. If you were to bury the whole elk the snow acts as insulation and keeps the heat in.

 

[RobG]

So does not taking out the esophagus spoil just the neck or can it migrate to the whole animal?

 

[idelkslayer]

I think the lesson here that everyone is missing is to never leave behind your knife. If the OP had kept a pocket knife or belt sheath folder on his person he would have been able to skin and quarter the elk when he found it.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

So does not taking out the esophagus spoil just the neck or can it migrate to the whole animal?

Spoilage will initiate in the area(s) with excess heat and then migrate outward from there over time. You commonly hear the term “ bone sour”, which really has nothing to do with bone itself other than the most common places for spoilage to occur first are the hams and shoulders simply because these arenas retain a lot of heat . Less surface area and more muscle/body mass.

 

[devon deer]

From the original post, as a lot of posters have said, trust your nose, it is one of our main senses, that is why we have it isn't it?
I just wish sometimes our smell sense was as acute as deer/elk!

The oesophagus, as soon as you shoot a deer/elk gases build up in the stomach, they don't just stop because the animal is dead, so the contents start to migrate down the oesophagus, it has to be removed.
I never do the gutless method in the UK, (although i want to try it one day), i bleed the deer, cut from top of chest bone to jaw, expose the windpipe, to the rear of the windpipe is the oesophagus, i carefully detach it from the wind pipe, carefully run my knife around it, and then i place a zip tie around it, then another cable tie further up, then cut between, this stops and crap coming from the mouth or the stomach, just watch as the oesophagus starts to expand as you start to gut the deer.
Sorry if i'm teaching people to 'suck eggs' but some people might learn something.

Cheers

Richard