Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
crackehelmet
Posts: 142
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:21 pm
Location: Twin Cities MN
Status: Offline

Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby crackehelmet » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:09 pm

A few questions about retrieving deer:

If you are in a marsh or swamp and dragging through water is unavoidable do you wait to field dress the deer until you're on the other side? If not, how do you protect the meat from the swamp water?

People have talked about waiting until the next morning to retrieve a deer that has been liver shot or because they lost light and couldn't find the deer. I know it will be a matter of the temperature, but in general how long will the meat still be good without the animal having been field dressed. Is there any truth to the stuff I've read about the quality and taste of the meat being dependent upon the animal being dressed as soon as possible?

In one of Dan's videos he hits a buck that runs off and lays down in a stream and dies. Dan doesn't find it until the next day. Is an animal that's spent the night partially submerged still good to eat? If the deer in the stream was still okay, would one that spent the night in a swamp or marsh still be good?


User avatar
Boogieman1
500 Club
Posts: 6587
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:18 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Boogieman1 » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:18 pm

I field dress my animal ASAP. IMO the key to tasty venison is getting the skin off and getting the meat cool. Early season is a trickery situation in my part of the country where it's not unusual for temps in the 90s. I limit myself to high % broadside shots during these times. In summary, get the animal gutted, cleaned up and cooled off as fast as u can in warm conditions.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
-John Wayne-
User avatar
Net Guy
500 Club
Posts: 1407
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:18 pm
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Net Guy » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:37 pm

I field dress as soon as I can. Haven’t had one die in water though so can’t comment on that. Had to take some across ditches and they were all field dressed before we crossed them. Tasted fine to me. Still alive. 8-)
User avatar
Dewey
Moderator
Posts: 36724
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:57 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:23 pm

I have had a lot of deer die in the water so there is really no other option but pull them to high ground. If it’s warm out I will gut them right away to get them cooled down quickly. If it’s cooler out I drag them well away from the kill site and then take care of it. I don’t like to let the cavity fill up with marsh muck and water so I prefer to wait if possible. Not only that in deep water the deer will almost float in the water making them much easier to get out. When gutted they cavity fills up and it can be a nightmare.
JoeRE
500 Club
Posts: 4576
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:26 am
Location: IA
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:53 pm

Yea the slower they cool down the gamier the meat will probably taste. But its not like it spoils immediately and that time is only controllable to a point. A deer sitting overnight isn't ideal but I would be confident its perfectly fine unless you have extreme temps...I had a couple deer sit overnight with temps not dropping below the 60s, no problem. Sitting in water would actually cool it faster, thats a good thing I think. Swamp water may look and taste a little funny but its not poison :lol:

Once it gets close to 24 hrs a deer is laying there dead is where I would get suspect of it. Even in super cold temps it will probably spoil before the torso freezes solid. Case in point as a kid I found a buck that was shot a couple days earlier by someone else. Temps were single digits and below zero the whole time, legs and head were frozen solid but when we started to gut it - the body cavity was clearly going rancid, and was still kinda warm inside, and we had to give up on salvaging meat. Lay there maybe 48 hrs in that cold of weather and still went rancid inside!

Also I have been paying a lot more attention to letting a deer hang long enough to go completely through rigor mortis. Usually takes 24-36 hrs and the meat is definitely more tender after all rigor has left the body. A couple of the toughest deer I ever are were old bucks I cut up and put in the freezer in a few hours. If at all possible keep the meet in a cooler or the frig for a day to let it go thru rigor, I'm a believer after doing that the last couple years.
User avatar
Uncle Lou
Moderator
Posts: 10308
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:32 pm
Location: Holly, MI
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Fri Feb 23, 2018 1:09 am

I have aged a lot of wild meat and tested the limits on temps (couple of 75 degree days during MN opener many years ago)

I have never left a deer in water overnight, but I have drug elk quarters through the Big Sandy River in Wyoming and hung them up overnight. I think with any type of water people talk about avoiding, it is the bacteria introduced that is the problem. Yet many people claim to rinse out with a garden hose. Mostly I think meat is fairly resilient, yet I believe in handling and caring for meat in a very clean environment. For years I have rinsed cavities with vinegar and water. It does an excellent job of cleaning. If I ever have questions on cleanliness it gets rinsed with vinegar and water.

So to your question, I think if a deer spent the night in water, and passes the smell test once you have it hung and rinsed, I think it would be OK. Just an opinion, and never drug a whole dressed deer through water but you gotta do what you gotta do. I don't know if I would float one out the next day with guts in, but I will take it under advisement.
Silence Your Gear with Stealth Strips®
http://www.stealthoutdoors.com
User avatar
CHALK_1
Posts: 66
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 4:41 am
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby CHALK_1 » Fri Feb 23, 2018 4:57 am

I’ve dragged a few through waist deep water after field dressing, it’s not ideal but hard to avoid. I rinse it really well with the hose and have never had any issues. In a perfect world I would wait to get across the creek or marsh if I had help, but it’s not realistic when your solo and not worth giving yourself a heart attack. Besides spoilage on a long recovery, predators & scavengers around here will be on it within hours if not recovered quickly. It gets dressed immediately regardless of temp and the carcass gets propped open. A few years ago I started dragging the carcass about a 100 yds from the gut pile & hanging my sweaty shirt/vest or whatever I can on the carcass until I return from the long walk to and from the truck to ditch gear, haven’t had any predators issues since.
NEbowman
Posts: 86
Joined: Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:22 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby NEbowman » Fri Feb 23, 2018 5:51 am

I'm pretty new to hunting, but have been butchering and cooking animals my entire career. The quicker you can cool the meat down the better. I killed my first deer 2 years ago. Living in an apartment I can't just bring an entire animal home to hang and butcher, so I dressed, skinned and quartered it in the woods (legal in Massachusetts after online check-in). From the time it died until it was quartered and in game bags was less than an hour. I wet aged it in vacuum sealed bags for over a week in my fridge to let it come completely out of rigor and allow the meat time to tenderize naturally. I gave some to my Mom who literally stayed alive eating venison in Minnesota as a kid. She said it was the mildest most tender venison she ever had.

Obviously this was a perfect scenario and in the field every situation isn't perfect. If you need to get a little rowdy getting a deer out or it sits overnight in warm weather I'd do your very best to clean it and get it cooled as quickly as humanly possible. And your nose won't lie to you, that's what it's made for, trust it.
Dloat
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:09 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Dloat » Fri Feb 23, 2018 5:59 am

I had one this year i drug threw the swamp, I just made sure I kept his head up and moved from tree base to tree base fairly quickly to make sure he didn’t sink in between. of a workout
User avatar
Octang
500 Club
Posts: 755
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 3:20 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Octang » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:12 am

The technical answer is you have four hours of meat being between 40-140 degrees before it is possible for dangerous bacteria to breed. That being said, as soon as the clock strikes 4 you don't necessarily have bad meat, it just means it is now susceptible to it. As others have shown above, it can often sit out considerably longer and be fine.

Obviously, the problem is more serious in warmer weather. Flies are great for introducing bacteria. Sprinkling the meat with black pepper is a good way to keep flies off.
User avatar
Dewey
Moderator
Posts: 36724
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:57 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:43 am

crackehelmet wrote:
In one of Dan's videos he hits a buck that runs off and lays down in a stream and dies. Dan doesn't find it until the next day. Is an animal that's spent the night partially submerged still good to eat? If the deer in the stream was still okay, would one that spent the night in a swamp or marsh still be good?

I would be much less concerned with a deer submerged in a stream or river if there is flow or current. The water tends to be a bit colder and is actually much better for cooling off the carcass. Marsh and swamp water is very stagnant and generally pretty nasty stuff especially in warm weather.
User avatar
ghoasthunter
500 Club
Posts: 2211
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:09 am
Location: New jersey
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:40 am

crackehelmet wrote:A few questions about retrieving deer:

If you are in a marsh or swamp and dragging through water is unavoidable do you wait to field dress the deer until you're on the other side? If not, how do you protect the meat from the swamp water?

People have talked about waiting until the next morning to retrieve a deer that has been liver shot or because they lost light and couldn't find the deer. I know it will be a matter of the temperature, but in general how long will the meat still be good without the animal having been field dressed. Is there any truth to the stuff I've read about the quality and taste of the meat being dependent upon the animal being dressed as soon as possible?

In one of Dan's videos he hits a buck that runs off and lays down in a stream and dies. Dan doesn't find it until the next day. Is an animal that's spent the night partially submerged still good to eat? If the deer in the stream was still okay, would one that spent the night in a swamp or marsh still be good?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peGwAgXj3OU
hears a podcast on meat care from gritty bowman with Aron Snyder
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS
User avatar
ghoasthunter
500 Club
Posts: 2211
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:09 am
Location: New jersey
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:44 am

Dewey wrote:
crackehelmet wrote:
In one of Dan's videos he hits a buck that runs off and lays down in a stream and dies. Dan doesn't find it until the next day. Is an animal that's spent the night partially submerged still good to eat? If the deer in the stream was still okay, would one that spent the night in a swamp or marsh still be good?

I would be much less concerned with a deer submerged in a stream or river if there is flow or current. The water tends to be a bit colder and is actually much better for cooling off the carcass. Marsh and swamp water is very stagnant and generally pretty nasty stuff especially in warm weather.
I wouldn't let it sit and soak for hours but dragging it out should be fine just wash it good with a garden hose and if the meat starts looking light pink in color from being saturated it will spoil faster because it cant crow that crust on outside. don't hang it cut it up and freeze it in that case.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS
User avatar
ghoasthunter
500 Club
Posts: 2211
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:09 am
Location: New jersey
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:49 am

ghoasthunter wrote:
Dewey wrote:
crackehelmet wrote:
In one of Dan's videos he hits a buck that runs off and lays down in a stream and dies. Dan doesn't find it until the next day. Is an animal that's spent the night partially submerged still good to eat? If the deer in the stream was still okay, would one that spent the night in a swamp or marsh still be good?

I would be much less concerned with a deer submerged in a stream or river if there is flow or current. The water tends to be a bit colder and is actually much better for cooling off the carcass. Marsh and swamp water is very stagnant and generally pretty nasty stuff especially in warm weather.
I wouldn't let it sit and soak for hours but dragging it out should be fine just wash it good with a garden hose and if the meat starts looking light pink in color from being saturated it will spoil faster because it cant crow that crust on outside. don't hang it cut it up and freeze it in that case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peGwAgXj3OU hears a good podcast on backcountry meat care from gritty bowmen and Aron Snyder that's very helpful.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS
User avatar
ghoasthunter
500 Club
Posts: 2211
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:09 am
Location: New jersey
Status: Offline

Re: Deer Retrieval and Meat Quality

Unread postby ghoasthunter » Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:56 am

JoeRE wrote:Yea the slower they cool down the gamier the meat will probably taste. But its not like it spoils immediately and that time is only controllable to a point. A deer sitting overnight isn't ideal but I would be confident its perfectly fine unless you have extreme temps...I had a couple deer sit overnight with temps not dropping below the 60s, no problem. Sitting in water would actually cool it faster, thats a good thing I think. Swamp water may look and taste a little funny but its not poison :lol:

Once it gets close to 24 hrs a deer is laying there dead is where I would get suspect of it. Even in super cold temps it will probably spoil before the torso freezes solid. Case in point as a kid I found a buck that was shot a couple days earlier by someone else. Temps were single digits and below zero the whole time, legs and head were frozen solid but when we started to gut it - the body cavity was clearly going rancid, and was still kinda warm inside, and we had to give up on salvaging meat. Lay there maybe 48 hrs in that cold of weather and still went rancid inside!

Also I have been paying a lot more attention to letting a deer hang long enough to go completely through rigor mortis. Usually takes 24-36 hrs and the meat is definitely more tender after all rigor has left the body. A couple of the toughest deer I ever are were old bucks I cut up and put in the freezer in a few hours. If at all possible keep the meet in a cooler or the frig for a day to let it go thru rigor, I'm a believer after doing that the last couple years.

if a deer lays for a long time look for bone spoilage first the rot will start at bone out you may just need to remove the inner meat the outer meat will be fine most time its all temps if its under 50 not so much worries as say anything above if its raining out or windy the meat will cool faster also.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL A HUNTER HAS IS BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Facebook, Rib Splitter37 and 79 guests