I was wondering if anyone can tell me approximately the time frame you have to gut, skin, and quarter a white-tail deer once you locate it (in this instance, dropped on sight). I live in SC and the weather is 65-75 degrees in the evening. I am asking because my son shot one when it was 75 degrees and when he sent me pictures of him skinning it (2 1/2 hours later) it was about 65 degrees. he has yet to quarter it and put it in a cooler. I just want to make sure the meat is still good. thanks for any replies.
time frame for harvest
- Thread starter Jprovo555
- Start date
he's just started doing it himself and I mean this is the first deer he's tried. I wasn't with him but I think he gutted it right there in the field which was about 6:30pm and the temp was about 77 degrees at that time. from the pics he sent he was skinning it at 8:42pm and was in the barn of our camp. I'm going to start myself but I'm not going to until the temp drops to about 40-45 degrees or less.
weekender21
Well-Known Member
If he gutted it in the field the cooling process started immediately. I can’t think of any reason for concern with that scenario.
For reference, everyone I know in SC drops them off at the processor with guts in. Those deer are probably gutted hours after the shot on average.
I’ve left deer overnight in Hawaii and CA with nighttime temperatures in the 60’s, gutted as soon as I found them the next morning. Never had an issue with meat loss.
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For reference, everyone I know in SC drops them off at the processor with guts in. Those deer are probably gutted hours after the shot on average.
I’ve left deer overnight in Hawaii and CA with nighttime temperatures in the 60’s, gutted as soon as I found them the next morning. Never had an issue with meat loss.
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weekender21
Well-Known Member
Now that he’s butchering his own he should look into the gutless method to provide options when hanging and skinny aren’t logistically available. It’s easy to remove meat from deer sized game without gutting. Great option for paunch hit animals as well.
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yoderjac
Well-Known Member
There are many factors involved and temperature is a key factor, but shot placement also matters. It is not uncommon for daytime highs to be in the 80s during bow season in VA. On occasion, I've paunch shot a deer in the afternoon on a hot day. Rule of thumb is to wait at least 4 hours to trail a paunch shot deer and often longer. I've recovered deer at 9 or 10 o'clock the next morning. Rigor has set in by that time. I've then field dressed, skinned, and quartered the deer.
Spoilage is caused by bacteria multiplying. Heat and moisture create conditions where they can multiply much more quickly and taint the meat. A paunch shot typically exposes the meat to bacteria from the gut. I discard any meat in the area of the shot that was exposed to bacteria.
The rest of the meat from deer like this were fine. I typically won't hang a deer like this in a cooler for long. I try to butcher as soon as possible.
The faster we reduce the temperature the better. I find skinning is much easier on a warm deer. For most of the deer I shoot they are quartered and hanging in the cooler in a few hours. The cooler keeps the temperature 34-36 degrees. This slows bacteria multiplication while allowing time for the natural enzymes in the meat to breakdown muscle tissue and tenderize the meat. I typically hang deer for 1 to 2 weeks before butchering.
Best of luck!
Spoilage is caused by bacteria multiplying. Heat and moisture create conditions where they can multiply much more quickly and taint the meat. A paunch shot typically exposes the meat to bacteria from the gut. I discard any meat in the area of the shot that was exposed to bacteria.
The rest of the meat from deer like this were fine. I typically won't hang a deer like this in a cooler for long. I try to butcher as soon as possible.
The faster we reduce the temperature the better. I find skinning is much easier on a warm deer. For most of the deer I shoot they are quartered and hanging in the cooler in a few hours. The cooler keeps the temperature 34-36 degrees. This slows bacteria multiplication while allowing time for the natural enzymes in the meat to breakdown muscle tissue and tenderize the meat. I typically hang deer for 1 to 2 weeks before butchering.
Best of luck!
