How to keep deer meat in warm weather?

[Mechanical Advantage]

Want to go hunting but with the long weekend and the weather so warm, how do you guys keep your meat until you get to the butcher?
I have never got one this early and its usually colder so you have a bit of time. Around gun season there is more guys set up for this. Don't have the place or ambition to butcher myself.
Quartering and coolers is what I was thinking. I don't want to not hunt, have to get out when I can.
Thanks.

[rayman]

I de-bone the meat and keep it in a cooler on ice until taking it to my friend that makes hamburger, cube steak, and sausage. Hunt mostly close to the house where I have a set up for cleaning deer. You could keep a big cooler to put the quarters in. Years ago I would keep a meat saw and a rope and hanger in my truck to through over a large branch where ever I happened to be when I needed it. Tie it to the bumper and you have a ready made meat pole.

Good luck.

[OkXbowHunter]

I've kept quartered game for days in a ice chest. I take garbage bags and put the meat in them BUT I do not close them at the top, leave 'em open and pack the ice around them. Then take some rock salt or Kosher salt and liberally douse the ice (not the meat) with it. It will nearly freeze like this. Makes cutting it up a lot easier. The plastic bags keep the melting water off of the meat, but I repeat, do not close the bags up! Leave 'em open at the top and let any heat/moisture escape so the bags won't sweat.

[BigNasty]

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[deerman]

In the field sprinkle black pepper all over the deer and this will keep those fly's off the meat.

[redmandant]

Like the guys said, you can completly break the deer down into 5 sections(7 if you keep the ribs)with a hack saw and a good boneing/hunting knife, and in the normal colman cooler you should be able to pack it with 2-bags of ice. I leave the plug open to let the water drain out. That will buy you about 12-15hrs to get where ya need to go. There are several meat lockers open up all over, where abouts are you going hunting, south east Ont is pretty big

RED

[new2xbow]

I bought this after my opening day deer, we can hang about 5 deer in it i think. We do alot of processing for friends and stuff so this will be alot easier than trying to keep track of what coolers need ice.

Picked this one up off of craigslist for $300

I was actually just looking for a regular fridge to do like bignasty

[bob1961]

every deer i get i de-bone and it goes in loosely closed plastic shopping bags in the bottom of my fridge to rest for 5 days before i cut, wrap, freeze it .........bob

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[Dereck]

Just got one tonight and skinned it ,took the shoulders off split it behind the ribs
and put it into bags then it went in the fridge downstairs
got to keep it cool or it will be coyote bait.

[Riflemanz]

If i'm forced to hunt in warm weather and cut my own meat i will get home from the hunt,hang the deer in my garage,skin it and then quarter it and put into coolers with ice until i'm ready to cut it up.You could also quarter it and toss it into the freezer if you have one big enough.

[agingcrossbower]

We usually just get it out of the sun and to the butcher soon. Or, consume in mass quantities.

[new2xbow]

We usually just get it out of the sun and to the butcher soon. Or, consume in mass quantities.

We have been known on mornings that several people are bringing us deer, we will fire up the grill and toss the backstraps out of the first one on their.

We have a lot of new hunters come to us for processing and as part of that if they want i teach them how to field dress and also how to quarter them, so it make for some lang mornings and we start getting hungry. I have to say it is hilarious to watch some newbies doing it, they are so gentle, have to remind them it is dead and it won't feel a thing!!!

Quite a few dad's bring their kids for us to teach, always say the hardest people to instruct are your children and spouse. I am an NRA instructor and i won't teach my wife heheh

Of course i am sure i was the same way when i first started.

[Horizontal Hunter]

I save 1/2 gallon milk jugs and fill them with water to make Ice blocks so that I always have them on hand. This way the water stays in the jug and doesn't melt all over the carcass.

I put 1 or 2 jugs across the top of the spine, 1 in the chest cavity, and one between the hams. Then I roll the deer up in a tarp like a burrito. I then put it on the garage floor out of the sun. A deer will keep 24 hours this way until you can butcher it yourself or get it to the butcher.

Bob

[Mechanical Advantage]

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone. Hopefully this will help others too.

[OneShot]

I am with bignasty

We quarter them , cheese cloth and in the fridge.

It does cramp the beer supply a bit ; but ice in the cooler is cheap!!!!

oneshot........