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Butchering In The Brush

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Butchering In The Brush

Postby Swede » 10 20, 2017 •  [Post 1]

How sanitary and just how careful are we when we butcher in the field? Are we as sanitary as we think we are? Do you cut off the head or around the anus? What are you doing around those genitals, etc.?
One fellow throws away the tenderloins if there are any contaminates from the gut cavity that comes in contact with them. I would imagine he throws away all flank meat too and maybe more. What if his arrow passed through the gut cavity and into another meaty part?
How do you clean your butchering tools after every animal? Do you put your knife(s) back into the sheath that was contaminated from the last critter? This can happen several times over the coarse of a season and from year to year. Do you use your butchering tools to remove the whistlers on the elk. Remember elk and deer chew the cud. Do you cut around the anus also through the esophagus, etc. Even if we avoid puncturing the bladder or intestines, the knife is contaminated.
This season I watched a tenderloin, from the bull I shot, being prepared. The cook was being careful and doing a good job, but I don't think he thought about the bacteria that was already on the loin. I doubt he thought about the knife he was using passing over and through contaminated meat. To me it did not matter. The meat was going to be cooked well enough to kill the harmful bacteria.

I don't throw away tenderloins or even hamburger meat. I cook it completely.
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Elkhntr08 » 10 20, 2017 •  [Post 2]

Ever been to a slaughterhouse? Not quite as sterile as a hospital. I'm careful but not annal about it. The comment about the knives did give me pause. Glad I switched to a replacement blade knife this year, but still need to clean the handle. Some very good points made.
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Roosiebull » 10 20, 2017 •  [Post 3]

I'm not quite hospital sanitary :)

I make an effort to keep things as clean as I can, so it depends on what's in front of me.

There is only so much a guy can do in the woods
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Where's Bruce? » 10 20, 2017 •  [Post 4]

Why I use knives with disposable blades.
Bowhunting isn't something I do...it is something I am.
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Lefty » 10 20, 2017 •  [Post 5]

I prefer nearly all meats rare or blue.
Ground meat always has the highest chance of contamination.
Most of our meat I cut buy muscle groups and cut steak to size when ready for the pan not when "cutting up meat.
Gut gets broke,. a lot more meat (cooked) for the dogs
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Swede » 10 21, 2017 •  [Post 6]

God is everywhere. Second only to God is bacteria, AKA germs. For all practical purposes we know they contaminate everything.

Keep your meat as clean as possible and do not let it marinate in urine, feces or gastric juices. Since I take all of the elk meat I can from the carcass, I prefer to gut first and get the blood, guts and juices away from the flesh. I do not have a dog, so I, my family and friends eat all the meat. There has never been a problem with bad taste or something making anyone ill. All of our meat is cooked sufficiently to kill harmful bacteria. Very seldom do we eat any meat that was not frozen first. I have heard, the bacteria that can withstand cooking is killed by freezing.
I am not trying to freak anyone out about germs. Quite the opposite. The point is to remind hunters to take reasonable care of their meat, and prepare it to kill the microscopic critters that would harm us. Remember, they are everywhere. :D
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Elkhntr08 » 10 21, 2017 •  [Post 7]

Soooo, Do you think the gutless method is better than opening one up?
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Swede » 10 21, 2017 •  [Post 8]

I am reminded of the grandpa in the latest Subaru commercial. "Maybe". I don't think it is cleaner with all of the parts being cut out if you are getting everything. It is obviously going to be a lighter pack out.
I try to be careful with my meat, but like I mentioned, with my last elk kill the arrow went through the full length of the guts and through the ham. The chest cavity was full of blood, stomach material and everything else you would not want to have for a marinate. I gutted the animal, drained the chest cavity and took the rest to camp. RJ and his friend helped me pack it out and his friend took the bone out of the legs. I had everything in game bags before they arrived. The meat is fine. There is no hint of bad taste from anything that should not be there. The meat was kept clean from other contaminates and hung up in camp right away.
My thought is not to be paranoid, but keep your meat as clean as possible and cook it well enough to kill the harmful bacteria. That does not mean the meat needs to be cremated either. It should be tender and moist when you are done. I would not make jerky from parts that were soaked in stomach slime. You will never be perfect in not contaminating your meat with bacteria. Even by using a disposable blade knife, and rubber gloves, you will transfer bacteria by touching different things. But if it helps you to remember to protect you meat, use a disposable blade knife and gloves. I have a knife with a lot of blades that I may use sometime. Soon, I hope.
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Elkhntr08 » 10 21, 2017 •  [Post 9]

Used to hang our deer and wash them out. Then, one day a butcher told me that was the worst thing we could do. He said to wipe them down and let them dry. He said bacteria will grow faster on wet meat. I still wash the gut material out but I wipe if it's just blood. Had pretty good luck and meat doing this.
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Washington Wapiti » 11 02, 2017 •  [Post 10]

Is this sanitary? Finley loves elk as much as we do :lol:

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I go gutless, and use two knives; a Havalon and a folding Gerber with gut hook, and nitrile gloves. Inevitably, I end up using both knives outside of their unintended use and sometimes end up touching and transferring a little hair to a clean patch of meat via my gloved hand. Luckily, we have a little play in that meat can take a fair amount of abuse in the field and silver skin and fat acting as something of a protective layer, definitely helps. I do the best I can, but it's impossible to be 100%. I made a remark in another thread about my meat always being perfect . . . that is of course referring to quality and food safety after butchering and trimming. The best job I've done keeping meat clean is keeping the hide on the quarters and covering the ends with game bags, carting those back to camp and carefully skinning them there on a dirt-free surface, then transferring to new game bags to hang or haul down to the rigs in coolers. Of course that system can't work in every situation.

Swede makes good points about the variety of ways to contaminate, some we don't even consider or think about. He made me think about putting knives back in sheaths from past butchering sessions. When I get home from an elk or deer trip, I always run my knives through the dishwasher and while processing at home I have a trusty half-and-half solution of bleach water and periodically spray down my tools and table. But the sheaths! Never have cleaned those. Lots of harborage points there :shock:

"God is everywhere. Second only to God is bacteria"
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby Timber » 12 14, 2017 •  [Post 11]

I have cut meat for years at deer processing businesses and also custom meat packing plants. If you are worried about a little stomach material or even the urine getting on your meat once in awhile then you should consider going vegan. :D It happens and trimming a bit then and also later when it is getting processed takes care of that. In the field I do the gutless and boneless method. I do however do my best to keep the dirt and hair off the meat and also use two knives, one for skinning and one for cutting. People think I am crazy but I actually pack my sheath, 2 boning knives and steel in with me. I have considered going to a havalon type of knife but want to try it on deer first. To me the gutless method is the best way to go for keeping meat "clean" and for me the fastest. I used this method a long time ago on a friends elk before I heard of anyone talking about it. If there happens to be any stomach material(from the shot) or dirt on the meat I usually trim it up in the field. Do your best to keep everything clean and you will be ok. I think cooling your meat is way more important than worrying about every speck of dirt that gets on it.

Lastly if anyone wants to give away their tenderloins that come in contact with stomach material then please contact me!! :D
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Re: Butchering In The Brush

Postby saddlesore » 12 14, 2017 •  [Post 12]

I'm with Timber.I think the gutless method does a better job of keeping the meat clean.I also use 2-3 knives when processing meat in the field. Much of what could be contaminated is trimmed of in the final butchering process.

I never understood the concept of these guys using one tiny knife to take care of a 400 pound animal. I must be doing something right because in 50 years of hunting, killing, and butchering game , I have never gotten sick.

From the time I walk up to the dead critter on the ground,it is all about meat care,not hunting. I use the same techniques as I do if I were butchering a beef or a hog
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