Man, it’s warm this September.

[WapitiTalk1]

Elk down! Great calling (or stalk), excellent shot, good tracking, boned out meat in game bags. Now.... you know it’s gonna take 3 trips with 2 guys to get this beast out of this hole. How in the HE double toothpicks am I/we gonna get all this meat back to the coolers at camp and avoid losing any of this tasty freezer filler elk? Temps have been hitting the 70s up top. Figured it was timely to launch this with our seasons coming up and knowing there are newer elk hunters hitting the woods this fall. Let’s go!

[Swede]

I hate to pack meat downhill when I know it has to go up eventually. A friend did that with a nice bull, but dropping down to the cool air of a stream helped cool the meat and keep it cool. If you can place the boned out meat in sealed containers, like garbage sacks, you can likely drop it into the water and the meat will stay dry. At the very least, bone out your meat, and keep it in the shade where air will circulate around it. Meat piled up on the ground will retain heat which ultimately causes spoilage. I would throw my tee shirt over any exposed meat to keep the flies off. I do not ever want to come back to maggots. If I had meat in a garbage sack in a cold stream I would like to allow for some air circulation there also, so I would again use my tee shirt there to keep flies away.
Three days, even if the peak temperatures reach into the 70s, is not excessive if you take some good precautionary measures.

[Elkhunttoo]

Good game bags, get the meat off the bone & in the bags, if you can put it on logs above a creek or hang it just above a creek and in the shade it will stay nice and cool. I have read on here about some using chili powder to keep flies off. I have never used it but I carried some last year for archery season (since I didn’t use it you can know I ate tag soup this last winter ). Maybe someone can chime in about it. I have gotten fly blow on meat with game bags so you still have to be careful with your set up/situation

[saddlesore]

Definitely use chili powder. It really does work

[Swede]

Definitely use chili powder. It really does work

And when you get home it will already be prepared taco meat. Saddlesore is right of coarse, but I don't usually carry chili powder with me when I am out hunting. Of coarse I don't hunt where it will take two hunters three days to get an elk out to the cooler. Three hours maybe?

[Lefty]

Well the horses and momma with the trailer ready to come get us.

Ive passed on small deer and moose because of the heat and location

[7mmfan]

I've done little hunting when temps creep much above 70, but I feel even at 70+ you can leave meat in the woods for a couple days in the right spot and be fine. Meat from deer and elk holds surprisingly well due to the lack of fat in it. My general protocol for warm weather is as follows:

- Kill animal.
- Process/quarter as soon as possible
- Bag Individual quarters in their own high quality game bags that allow for air flow around meat while protecting from bugs/dirt/debris
- I believe the bolded portion above is highly important. Don't pair quarters, and even disperse the scrap and boneless meat into as many bags as is feasible to facilitate air circulation.
- Move meat downhill to shade and near running water if possible. If a shaded North slope is available, I will choose that.
- Elevate meat, either hung in tree (bear country) or suspended on down timber/branches/brush. Goal is allow air flow.

Once all this is done, your meat will hold quite well. If you can ensure shade and cooler moving air you probably have a couple days to get that meat out. This is assuming it's not 90 degrees outside and that it is cooling to the 40's at night, which it should be during September in elk country.

If you're hunting open country, limited shade/running water, get the meat off the bone and elevated in any way possible in whatever shade is present and plan on getting it all out by mid day the next day. You may even consider packing a lightweight tarp like a silnylon tarp that you can string up to make shade for your meat.

[Billy Goat]

we are usually camped near a creek. I like the idea of putting the meat in a trash bag and cooling it in the creek prior to hanging it on the meat pole (in the shade, near camp).

haven't done that yet, but I'd do that if it was warm out.

thus far, all my September hunts have only been armed nature hikes. =/

I'm more lethal in October, and October at 10k elevation is typically PLENTY cool.

[Tigger]

We take them out in one load if possible. Someone runs and grabs the pack frame and 4 guys can haul out the whole elk. I can only think of 1/2 of one bull we had to come back for the next morning.

Tip: invest in some young, strong-backed, weak-minded friends!

[Billy Goat]

Tip: invest in some young, strong-backed, weak-minded friends!

this!

I was very lucky to shoot my '16 bull only about 1/2 mile from where my young cousin was hunting. he was 22 and in exceptional physical condition.

Praise God for good radios, good packs and good cousins!

[Swede]

Praise God for good radios, good packs and good cousins!

AMEN.

[lilshootergirl]

What if you use zip ties in the big portions with a light meat bag? Then put into a garbage bag? Then while its in the water there's no chance of losing it? Just a thought

[Swede]

Shooter: That sounds like a good plan to me. I would use a good garbage bag in all cases. This is not time for a sad surprise because we scrimped and bought a weak bag. I assume you are trying to not only keep the meat cool, but keep it dry also..

[7mmfan]

Quick questions for those who have garbage bagged meat in water. I'm planning a backpack bear hunt next weekend. Temps could be in the 80's, lows to about 50 at night. If I get lucky and tag one, I'm strongly considering bagging it and putting it in the lake we'll be camping on.

The question is, do you leave a fair amount of air in the bag to try and trap some cold air around the meat, or do you suck as much air out as possible to achieve the lowest temperature possible? All of this assuming that I would be taking the meat out of the bag at night to hang in open air.