Thread: Questionable Deer Meat- Help Requested

Originally Posted by tiroatedson

Big one is don't put freshly shot meat into plastic. Let it hang for a bit n put into a mutton cloth type of thing. Plastic bad......


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Cheers for that, yeah it wasn't in plastic but was in a meat bag.
Just boned out the front legs this morning and smell is in that so while the meat looks okay it is too smelly for me to take a risk. Kind of like meat that has went a day or two over its best by date.

Only safe option is to bin the animal which is a big shame.
Bugger, Bugger, bugger.

if boning the animal out in field which is what I do as im normally miles from the car, I always let hang and cool before I put meat in a pillowcase, makes a good option instead of plastic and if you don't have a meat bag.
Has anyone thought about actually having a big chilly bin in the car with some frozen bottles and put meat in there? It keep it cool straight away , esp on longer jornery home in summer

Originally Posted by Willie

Cheers for that, yeah it wasn't in plastic but was in a meat bag.
Just boned out the front legs this morning and smell is in that so while the meat looks okay it is too smelly for me to take a risk. Kind of like meat that has went a day or two over its best by date.

Only safe option is to bin the animal which is a big shame.
Bugger, Bugger, bugger.

Yeah it sucks when this sort of thing happens. I've had happen to me too. Slightly different circumstances but resulted in a whole deer been fed for dog tucker. Not a complete waste I know but still gutting.


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A couple of the guys have hit the nail on the head already.
Plastic bad real bad.
Hanging in the shade with muslin cloth or meat bag and making sure it can breathe seems to work for us.
If a deer is hanging and it can breathe it dry's out and will last days hanging without a chiller.

Plastic is bad if it hasnt cooled. The meat sweats and is bad all round, if it has cooled threw plastic is fine,after all its what it is in in the supermarket.

Where did the bullet track through the animal? How quickly did you gut it after shooting? Did you nick the guts at all?
Meat spoilage is a function of both temperature but also, massively, bacterial load. Not many bacteria reside in the urine (occasioanlly lepto!) but by far most contamination happens from whats inside the guts where zillions of bacteria live. Careful shot placement, rapid clean gutting and good hygeine are key. Urine is more a human health issue than a meat spoilage one IMO.

A trick I used to do was to joint the meat and then hang it off my ground spear (used to find drains) in a chest frezzer with the lid slightly open till i was ready

Originally Posted by Gapped axe

A trick I used to do was to joint the meat and then hang it off my ground spear (used to find drains) in a chest frezzer with the lid slightly open till i was ready

The same one you use to find blocked septic tank pipes with?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Plastic is bad if it hasnt cooled. The meat sweats and is bad all round, if it has cooled threw plastic is fine,after all its what it is in in the supermarket.

Except in the supermarket they normally use gas flushing to make it last longer.

Originally Posted by MDub

Except in the supermarket they normally use gas flushing to make it last longer.

Yea but we are talking days verses a few hours to get home.

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Originally Posted by ethos

Where did the bullet track through the animal? How quickly did you gut it after shooting? Did you nick the guts at all?
Meat spoilage is a function of both temperature but also, massively, bacterial load. Not many bacteria reside in the urine (occasioanlly lepto!) but by far most contamination happens from whats inside the guts where zillions of bacteria live. Careful shot placement, rapid clean gutting and good hygeine are key. Urine is more a human health issue than a meat spoilage one IMO.

Bullet tracked through the liver and had bled itself out in a matter of minutes. Ended up putting another in as it tried to run and got a back leg as i pulled my shot. Gutted within 20 minutes but the blow flies were there in a matter of seconds.
Thinking it was just the heat where it was stored but could be a mixture of factors.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Seems pretty quick for it to go off, even with bone taint.

If it is urine or blood smelling on the surface (and that is what it sounds like), you can wipe the meat with a damp cloth dipped in a strongish solution of vinegar and water. Seems to neutralise it.

I had a case of bone taint a few years ago & my tame butcher advised me to get the meat off the bone asap & wipe the meat down with the mixture that you suggested Tahr. Worked like a dream. No pong & great Sika meat. Bloody good advice.

Shot a stag on new years day, a long way from the ute. Removed legs, hung in tree for an hour of so with skin removed. Then boned out and packed into mutton cloth bags and took to hut and hung in trees over night. All good.

Normal sort of practice for this time of year and you don't have long on the warm/hit summers days.

Yep straight vinegar works a treat. Great for cleaning up green meat too, dissolves the rotten layer and leaves nice clean meat

This sounds a little strange that the meat could have gone "off " so quickly ?
The time frame of gutting and getting home , 2 hours , would of meant the meat would of still been hot . So what is your meat bag made of
?.
And another possibility might be what you could call the fresh meat smell ,personally I can't stand it .Especially when you get that hot meaty smell from a whole deer when you're carrying it . Heat can send meat off fast but I would also expect a slimy ,almost sticky nature to it ?.