How long will deer meat keep?

UtahHunting · October 26, 2009, 12:03 AM

Tonight was the last night of the hunt here in Utah. Wife shot a deer as the sun was going down. There was no question whether it was hit or not. We saw it drop and roll down the hill. It was about 200 yards. Temperature was approximately 40 degrees give or take a few degrees. Temperature for tonight will most likely dip below freezing where the deer was shot. We looked for 3 hours with a flashlight and could not locate the deer. It was pitch black by the time we hiked up to the hill it was shot on. We are not sure we were in the exact area it went down due to having no light. If we go back first thing in the morning will this deer meat still be good? It will have sat for 12-13 hours by that time.

Rangefinder · October 26, 2009, 12:46 AM

Should be fine so long as it doesn't get picked at too badly by scavengers overnight (coyotes, etc). So long as you have good landmarks picked out (where the deer was, where you were when the shot was fired, you should be fine to go back at first light and pick up a blood trail. Look for the roughed up dirt from the roll, and you should pick it up pretty quick. If it was hit good, it likely crawled down into a thicket to bed down and will have died pretty soon after. Just do your damnedest to try to find it and clean it quickly and your meat should be just fine in those temps.

UtahHunting · October 26, 2009, 12:28 PM

It's amazing what difference day light makes. I walked right to the deer at first light today took me 10 minutes to find it. I couldn't find it after 3 hours in the dark last night. It didn't stink when I gutted it (no more than usual any how) and the temp dropped into the low 30's last night so I think we got to it in time. It was my wife's first time hunting and her first deer. That makes 2 deer for us this year.

wpcexpert · October 26, 2009, 08:04 PM

Awesome congrats. They'll keep as long as the meat can cool down. Congrats to the wife too. Hopefully she'll keep huntin.

BIGR · October 26, 2009, 08:25 PM

Good for you and your wife. Atleast your wife hunts, dang good woman for sure...

Swampghost · October 26, 2009, 10:44 PM

Utah, you should be good. Today's high here was 89* and they will start to bloat within a few hrs. @ that temp.

UtahHunting · October 27, 2009, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Good for you and your wife. At least your wife hunts, dang good woman for sure...

She surprised me last year when out of the blue she said I want to start hunting. I have never pressured her to hunt. I was shocked. So she went and took hunters safety last November. Now she has been on the Turkey, Duck, Elk, and Deer hunts.

October 26, 2009, 12:03 AM	#1
UtahHunting Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 428	How long will deer meat keep? Tonight was the last night of the hunt here in Utah. Wife shot a deer as the sun was going down. There was no question whether it was hit or not. We saw it drop and roll down the hill. It was about 200 yards. Temperature was approximately 40 degrees give or take a few degrees. Temperature for tonight will most likely dip below freezing where the deer was shot. We looked for 3 hours with a flashlight and could not locate the deer. It was pitch black by the time we hiked up to the hill it was shot on. We are not sure we were in the exact area it went down due to having no light. If we go back first thing in the morning will this deer meat still be good? It will have sat for 12-13 hours by that time.

October 26, 2009, 12:46 AM	#2
Rangefinder Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2005 Posts: 2,017	Should be fine so long as it doesn't get picked at too badly by scavengers overnight (coyotes, etc). So long as you have good landmarks picked out (where the deer was, where you were when the shot was fired, you should be fine to go back at first light and pick up a blood trail. Look for the roughed up dirt from the roll, and you should pick it up pretty quick. If it was hit good, it likely crawled down into a thicket to bed down and will have died pretty soon after. Just do your damnedest to try to find it and clean it quickly and your meat should be just fine in those temps. __________________ "Why is is called Common Sense when it seems so few actually possess it?" Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Politicians.

October 26, 2009, 08:04 PM	#4
wpcexpert Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 791	Awesome congrats. They'll keep as long as the meat can cool down. Congrats to the wife too. Hopefully she'll keep huntin. __________________ When once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil. - Thomas Jefferson

October 26, 2009, 10:44 PM	#6
Swampghost Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: Florida, east coast Posts: 2,106	Utah, you should be good. Today's high here was 89* and they will start to bloat within a few hrs. @ that temp. __________________ NRA Patron Member

October 26, 2009, 12:28 PM	#3
UtahHunting Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 428	It's amazing what difference day light makes. I walked right to the deer at first light today took me 10 minutes to find it. I couldn't find it after 3 hours in the dark last night. It didn't stink when I gutted it (no more than usual any how) and the temp dropped into the low 30's last night so I think we got to it in time. It was my wife's first time hunting and her first deer. That makes 2 deer for us this year.

October 26, 2009, 08:25 PM	#5
BIGR Senior Member Join Date: June 13, 2000 Location: Mountains Posts: 1,385	Good for you and your wife. Atleast your wife hunts, dang good woman for sure...