Hunting, Dressing and Packaging your Game

Hunting for many people is not a sport but a means of providing food for the family. What distresses many hunters, is finding an animal carcass that has not had the meat harvested with only the head or antlers removed. Most states have laws regarding removing or even skinning the head until the game has been checked. There may even be laws regarding how much meat must be removed. Some states require you to remove all rib and neck meat while others do not. You may have to prove the sex of the game as well by leaving the sex organs attached if you harvest the meat in the field. There is simply no point in leaving edible meat behind except under certain conditions. This means you have to be prepared when you set out on your hunting expedition.

BE PREPARED

Have more than one quality knife and make sure you have sharpening tools. You may need a small bone saw or even a camp axe or hatchet. Have rope and game bags or plenty of cheesecloth for wrapping the meat. Your biggest concern in warm weather is spoilage. Carry disposable gloves because some game can transmit bacteria and it may enter your body through cuts or abrasions on your hands. This is particularly important when handling rabbit carcasses. Have large plastic bags if you plan to keep the heart and liver. Keep in mind the heart and liver on large game can add considerable weight. Carry large amounts of ice in warm weather to help cool the meat or carcass.

Everyone has their own ideas on field dressing, and once again, there are state laws concerning this in some cases. Typically, the process is to remove all internal organs and to hang the animal so the meat can cool. Gutting must be done carefully so you do not puncture the organs and contaminate the meat. Some hunters may remove the scent glands but if not done properly you will taint the meat. Removing them is not considered necessary but if you do, thoroughly clean your knife or set aside for cleaning later and use another one.

Some hunters do not gut their game (check your state laws) but simply remove the meat from the bone working from the outside in. The bone marrow stays warm for hours after the kill even in cold temperatures, so getting the meat off the bone right after the kill cools it much faster. Field dressing and then driving around with the animal on your hood is considered amateurish by many. The heat from the engine only speeds up spoiling by warming the meat more than it already is. Once the meat is cut away, you will need to hang it so air can get to it to begin the cooling down process. Place in game bags or wrap in cheesecloth before hanging.

Some states allow you to skin the animal in warm weather as long as the head remains attached. If you do skin it, wrap the carcass in cheesecloth and pack with ice. Protect the meat from dirt and insects and allow it to cool by airflow. Hang the meat if you plan to stay in the field for a few more hours.

In years past hunting expeditions may have included people to process the game on the spot. The hunters went out ahead while others followed in wagons. The wagons may have contained barrels of salt to place the meat in for curing, and the materials to begin drying and smoking the meat. Salt draws the moisture from the meat thus drying it and preventing bacteria from growing. Smoking achieves the same results, the smoke will inhibit bacteria growth and keep insects away and the heat from the fire will remove the moisture from the meat. Once dried the meat does not require refrigeration. Of course, some of the fresh meat was cooked and eaten on the spot. The hunters and meat processors may have stayed out for weeks or longer processing enough game to get the family or small village through the winter months.

Today, however, you can process your own meat once back home or take it to a commercial processor. Once they take the animal home, most hunters will hang larger game for up to 24 hours before butchering. If the weather is warm, the animal must be skinned and butchered as soon as possible.

Some hunters may age the carcass but this requires a large refrigerated area to hang the meat where the temperature is kept at three or four degrees above freezing. Aging will allow the meat to begin to break down thus tenderizing it and adding flavor. Aging must be done carefully because fresh meat will spoil under refrigeration. Most hunters will butcher as soon as possible and wrap the meat for freezing.