[HuntingNow]

Hello to all! I'm a newbie to this forum as well as to hunting. I hope I'll learn a lot from all you guys.
One question I'd like to ask is about storage. How do you keep your game cool and at what temperature? Is it advisable to have my own walk-in cooler at home for storage and aging? Any advice or suggestion is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Whitetail_ENT]

A walk-in would be awesome, but a considerable investment in money and maintenance. I used to work in the restaurant biz and know first hand; they are a pain.

The main purpose of aging is to reverse rigor mortis, so aging is important. When the weather is cool (40 degrees or cooler) I hang the deer in my garage for approximately 48 hours and then I process it as normal. However, if the weather is hot, like right now I'll quarter the deer, wrap the meat in plastic wrap(sometimes ice can cause "burns" this will help prevent it) and pour ice over the meat. Allow to sit for an hour, then pour off excess water and add more ice(this step helps to get the meat cool as fast as possible. Within 4 hours of killing the deer, you want to get the internal temperature of the meat cooler than 40 degrees to help slow bacterial growth). I allow it to sit in the cooler for 48 hours checking it twice a day, pouring off excess water and adding ice.

Btw, this step is not neccessary with the loin(back straps) or the tenderloins (filets), these muscles are already tender enough, but if you like, you can process them as the quarters above.

 

[critter gitter]

welcome aboard, If you can afford a walk in cooler than go for it. I live in Wisconsin and we just hang them from out deer pole overnite or the the weekend then butcher them.

 

[HuntingNow]

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually thinking of a do-it-yourself type of walk-in cooler. I've read about this coolbot device at this site: www.whitetailcooling.com which you attach to your air conditioner and turn your room into an inexpensive walk-in cooler. I haven't tried it yet and I'm interested to know if anybody here has any experience or feedback about it. I have a small room which is not used often and I'm thinking if I'm not going to spend much on converting it into a walk-in cooler then I might as well turn it into one. What do you think?

 

[alabama deer hunting fool]

We made a walk in cooler outta a home made box trailer insulted with some 5 inch thick styro foam we got from a cold/dry storage facility.. we put a 110 window ac unit in it..It worked great.. we ended up taking the thermostat off so it would get really cold.. We had to transport our deer 250 mile home. saved lots of money on ice...

 

[buckfever]

We made a walk in cooler outta a home made box trailer insulted with some 5 inch thick styro foam we got from a cold/dry storage facility.. we put a 110 window ac unit in it..It worked great.. we ended up taking the thermostat off so it would get really cold.. We had to transport our deer 250 mile home. saved lots of money on ice...

leave that great invention up to an alabama recneck.

hey huntingnow if you got the extra room and the money than why not. but if the temps are usually low where you live like critter said you can always just let it hang outside.

 

[joel the signman]

we did the same thing upstate cuz it was hitting seventy during the bow season.if ya aint got an ac or electricity ya can always do it the old fashioned way with block ice:wink:

 

[K.I.D.D.]

has anyone tried pykrete???? its a pain to make but it doesnt melt for hours (in the sunlight)

 

[alabama deer hunting fool]

Ha Ha I'm not the only redneck in this crowd...... Think i bought 30 dollars worth of ice and black pepper one weekend in Lower Ala. before we made the cooler..... But we do have electricity... I'll post some pics of the resort opening weekend.. haha

 

[joel the signman]

love the blaze orange.I use dry ice on occasion but its pricey:thumbdown: