Warm season kills

tooln

5 year old buck +
I know were past it but I was wondering what you do with deer taken when it's warm out (early bow season). Myself I normally wait to hunt till it cools down as I like to leave my deer hang to age at least 4-5 days before I cut and wrap. If it does warm up for a day or 2 I put a bag or 2 of ice in the body cavity.
 
Every so often a walk-in cooler unit comes up for auction when a restaurant closes. I'd love to get one for my yet to be built "trapping shack."

Rather than run the cooler on a genset for days ahead of time, I'd locate a local source of dry ice to pull it down from ambient temp. Keep the doors open when dealing with that much dry ice though, as it can cause a lack of oxygen in small spaces. When I was a medical courier, we used to get 300# of it delivered 2x a week and it was only $150 for the tub with delivery (that's been about 10 years though). A couple big blocks would chill down a deer pretty good, and then you'd run the cooler's unit to maintain that.

Of course if you had utility power, then it wouldn't need a generator. My shack will most likely remain off the grid indefinitely.
 
We have a freezer at the shack. Quarter the deer and put it in the freezer right away, works good!
 
Depending on the the day often week and the temp at night, I might let it hang overnight. If there is any concern over getting the meat cool enough, I debone and put it in ziplock bags on ice. I keep the water drained from the cooler and finish processing it on the next couple of days.
 
I have quit bow hunting deer during warm weather.
When we bear hunted in early Sept., we would skin the bear the night it was killed and hang it outside overnight.

I would be out before sunrise, removing fat and getting it boned for the freezer.
 
When I built my timber frame several years ago I built it on top of a cold cellar for just this purpose. The cellar holds vegetables and apples…sap in the spring before I boil. But also in October and November it stays at a pretty constant 39 to 41 degrees and makes a decent place to hang a deer for a few days.

Here's just the cold cellar before the timber frame was raised.

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The bulkhead:

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Great jpob, Natty.
 
Neat looking little building Natty Bumppo.

I just skin and debone the deer if it is warm the day I shoot it, then into a fridge, cooler with ice or directly to the locker. All my deer gets ground and processed into sticks jerky, salami and such so tender meat isnt an issue for me.
 
A small but tall well insulated building a little larger than a well house with a small "room" AC unit framed in is the ticket for warm season hanging of deer for aging of the meat. When we build our home up on our property this year I plan to build one for just that purpose...
 
Quarter it and get it into the freezer. Easy.
 
I've been lucky that I live close to a deer processor that is open late enough in the night that I'm usually all set. Having a cooler of my own would be the ticket though.
 
I've always just butchered the same night. If it gets too late, I'll toss the muscle groups in the fridge/cooler and debone the following day.
 
That's the way to get us all jealous, Natty !! A cold cellar is great for all kinds of things - but then a TIMBER FRAME on top yet..................it doesn't get much better.
Like Shawnv above, I'm lucky to have a butcher that has let me hang my deer in his cooler for $3 if the weather is warm in early bow season. Or maybe later in bow season.
 
We can have warm weather even after rifle opens in October so I do the same thing I do when it's below zero--I quarter or de-bone and pack in a cooler with ice for 7 - 9 days with the spout open to let water/blood run out. Ages deer perfectly.
 
Natty WOW that's great setup. Since I have no butcher close and I cut and wrap my own the cooler and ice looks like the thing for me.
 
I simply dress the deer as quickly as possible and pack the cavity with ice until I can get it to the locker. The past few years however we don't start hunting until November - we still get warm temps at that time so anytime. For cheap ice I rinse out poly milk jugs and fill them 3/4 with water and toss them into the deep freeze - works fine for keep brews cold as well.
 
My best hunting is when the acorns are dropping and bucks are still filling up pre-rut. The last few years I've been staying out of the woods because I can't get a deer cut up and cooled down fast enough with the warm temps we've had.
 
When I built my timber frame several years ago I built it on top of a cold cellar for just this purpose. The cellar holds vegetables and apples…sap in the spring before I boil. But also in October and November it stays at a pretty constant 39 to 41 degrees and makes a decent place to hang a deer for a few days.



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NB - That is a Farmall Cub, isn't it?!?!?!?
 
NB - That is a Farmall Cub, isn't it?!?!?!?

It is. Man, you must know your tractors if you can spot that from just the wheel and the spindle.
 
That is cool Natty! What is upstairs?
 
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