Proper handling of game - pgs

Wade Ledbetter, Spring Creek Outdoors

Every hunting season, our poor patient taxidermists and processors are assailed with a wide range of crimes against their craft. Taxidermists are asked to work with damaged, rotting and hairless hides, and processors are asked to make gourmet food out of dirty, waterlogged, bloodshot cuts of meat. I’ve asked several professionals of these crafts for tips and pointers that will help hunters end up with better mounts on their walls and better food on their tables and here are some of their suggestions.

Safe and efficient meat handling

Improper handling of game meat results in lots of lost meat in the best case, and consumption of low quality or unsafe food in the worst case. Properly caring for this meat begins with planning before the hunt even begins. First, ensure that you have the proper equipment and that it is clean and ready to go. Sharp knives, a saw or hatchet, coolers, ice, plastic bags, clean rags or paper towels, and plenty of clean water are essential to hygienic field processing.

The key to producing a good haul of quality and tasty game meat is to get it cool, clean, and dry as soon as possible. This begins with making a clean and ethical shot that kills the animal quickly and doesn’t contaminate the body with debris from the digestive tract. Gutting should be performed quickly after the harvest, both to help the body cool more quickly and prevent bacterial growth. Avoid perforating the stomach, intestines, colon, or bladder as this will spread bacteria throughout the carcass and can putrefy the meat. Next you’ll skin the carcass, and this should be done carefully so as to not spread hair over the carcass. Hair can be removed from meat at a later stage using a damp cloth or a quick pass with an open flame. After gutting and skinning, remember to wash

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your blades and hands to prevent cross-contamination when quartering or deboning.

After gutting and skinning, the meat should be cooled as soon as possible. For cold late-season hunts, letting the carcass hang overnight is perfectly fine as long as the temperatures do not dip below freezing. For the majority of Hill Country hunts though, it will be necessary to put the meat either in a cooler or on ice to get it to the desired temperature of between 32 and 40 degrees F. A common mistake at this step is to lay meat in direct contact with the ice, but this should be avoided! Leaving the meat in sustained contact with ice and the resulting water encourages the growth of bacteria and causes the meat to break down and discolor, so meat kept on ice should be sealed in plastic bags. If you desire to dry age your meat (which is an excellent choice for deer), keeping it dry in the cooler will allow this in a hygienic way. Remember to check the cooler frequently so that you can drain off stagnant meltwater and top off the ice as needed. As long as it is kept cool and dry, game meat will keep for many days until it can be delivered to a processor or your freezer at home.

Caring for hides and keeping your taxidermist happy

If you intend to mount a trophy, proper care of the hide is essential to ending up with a beautiful and long-lived mount. Even more crucial than with meat, it is essential to get the hide cooled as soon as possible, at most within 2-3 hours. If cooling the hide is not feasible within this timeframe, then it must be salted to aid in drying and prevent the growth of bacteria. If a hide is not chilled or salted within a couple hours of death, the hair will begin to “slip” or fall out, resulting in a mangy looking mount or even an unusable hide. Also important is to try not to drag your animal too much, or over rough ground. Dragging is a surefire way to lose hair and damage the hide and can result in a scarred-looking mount.

When skinning, it is important to minimize the number of cuts that must be repaired by the taxidermist. If planning on a shoulder mount, cut the hide up the back of the forelegs as straight and clean as possible, and leave at least ten inches of extra hide behind the shoulders. If you choose to cape the head yourself, try not to cut the hide up the back if possible and take extreme care around the antler pedicles, eyes, and lips. Most taxidermists will prefer that you simply bring in the head with hide attached and allow them to cape it for you, since it’s such a delicate task. Whether the hide is still attached to the head or not, fold it neatly, place it inside of a plastic bag to keep it clean and dry, and put it in a cooler or on ice. Folding instead of bunching will ensure that the entire hide is cooled evenly, instead of insulating itself from the cold.

Following these tips will result in better quality meat, better-looking mounts, and an all-round better hunting experience. Respecting the resource is a core component to ethical hunting, and ensuring that care is taken through the entire process benefits everybody involved. Safe travels and happy hunting!

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