Taking care of meat rant!!!!

[big_smith]

Believe it or not I am really not an angry person, but some things just burn me up.

Question: When you buy Ribeyes, or T Bone steaks at the grocery store, do you throw them in the back of the pickup and drive around for a few hours before getting home and putting them in the fridge?

I would think not. Therefore, why would you shoot a deer, and then put it in the back of the pickup and drive a few hours home?

Coming through Llano this Sunday, and stopped for some Q at Coopers. As we were hitting the highway I see a PU loaded down with gear, with four deer feet sticking up in the back of the truck. Temps were in the high 70's at the time. This guy was obviously headed home due to the fact that his truck was loaded to the gills with gear. On top of that he had a YETI strapped to a hitch hauler on the back. Now I realize you HAVE to keep the beer cold, but I thought those coolers made ice. Why not take a little time, clean and quarter the deer, and put it in the cooler? Do you ever wonder why people gripe about the taste of deer meat? It's generally because of the care of the meat prior to cooking, not the meat itself.

Rant over.

[FULL DRAW]

I completely agree. I have a coworker that says it is a little too gamey to eat other than suasage when he drives from Harper to Marble Falls with a deer in the back of the truck with a bag of ice in the chest cavety. He says he doesn't know how to quarter it. Lazy to me.

[txrdkng]

Yeah, I would like to believe the deer was local, gutted and quickly headed to the local processors who will skin it out and finish it. But I doubt it. I saw a pickup pull up to Midway in Katy on a 90 degree day, pull three deer out of the back and drop them on the concrete. Said they had driven down from "around San Antonio". High-fived, signed them over and drove off. Sickening.

[Playa]

I've done it both ways and could not tell a difference in the meat, personally.

How do you know the guy doesn't live in Llano and doesn't hunt 15 mins from home and was just getting BBQ to take home????

[jetlag887]

I worked in a local locker plant when I was a kid that processed several hundred deer per season. It's amazing the condition of some of the deer we saw each year, several times a season we would reject deer and wouldn't even allow them to be checked in. I've seen them with maggots, guts still in (and hours from the nearest deer hunting)...you name it. And people get UPSET when you tell them their deer is rotten!

[BIG BONE]

people are nuts
its sad but some hunter dont know how to quarter out deer

[Slick8]

I completely agree, I do everything that I can after the shot to take good care of my deer.

[kfd82]

So whats the rule of thumb time limit?

By the time I find it, load it, haul it to camp, hang it, gather my knives and get it gutted its about an hour. Then I put it in the truck and drive ~ 30 minutes to the processor in town.

If its a warm day (above 70) I throw some ice in the cavity for the ride to town. If not, I just load and go.

Never noticed anything bad with any I have done that with.

[Thundervee]

I agree with the OP. quarter and get on ice ASAP

[BvR]

WHat did they do before ice.

Personally I quarter and get on ice asap. but that guy may have hunting there and headed home dropping deer off on the way. to be picked up next time he is at his lease.

[joey1656]

i always have my deer quartered and in the icechest within 30 min of finding it. if ya cant quarter up your own deer properly....well shame on ya!

some taste excellent, others...not so much.
i find a lot has to do with geographic location of the deer and its diet at the time. i eat tenderloins bbq with just a little salt and pepper.....and i can really tell the difference sometimes.

[elkbowhunter]

Absolutely!!

[Speedgoat]

Deer last for a good while longer than you think in these moderate temps

[Palmetto]

If it bothered you that much, you should have flagged him down, and gave him a lecture.

[Hookem2255]

Believe it or not I am really not an angry person, but some things just burn me up.

Question: When you buy Ribeyes, or T Bone steaks at the grocery store, do you throw them in the back of the pickup and drive around for a few hours before getting home and putting them in the fridge?

I would think not. Therefore, why would you shoot a deer, and then put it in the back of the pickup and drive a few hours home?

Coming through Llano this Sunday, and stopped for some Q at Coopers. As we were hitting the highway I see a PU loaded down with gear, with four deer feet sticking up in the back of the truck. Temps were in the high 70's at the time. This guy was obviously headed home due to the fact that his truck was loaded to the gills with gear. On top of that he had a YETI strapped to a hitch hauler on the back. Now I realize you HAVE to keep the beer cold, but I thought those coolers made ice. Why not take a little time, clean and quarter the deer, and put it in the cooler? Do you ever wonder why people gripe about the taste of deer meat? It's generally because of the care of the meat prior to cooking, not the meat itself.

Rant over.

My honest opinion...They don't know how clean and quarter it. Been in a couple of deer camps where more than one person had NO IDEA how to clean a deer....