Kilgore’s Corner

With blazing temperatures across our state and the opening of deer archery season just days away, successful hunters take on a huge responsibility to prevent spoilage once the animal is on the ground. Whether you choose to field dress the animal in your hunting area or take it back to camp to do the chore, it is up to the hunter.

Depending upon the circumstance, I prefer to field dress the deer away from my area if I plan on hunting it in the not-too-distant future. Regardless of the season, field dressing and processing the animal should be done as quickly as possible to avoid losing any meat.

Here are some tips I learned from the Deer Hunters‚ Almanac 2022. Spoilage is excessive deterioration of meat as a result of bacteria, molds and yeasts. When the population of these everpresent microorganisms grows large enough, the meat is spoiled.

In contrast, “aging” meat is deliberate, controlled deterioration that is stopped before it reaches the spoilage state. The theory behind controlled deterioration is that it breaks down some of the connective tissue, and the meat is more tender, and, perhaps, more flavorful.

The things that factor into spoilage of a deer are moisture, temperature, time and condition. Of the four factors, temperature is the most critical. A deer‚s normal body temperature at rest is about 101 degrees Fahrenheit and just as us humans, they heat up more as they use their muscles. So a deer‚s temperature depends on what they were doing when taken. A hard-running healthy deer‚s maximum temperature runs a little over 106 degrees F.

The ideal temperature for bacterial growth is between 70 and 120 degrees. Under ideal circumstances, bacteria can double about every 20 minutes. With that being said, when the meat (not air) temperature is above 70 degrees the whole time, the microorganisms are multiplying rapidly. The meat temperature needs to be between 30 and 40 degrees for fresh meat refrigeration. The secret to good venison is quickly cooling the meat. While, on the other end of the spectrum, maintaining meat at a high temperature will cause the meat to spoil.

One other tidbit: a deer left on the ground is much more likely to spoil than one hung on a meat pole. There are exceptions to every rule. Deer intestines are prime producers of bacteria. Nick one with a knife, broad head or bullet, then you really have no choice but to wash it out.

The one thing the experts all agreed upon is if you use water, get the body cooled down as quickly as possible. I have family and friends who stand by washing out and in some cases packing the cavity with bagged ice and to my knowledge, they‚ve never had a deer go bad. Personally, if at all possible, I‚m going the less moisture route but will do whatever is necessary to preserve the meat.

Before going afield please remember to tell someone when and where you plan on hunting, you owe it to your loved ones and friends to return home safely and in one piece.

John Kilgore‚s outdoor column runs each week on Fridays, to reach him with news or comments call (918)3489431 or email him at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com .