Just a quick message to help those looking to hunt a bit of meat.
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/big-game-bags
I've ordered a load of meat bags, for when I'm out and about, and I want to butcher the game on the spot. The larger the game, the easier it is to butcher on the spot.
Post SHTF, it'll be a situation where you may well need to take down a deer, butcher it ASAP, then leave again ASAP. In these kinds of instants, keeping the meat clean and carried safely is the best option. So I've ordered a load of these kinds of bags.
If you have any experiences of similar products, please let me know.
The main purpose of those bags is to keep flies off the meat and prevent maggot infestations when hunting during warm weather.
Since our deer hunting season over here opens in September it can be quite warm when one makes the first kill.
In that situation the only hope is to field dress the animal as soon as it stops quivering, drag it to the vehicle and pack the body cavity with ice for the trip home or too the processor.
Yes, we keep coolers filled with ice in the truck for this use.
Yes we are very confident of a kill! Even if we are unsuccessful it is better to watch a couple of dollars worth of ice melt than to lose 150 pounds of meat.
I have tried the "meat bags, and found them an irritating complication that did nothing.
If the weather is warm enough for flies to be about then you have no business hanging the deer in the open in a cloth sack. If flies are buzzing the meat is rotting!
If it is cold enough that flies are not present there is, again, no need for the bag. Any good tarp will cover and protect the meat for the trip to home, especially if the deer is still in its pelt. I always transport the deer still in its hide so the only "protection" I need is a tarp on the floor of the Jeep to preserve the carpet from bloodstains. (I live in one of those areas where bloodstains in your vehicle mean you are a good hunter, not a murderer)
In the old days, if one had to dress out an animal rapidly and get out of sight quickly the trick was to field dress the animal immediately and swiftly skin the beast. Quarter the animal or separate the prime cuts and wrap them in the hide for transport.
Small game is skinned on the spot and kept in zip lock bags. It preserves the hunting clothes and the meat.
Most of the deer I have seen posted here could be picked up and carried to the vehicle on ones shoulders without being a weightlifter. Just dump the guts, get to the ice and get home ASAP.