Important Tips For Processing Big Game
These you should know before processing your next animal; with this at hand you will turn out with great meat.
The speed whith which game should be processed must increase the bigger the animal is.
- First and most important, if you are a rifle hunter, ALWAYS use a FULL COPPER (or copper zink alloy) round; these rounds have a near 100% retention rate as the petals sometimes separate from the boddy (not a big deal), they have always done the job for me, and there is zero meat fouling. Copper is not toxic - unlike lead - even if the copper round were to explode. If you think blood and torn meat is fouled meat however and you are one of those "need gloves to butcher a deer ill eat" types, stop reading my blog and go read a Twilight novel in stead - all the meat is fine to eat. Coupled with a home made match head primer, your full round won't have any lead in the gas or tip.
You can get Barns full copper for muzzle loaders and flint locks too.
- Keep tools sharp like glass.
- Guts out first. Do this by opening the sternum visceral cavity, carfully, slowly, over the stomach, then the hip structure split at groin bone suture. Separate hind legs permanently, split and break the pelvis (should do this with moose asap, hard though it may be). Slice out the butt hole, the wind pipe at the neck base, remove liver, heart, lungs (carfully) and spleen. Guts out, retain kidneys. Move paunch away from carcas. Small intestine and stomach lining are kept for the more kulinary adventurous types; don't get gut stuff on meat. You should pick and render all cavity fat or hang in a clean (away from man made chemicals, like road paint or tire dust), breasy, location so the task of consumption may be safely taken on by caron and coyotes.
- organs cooled separately from one another, on a branch or other cool, dry place. Liver is your #1 priority and care over all other meats.
- use a stout stick to prop open the cavity
- hide off ; THE KEY - under the most ideal, cool, temperatures - not to mention less than ideal - ALWAYS bone out the femur, split the front part of the rear leg from the back, for moose and elk BEFORE leaving to cool; you should also do this for deer or AT LEAST flap down the outside round. Get shoulders off the ribs.
- NEVER EVER, wash meat with water (unless you will immediately freeze or cook it). DO NOT hose the cavity - this is nuts and I see it too often from people who costume authority; this WILL spread bacteria everywhere and leave them to thrive it in a very damp environment.
- cut away gut mess meats or dirt before hanging (if there is any).
