First day out

It was my first day out this season, with a new bow. This little buck walked right by my tree stand. He was the only buck I'd seen on my trailcam, so I couldn't expect a bigger one to come along. My bolt went through both lungs but missed the heart. He staggered about 500 yards before dropping. It was interesting following the blood trail through fall colors.

The only problem is that the butcher I normally take my deer to isn't accepting any until after Thanksgiving due to staff shortage. I have to store the carcass for 5 days, but I don't have a place to hang it, temperature controlled and away from flies and predators. I currently have it wrapped in plastic, packed with ice, in a wolf proof container. Is there something better I should do with it?

Congrats on your success.
First thing you should do is get rid of the plastic wrapping and go and get yourself a game bag to wrap it up with and make sure to take the hide off first to keep it cool. You should hang it in a barn or shed to keep it out of the sunlight.

If you have access to a fridge, quarter it and store it in there. By the sounds of it though, that isn't an option. Bring it to a different butcher?

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Originally Posted by Articcat

Congrats on your success.
First thing you should do is get rid of the plastic wrapping and go and get yourself a game bag to wrap it up with and make sure to take the hide off first to keep it cool. You should hang it in a barn or shed to keep it out of the sunlight.

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X2 -plastic is a big no no until meet is totally cold.
Skin it-,dry it up(out of sun and rain,few hours good wind helps)then put in your cooler.Lots of ice.
If do not know how to skin it-get someone to do it for you.
If can not-quarter it (today)air dry-then in the cooler.
Plenty of salting all the exposed meat helps preventing spoilage-draws blood out,and sucks moisture away( but will not do that "forever")do not worry ,it will not ruin the meat.

PS -do yourself a favor(and to the deer too)and learn few things.
Field dressing-skinning and quartering are a must to know.......butchering also can be handy.

DO NOT worry about the "professional"cuts and the looks of the meat, if You do it.........worry about meat spoilage.
It really is not that hard.

Time is of essence.
Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. That's why I ask the experts.

It was already field stripped and skinned.

I cleaned out my workshop and hung it up in there. It's not heated. I hope the weather stays cold for a few days.
I'm on the shore of georgain bay so it's a little warmer here by the water than it is farther inland.

The sad part is that I'm done hunting for the season, unless I get another tag, or team up with a friend.

Congratulation-do keep all doors and windows open,until late,or all night(if you can prevent critters accessing the meat).
Wind is your friend.Sun/heat is your enemy.

plenty of great videos on youtube how to process a deer - do yourself a favor (and save some money) and watch and learn.
Trust me you will be happy you did.

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Originally Posted by kokes

plenty of great videos on youtube how to process a deer - do yourself a favor (and save some money) and watch and learn.
Trust me you will be happy you did.

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X2! And congrats for the archery buck.

Congrats on filling your tag.

Wow I guess you weren't really counting first day success, congrats. I hope you were able to store the meat or do it yourself. A small buck might not be that hard to quarter and process. Were you able to do it yourself?