Kodiak Blacktail meat care question?

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Curious what yall think is the best way to care for meat when it may be ten days til you get it out. Hunting blacktails on Kodiak Aug 1 to 10 and picked up by plane on the 11th. If we kill one August first thats ten days to keep cool and clean. Does it work well to bone out animal than cool meat and put in drybag and sink in lake to keep it cool? Other options?

[The Ursus]

You may be hunting the high country that time of year in Kodiak. If there are any snow patches left over from winter, you could be in luck. I never have tried the dry bag idea, I guess if I were really in a bind, I'd give it a shot.  You might want to check with your air taxi service and ask if they are expecting any snow to be there by then.

[newhouse114]

DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT bone the meat. Leave it in as big of pieces as you can pack out. Any time you cut the meat you create a place for bacteria to establish and grow. Unless it is very warm out just hang the meat if possible, allow for air circulation and KEEP DRY. If bugs are a problem, black pepper does a wonderful job of keeping them off you meat. Dry bags in a creek are a last resort in my opinion. We had 3 moose and 6 caribou hanging one time and the only meat we lost was from one that the assistant guide boned out to make the pack easier.

[newhouse114]

Oh, and if you kill one the first day, you should just about be able to eat the whole thing while you are out there!

[The Ursus]

You may be hunting the high country that time of year in Kodiak. If there are any snow patches left over from winter, you could be in luck. I never have tried the dry bag idea, I guess if I were really in a bind, I'd give it a shot.  You might want to check with your air taxi service and ask if they are expecting any snow to be there by then.

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Im not sure of how much brush we will have near camp til we get there. If we can build a meat rack of sorts and tarp it off to keep it dry and cool would be nice. Will check with air taxi about picking something up if they happen to be passing by. Isnt there a citrus spray or something people spray on meat? Do you just rub pepper on meat or on outside of gamebag?

[eidsvolling]

The brown bears on Kodiak have become very accustomed to the availability of high-quality protein during deer season that does not require substantial effort on their part. Among other things, they've been conditioned to associate gunshots with a downed deer.

This information from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game should be heeded by everyone hunting in the state, but especially lightly-armed deer hunters:

  Safety in bear country

[newhouse114]

I hunted the tundra country one year for caribou and forgot to take any game bags, left 'em sitting in my living room when I was packing to go. That said, after taking caribou I built a good brush pile and just laid the pieces of meat on top of the brush to keep it elevated off the ground. I rubbed pepper into all outside surfaces of the meat and didn't get a single fly blow in ten days. I then piled more brush on top of the meat to create a good air space, and then covered the whole mess with a tarp, leaving the sides raised a bit for good air circulation.

[bama]

Deboning meat in some instances is often the only way that you can reasonably pack an animal out in one trip.   It depends on how far away from camp you are.   In my case we took it to a boat so keeping it was not an issue.  If you leave part of it alone on Kodiak there is a high probability that the bears and foxes will find it before you get back.

[cch]

If you have a shovel you might be able to dig down to permafrost but you still have to worry about bears. I think you can rent electric fence and a battery that is suppose to be a good deterrent.

[monterey]

Get some powdered citric acid from the pharmacy (it's not prescription, but that's where I found it).  It is dissolved in water and sprayed on the meat then left to dry.

Do a Google on it.  I think it was the outfitter who suggested it but you may also find it mentioned on the AK Wildlife web site.

[akdd]

From Alaska department of fish and game
 http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.meatcare

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Thanks everyone. I hope my longbow eont be loud enuf to attrack the bears when shot. If my gun goes off something went terribly wrong! Lol

[newhouse114]

One thing to remember is that protecting a kill while still in the field is NOT justification for whacking a brownie. If a bear shows up you must relinquish the kill to the bear. If he poses a direct threat to you, all bets are off!!!

[bama]

It is a great place to hunt but far from easy.  From a distance it all looks like pasture but when you get there it is thick brush, steep and rough.  You have to be conscious of the time in the afternoon because you really don't want to be dealing with a deer there after dark.