Backpack hunting ,meat care?

[moleman]

This may seem like a silly question, but for those of you who backpack into an area in early fall to hunt, how do you care for your meat once you get an animal down?
In early fall the temps can get fairly warm and having packed in on a 2 day hike for example, how do you care for your prize once you have succeeded, so as not to lose the meat by the time you can get it to a cooler?

[Jim Wright]

Dress it quickly and get the meat up high to ventilate and cool down in a manner that gets it out of the reach of bears which are common in much elk country. Ground black pepper rubbed onto the meat keeps flies and their egg depositing away. Get it to a cooler as quickly as you can.

[fnshtr]

I hike in about 8 - 9 miles and set up my camp. There is no way I could get all the meat out by myself quick enough in some september weather... so I have a packer "on call".

Like Jim said, get it dressed and into game bags ASAP and hang it in a tree in the shade. Cut some extra boughs out and hang over the meat if needed to provide more shade. The black pepper also helps.

I think the best thing to do is to "have a plan". I usually go after dry ice for the coolers while the packer is moving my meat.

I prefer to debone everything... and use the gutless method.

Good luck!

[huntinoly]

I bone my elk and put the meat in a small stream in a game bag it stays cold and the bears don't bother it.

[slivrslingr]

What the 2 above said.

[elk nailer]

when I'm packed in and have an animal down I skin and bone it right away. Hang the game bags in a shaded area to cool. Night time temps usually drop into the 40's. In the AM I cover the game bags with a space blanket with the reflective surface out to reflect the heat. I have never lost any meat.