Hunting in Warm Weather: How to Protect the Quality of Your Venison

Early-season hunting can mean great opportunities in the woods—but it can also mean temperatures that are much warmer than the traditional November deer season.

When temperatures climb, taking care of your deer after the harvest becomes especially important. Proper field care can make a major difference in the quality, flavor, and safety of your venison.

Whether you're hunting during Wisconsin's early archery season or simply get an unusually warm fall day, here are some important steps to protect your harvest.

1. Recover Your Deer as Soon as Possible

After making a good shot, follow normal tracking practices and allow the appropriate amount of time before beginning your recovery.

Once the deer is recovered, however, warm weather isn't the time to leave it sitting in the woods for several additional hours.

A deer naturally holds a significant amount of body heat. The warmer it is outside, the more important it becomes to begin cooling the carcass as quickly as practical.

2. Field Dress the Deer Promptly

Removing the internal organs allows heat trapped inside the body cavity to escape and is one of the most important steps in cooling a deer.

The USDA recommends dressing wild game as soon as possible after harvest because bacterial activity can begin immediately.

Take your time while field dressing to avoid puncturing the stomach or intestines. Keeping dirt, leaves, hair and digestive material away from exposed meat will help protect the quality of the venison.

3. Get the Body Cavity Open and Cooling

Once your deer is field dressed, allow heat to escape from the body cavity.

During cold November weather, Mother Nature may do much of the cooling for you. During a 60-, 70- or even 80-degree early-season hunt, that's a very different situation.

Don't assume that simply putting a deer in the back of the truck means it's cooling properly.

Move the deer out of direct sunlight whenever possible and begin actively cooling it.

4. Bring Ice During Warm-Weather Hunts

If you're heading into the woods on a warm day, having ice ready before you start hunting can save valuable time afterward.

The Wisconsin DNR specifically recommends placing a couple bags of ice in the body cavity to help preserve a deer during warm weather.

Ice can be especially helpful when you have a longer drive from your hunting property to home or to your processor.

Keeping a cooler, bags of ice or frozen jugs ready at camp or in your vehicle is a simple way to prepare before the hunt begins.

5. Don't Drive Around With Your Deer All Day

Harvesting a deer is exciting, and showing it to hunting buddies is part of deer-camp tradition.

On warm days, though, your first priority should be getting the deer cooled.

Save the extended stops and celebrations for after the deer has been properly taken care of.

The USDA recommends keeping dressed wild game below 40°F until it can be processed, cooked or frozen.

The faster you can get the temperature down, the better position you're in to preserve the meat you've worked hard to harvest.

6. Keep the Deer Clean

Cooling isn't the only concern.

Good meat starts with clean handling.

Try to keep exposed meat away from:

• Dirt and mud

• Leaves and grass

• Hair

• Digestive contents

• Dirty knives or equipment

If you accidentally puncture the stomach or intestines while field dressing, remove contamination as quickly as possible and pay extra attention to the affected area.

Using clean knives and wearing disposable gloves while field dressing can also help keep the process clean.

7. Get Your Deer Into Refrigeration Quickly

During warm weather, getting your deer into a properly refrigerated environment should be the goal.

That's especially important for evening hunts when outdoor temperatures may remain warm well after sunset.

At The Meat Block, our whole-deer drop-off system gives hunters a convenient option for getting their deer into refrigerated storage after the hunt.

Follow the posted drop-off and tagging instructions and make sure your deer is properly field dressed before placing it into the designated refrigerated drop-off.

8. Plan Before You Hunt

One of the easiest ways to protect your venison is to have a plan before you climb into the stand.

Before a warm-weather hunt, know:

• Where your field-dressing equipment is

• Where you can get ice

• How you'll transport the deer

• Where you'll take it for processing

• How quickly you can get it refrigerated

Those few minutes of planning can make things much easier after a successful hunt.

Take Care of the Harvest You Worked For

Hunters spend countless hours scouting, preparing equipment, hanging stands and waiting for the right opportunity.

Don't let poor handling during the last few hours of the process affect the quality of your venison.

Field dress promptly. Keep it clean. Get it cold. Get it to your processor.

Those simple steps are especially important when Wisconsin gives us one of those warm fall hunting days.

At The Meat Block, we're proud to help hunters turn their harvest into quality venison cuts, sausage, snack sticks and other products their families can enjoy throughout the year.

From our family to your table.