How long before a deer will begin to spoil at 60 degrees?
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Question
When hunting in warm fall weather (50-60 degrees F) how long does one have before the meat from your kill can spoil? I would like to give the animal at least 30 minutes to die and then between retrieval, cleaning, and driving home it could take a few hours. I’ve struggled to find even broad ranges of time or rules of thumb online. I’m aware the number of factors influencing this process are great but I’m more fearful of wasting good meat than making a bad shot. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
Brian,
As you referenced there are many variables. However, I suspect you have plenty of time! Deer season starts in south Florida during late July and in South Carolina August 15th. Many days it’s 100+ degrees in these areas on opening day!
There are literally millions of deer tagged annually when the temperatures are above 60 and many folks spend hours getting the deer out of the field before processing. As long as your hunts do not take significantly longer than normal the meat should be fine!
Enjoy creation,
Grant
