[G26Raven]

Our bow hunt has started here in Utah and I will be heading up to the mountain soon. A friend of mine suggested using black pepper on exposed meat to ward off yellow jackets from the deer while field dressing. I have yet to take a buck during archery season or field dress one completely by myself. Has anyone tried using this technique? Does it work or is it more hassle than it is worth?

Thanks for any input.

 

[dangerranger]

It works but I don't like pepper that much! I bag meat as fast as I can. I use a game bag that looks like cheesecloth. The most important thing you can do is get your deer cool as soon as possible. Take a big cooler and get that deer on ice will be the one thing you can do to improve the flavor! I live where its is hot, and deer season starts here when it is it's hottest! Good Luck DR

 

[HotBrass45]

The time I needed that trick to work, it didn't. We had a couple days of unseasonably hot weather just after I took a buck on a bow hunt in NE Wyoming. I knew that I couldn't get it to a cooler fast enough, so I put an entire canister of pepper on it to ward off flies until I could get it back. Unfortunately the flies were not dissuaded, and I ended up losing a lot of meat.

 

[G26Raven]

The time I needed that trick to work, it didn't. We had a couple days of unseasonably hot weather just after I took a buck on a bow hunt in NE Wyoming. I knew that I couldn't get it to a cooler fast enough, so I put an entire canister of pepper on it to ward off flies until I could get it back. Unfortunately the flies were not dissuaded, and I ended up losing a lot of meat.

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. I helped a buddy on his rifle hunt in late October here. It was not a hot day, but it wasn't exactly cold either, probably mid to low 60s. He did a meticulous job of deboning his buck, but it was slow. He skinned one side and we bagged all the pieces. We packed the first load down the hill and by the time we got back, flies had laid some eggs in the exposed flesh. Not a lot, but it was surprising how fast that happened.

I have good quality game bags and my plan, if I get one, is to quarter the animal and bag it as fast as possible. Pack out as much as I can in one trip and come back for the rest.

 

[1911srule]

How about salt? It dries the exposed surface and keeps bacteria levels low. But I'm guessing the evaporating blood is what attracts the buggers.
This may not apply here but a spray bottle with white vinegar is used by butchers on cutting surfaces to kill bacteria. I use it after the hung deer's body cavity is rinsed out with clean cold water and wiped with a clean towel. I then spray the vinegar on the inside of the cavity. Again keeps bacteria levels low.

 

[Stevew]

I try to keep a couple of cooler with ice. Skin as quick as you can and put the meat in the cooler. Drain the water and add ice. Drive around with the meat in the cooler. Makes for some good groceries

 

[Kenny53]

When I hunted black pepper never seemed to help that much. Game bags worked better.
'Good luck on your hunt.

 

[103830]

I took my bull a few days before thanksgiving last year on the Montana State Prison Ranch. It was about 10-15F all day. I shot it around 11 am. Got it quartered and to a road by about 1pm, mind you I have 1 good arm so it wasn't an easy task. Hiked 3 miles out, dropped off our guns in town and sat by a heater till about 3 pm. Drove through the prisons entrance, got to the elk and got it in the back of the truck around 4pm. Driving over the Rockies with an inch of ice on the road, I didn't need 4 wheel drive with that 550 lb ice cube in the back of my truck. Also at this time I realized how nice it is to have a rear window in your truck as mine was busted out. I finally made it home around 6:30pm, to have the heater set at 40F in the house. After 2 showers to warm up I cut off the legs to remove the glands. Chainsaws work well when the animal is frozen. I got it hung the next morning.

I hope that pepper trick works for ya, I didn't need to use it last year.

 

[QKShooter]

There were a few products like GameSaver and MeatSavR that were available at one time.
Not sure if they are still around as it's been a while for me.

Some folks used to soak their game bags in lemon juice concentrate and then let them dry back out completely.

The GameSaver product was decently neat because it sort of crusted on the surface of the meat.

I do not recall hearing of anyone having great success with black pepper but, possibly they just did not use enough of it?

Hey, I am not certain of the exact spellings of the two products I''ve mentioned above.

You'll need to do your own homework.