Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Using Dry Ice in an ice chest to keep meat frozen for a week

tedthorn, I do not understand the "antibacterial" function you describe?

Salt is not antibacterial nor is water. What is the antibacterial dynamic?

I have been doing taxidermy for 40 years now. I have used salt to cure raw skins but the hundreds. Salt is a moisture removing process. Without moisture bacteria does not grow. It's not at all antibacterial it's an extreme desiccant.

With the salt mixed with melting ice it does not remove any water, it's dissolved into the water. I'm not understanding the anti bacterial process. I can say with countless experiences that folks have brought me a cape or hide to tan and mount.

They seem to have believed that they needed to salt the skin in the field. Then when they arrive home they put it into the freezer to keep it preserved until they get it to the taxidermist.

In most cases, nearly all of these cases, the skin is spoiled even with the salting and freezing. This is due to the hide not freezing because it's salted, and not dry because the moisture that the salt pulls out of the hide pools up in the folds of the skin and then begins to spoil.

I was not clear on why this could happen early on. I never believed that sub freezing temperatures could allow decomposition. However it does allow decomposition below freezing especially in the dark.

I do not think it's reasonable to assume that adding salt to the ice creates an antibacterial condition. At least not by my knowledge and experience in the taxidermy trade using freezers and plenty of salt.

In my hunting camp in Africa we do not ever reuse salt because of the bacteria that is in it after the first use. I taught the trophy handling classes at the PH school and for the skinners in Ellisrass South Africa. I very assertively insisted that salt only be used one time, regardless if it looks clean, or if it seems dry. The old salt will introduce significant bacteria to the next hide it's used on.