Originally Posted by ElkSlayer91
Originally Posted by GregW
Originally Posted by BobMt
Originally Posted by Angus1895
No blame game here. And I have not read all the pages. But an observation.......

There is a definite downside to sticking an arrow in an Elk in the afternoon. Bone soured in the morning......plus a grizzly buffet!

Afternoon thermals can also be wish washy.



if the elk was shot in the afternoon, and gotten to the next day.....it was more than likely spoiled.......at that point you need to assume, a bear will be on it.......lets wait and see what smokepole has to say....he should be able to google...spoiled elk, and grizzly bear....and get back to us.....bob


Could have died overnight and the meat be fine...

They gotta go see regardless...
Greg, Elk are very bad about spoiling since they are so thick, and in mild temps, you have to get them open ASAP. The neck is the first to go with it being under the cape, and no avenue for the heat to escape.

You can leave one on the mountain overnight to retrieve the next day, but only after you field dress, wash blood out of the cavity and off the meat, situate the rear legs open to get air into the cavity, "and" the evening temps and into the next morning "have to be" cold enough to protect the meat from spoilage.



Laughing....

Not near my first rodeo my man but thanks for the pointers....laughing...

The neck is the first to go as it's under the cape? What about the rest of it under the cape that's a bit thicker than the neck? Laughing...

If you leave a track job of an alive critter overnight not to bump, which often times is the only chance of recovery, time of death may occur at any point meaning that when you find critter the next morning, time of death might have been not too long previously and with a beating heart, meat is bueno....

PS- I'm in AZ and we take potential meat spoilage to about as high as they go, even in elk season. I'm pretty well versed in it....

- Greg

Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.