So, if one kills a deer in the back country and needs to pack it out and can’t realistically let it hang until rigor does it’s thing, what’s the best procedure? I’d guess quartering it rather than boning right away even though you have to pack the extra weight. And with backstraps and inner loins they just get tough? Or will aging offset the toughness of the muscle contracting? Apologies if this is a high jack.
Letting it come out of rigor is best but just letting it go in is a major improvement over cutting it hot. The elk I shot last week was in full rigor in under 2 hrs. No, aging won't counteract muscle contraction. It's worth waiting a couple of hours for it to stiffen up.
The current trend is to use the gutless method and bone them almost before they fall down. I've done that with a half dozen elk and a couple moose. Every one was very tough eating. I haven't had a tough one since I quit doing that.
