Black bear hunting is under way, early moose season starts on Sept. 25, and whitetail deer are fair game throughout October for archers and November for gunners. Autumn is an exciting and challenging time for Maine sportsmen and all of the benefits don’t come in the form of scale-tipping weights to brag about or record-book racks. My grandfather grew up hunting, but at the turn of the century, need took precedence over pleasure. Putting wild game meat on the table for his large family far overshadowed filling a limit or bagging a trophy-size animal.

Still, there’s no doubt where my dad’s outdoor orientation originated, and although his fall outings were more for relaxation and enjoyment than granddad’s, a wide array of big and small game, upland bird, and waterfowl recipes continued to be a family benefit at mealtime. Luckily I’ve inherited my clan’s hunting pedigree along with every iota of challenge, thrill, and satisfaction outdoor endeavors provide a sportsman. Also, our family table still boasts my grandfather’s tradition of wonderful wild game meals, and thanks to high-tech wrapping and packaging and superior cold storage, our bounty of wild game and fowl prepared with old family recipes is better than ever.

There’s one particular aspect of hunting that has changed greatly since the early 1900s when my granddad was trying to stock a winter larder with wild game, and that’s proper care of each animal from field to freezer. Soon after every well-placed shot is fired, the handshakes and back slapping exchanged, commemorative photos snapped, and the great euphoria and slight sadness dealt with, it’s time for the work to begin. Whether it’s an Arizona antelope, Colorado elk, Montana mule deer, or Maine moose, immediate and proper cleaning, cleansing, and transportation are vital. Taste and tenderness of big or small game animals alters with time and handling, so tasty meals start with proper planning well before the animal is down.

Prepare a pack

When I leave camp or my vehicle and know I won’t return until the day’s hunt is over, my packbasket, knapsack, or fanny pack is stocked with every necessity to recover and field dress game. When I travel out of state to hunt, this pre-prepared pack goes along, regardless of my gunning companion or guide-promised stockpile of gear. Some items in my kit never change, while others are added or replaced depending on the type and size of big game or if the outing is for small game, upland birds, or waterfowl.

For deer, black bear, antelope, or mountain goat-size game, the following tools are crucial. Two keen-edged knives; I prefer one drop-point blade with a gut hook for dressing out, usually a lock-back folding style, and a swept-back, fixed-blade model for skinning and heavy cutting. To assure sharpness, a whetstone, a two-sided file (coarse and fine), and a compact ceramic or diamond steel are essential. A small flashlight, or better yet a headlamp to leave the hands free, and extra batteries are crucial to locating downed game at dusk or field dressing cleanly and safely in the evening.

A GPS or roll of flagging tape will help mark a downed animal or a blood trail if you have to leave overnight or go get extra help. A portable game hoist system that attaches to a tree limb and supports up to 500 pounds allows better field dressing access and can keep predators away from the meat if the animal must be left until morning. I always lug a plastic collapsible container to retrieve water from a nearby brook or pond to thoroughly wash the body cavity. The less blood and debris on the meat assures fewer insects and less chance of spoilage.

For larger game animals that may require skinning and quartering to transport, a small hatchet and a bone saw are great assets. In a pinch, one of the folding pruning saws used to collect brush for a ground blind or cut limbs when erecting a tree stand will serve admirably as a bone saw. Several yards of cheese cloth or sturdy double-weave game bags will keep egg-laying flies at bay and protect from dust and dirt embedding into the meat during the dragout and over-the-road travel to a meat cutter. A 50-yard hank of parachute rope, thin and strong, might be needed to tie quarters to pack frames or hang them from a tree, and often has a dozen other uses during an outing.

When my truck is fairly close, I store a lot of this equipment in a 5- or 6-gallon covered pail, along with a roll of paper towels, a couple of cloth rags, and a container of large moist towelettes for cleanup. A couple of adjustable tie-down ratchet straps are also included to hold a game animal in place during the dressing process, in case I’m alone. The bucket can be used to carry water, too. Don’t forget at least two pairs of latex or plastic gloves. Infections and disease in animals never used to be a worry in my granddad’s era, but now when handling raw meat and blood, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Think clean and cool

When dressing out wild game, the primary goal is to avoid tainting the meat. Cut and clean slowly, carefully, and completely with strict attention to removing the viscera without leakage of urine or intestinal liquids, or exposing meat to animal hair and dirt which both attract and hold bacteria. If the animal’s intestines have been perforated by a bullet or the slip of a knife, trim any exposed meat and use lots of water to rinse the affected area.

Always try to cut the hide with the grain of the hair to reduce loose hair, and use a gut- hook knife or two fingers of the off hand to lift the skin ahead of the blade and reduce chance of nicking the intestines. Reach deeply and completely cut the diaphragm away from the body cavity, and then cut around the anus from the outside as deeply as the knife will allow. Now it’s time to cut the windpipe as far forward as you can reach and roll the animal on its side facing downhill so the guts and blood will flow from the body cavity via gravity. Now trim away any excess membrane or ruined meat and rinse the thorax out several times with clean water.

If home or camp is fairly near, refrain from cutting the brisket or meat between the hindquarters before dragging the animal to the vehicle. Once home, hang the game, finish opening the entire body cavity, and rinse with a hose, then dry the interior with a clean cloth afterward to prevent waterborne bacteria. Game that must be skinned and quartered to be removed from the woods requires far more attention to detail since the meat will be exposed on all sides. Meticulously pick off any dirt, hair, bark, leaves, and grass before placing the meat in game bags.

Keep hands and cutlery clean by rinsing frequently between gutting, skinning, and quartering chores to remove any hair, urine, musk or intestinal matter. Smell your hands and knife often, as well as every piece of meat before it’s bagged. It should smell fresh, but if there’s an unpleasant odor, trim until it’s gone.

Cooling wild game is as critical to future tender and tasty meats as keeping meat clean. Some hair and debris can be removed at home or in the butcher’s shop, but soured meat from too much heat and direct sun is irreversible. There’s no question that skinning and quartering is the quickest way to release heat from the carcass, but unless it’s over 80 degrees, ice in the body cavity will achieve the same effect.

Bags of cubes or crushed ice will work, but often leak pooling unwanted water in the thorax. Gallon milk jugs, filled with water and frozen, form a solid block of contained ice that will disperse lots of cool and take 24-48 hours to melt in warm conditions. Large coolers will easily hold six or eight frozen jugs until needed, and that’s plenty to cool a moose, while deer and bear need only three or four ice jugs. Refrain from covering game animals in plastic or even tarps during transport. Although this may keep dust and dirt out, it holds heat in and speeds up bacteria generation and meat spoilage. If you must cover meat to preserve cleanliness, use cloth bags and plenty of ice containers.

For small game, upland birds, and especially waterfowl, dress and pluck them within an hour, less if possible. The hide and fur of rabbits retain heat well, and what’s warmer than goose down or thick feathers on ducks? Furthermore, shotgun pellets do a job on partridge, woodcock, pheasant, waterfowl, and small game animals, usually perforating the organs and intestines and causing leakage that can taint the meat quickly, especially on warm days.

Tossing birds in the truck until the end of the hunt so all can be cleaned at once is a poor practice. Field dress or breast out the game at once for tastier tablefare, and refrain from using plastic bags for storage until the meat is completely cool. Zip-lock bags work well if left open and stored on ice in a cooler in a manner that prevents contact with any water from melting. I often carry a set of game shears when gunning upland birds, squirrels, rabbits, or waterfowl, and quickly clean the animal upon retrieval. If I’m hunting from one spot, or will be returning on the same trail, I’ll hang the carcass high on a limb to cool and it will be ready to bag and pack away when I get to the truck.

Dos and don’ts

Do hang big game up to age for 7-10 days whenever possible. As long as nighttime temperatures are in the 30s, hanging in the shade outside is fine. Optimum temperature is 34 degrees, so of course the big cooler at the meatcutter’s shop is the best option, but for do-it-yourself butchers who hang their meat in the garage, between 32 and 42 degrees will work, and check it every day. Let’s face facts, aging means the meat is decomposing, but even grade-A beef is aged for several days, and under the right conditions wild game tenderness, texture, and taste all improve immensely. By the way, meat won’t age when frozen, so monitor temperatures.

Don’t dunk meat in water to speed cooling, nor should you allow meat to lie in water at the bottom of a cooler during travel. Both promote bacteria and reduce time meat can be aged. If exposed meat gets rained on or is exposed to sleet or snow, dry it off well before hanging. Never leave an animal in the woods overnight without field dressing, cleaning, and suspending it with sticks holding the body cavity open to cool, or if time permits, skin, quarter, and hang the meat for next morning retrieval. Even in cold weather and snow, a lot of meat can be ruined if an animal is left uncleaned overnight.

An experienced meat cutter will make sure you get the best cuts of steak and roasts and will add beef and pork fat to the hamburger to improve texture and taste. Do-it-yourself butchering is cheaper, but for quality cuts and far superior taste, stick with the guys that do it for a living. I know some hunters who are still eating moose, elk, and sheep from hunts three years ago, and it’s delicious – vacuum sealers are wonderful inventions! Ziplock Freezer Bags with all the air squeezed out, and then wrapped in meat paper and taped tightly work almost as well. There’s no reason any wild game meat can’t be frozen for a year and taste fresh when cooked, as long as its been packed properly.

One of the great thrills of any hunting experience is enjoying the wild game meals from a successful endeavor. Caring for wild game meat takes a bit of extra time and effort, but it’s the least a sportsman can do to honor the animal that’s been harvested. Two last hints, from my grandfather to my father to me: nothing ruins wild game meat so much as overcooking, and while old family recipes are always dependable and tasty, don’t be afraid to experiment; perhaps you’ll find a new family favorite.

Hunting season is at hand, are you geared up for handling the game once the shot is fired? Your wild game meals depend on it.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com