Warm Weather May Challenge Hunters | Farm Report with Pam Jahnke

Posted: 11.23.2011

Keep that deer carcass cold, Wisconsin food safety authorities are cautioning deer hunters, with temperatures heading into the upper 50s in southern Wisconsin and upper 40s in northern Wisconsin the next several days.

“Bacteria can multiply quickly in temperatures above 41 degrees Fahrenheit. That could bring on food-borne illness, or just cause the meat to spoil,” warns Steve Ingham, food safety administrator with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “Don’t hang the carcass in warm weather. Register it as soon as possible, and get it to a processor.”

Ingham offers these tips to hunters:

Field dress the carcass immediately after harvest. Carry a clean towel to wipe your hands and prevent cross contamination as you work on the carcass.
Wash the body cavity with cold, clean water if possible.
If you are going to keep the heart and liver, place them in a food-grade plastic bag and in a cooler filled with ice or dry ice. Do not use dark-colored garbage bags, because they may contain toxic resins and are not intended for food use.
Spread the rib cage to cool the carcass more quickly. If the air temperature is over 40 degrees F., consider packing the carcass with clean ice.
Refrigerate the carcass, if possible.
Do not leave venison or other wild game in a car trunk where warmer temperatures promote bacterial growth.
Use a cooler filled with ice or dry ice to store cut meat.

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