how long before an animal goes bad

[bigbullshooter]

if a moose was shot last night at 645. how long do i have before the meat goes bad? we couldnt get it out last night, and had to work this morning, but leaving right now to go get it. it was 2 or 3 degrees out last night.

[Pablo]

I'm assuming that you gutted it after you shot it. Your post didn't indicate if you did or not. If you did, you should be fine overnight. If you didn't, then it's already going bad because the carcass will start to bloat. Whenever we've had to leave game, even for a couple of hours, I always make sure that I open up the body cavity to allow some air in to begin cooling the animal. This could mean either tying back the legs to some trees to open the cavity, or using branches to keep things propped open. If you have to leave it overnight, then I'd also recommend creating a game pole and hanging it. Sounds like that wasn't possible because of your time constraints last evening. That's one reason why I prefer morning hunts - I've got the day ahead to effectively deal with the carcass.
You had a nice cool evening last night. You should be just fine.
Maybe others would know better than me on how long you could safely leave it. The other issue, of course, is scavengers. Doesn't take coyotes long to figure out where there is a good meal.

[the rifleman]

Originally Posted by Pablo

I'm assuming that you gutted it after you shot it. Your post didn't indicate if you did or not. If you did, you should be fine overnight. If you didn't, then it's already going bad because the carcass will start to bloat.

The other issue, of course, is scavengers. Doesn't take coyotes long to figure out where there is a good meal.

Man I hoped he gutted it! It is a quite an ugly job to gut a bloated animal from the story's I've heard..smelly too I can imagine..I think one could still salvage the meat from the quarters, if you used the cleaning method of leaving the guts and ribs intact. Depends on shot placement as well.

An animal the size of a moose, and with their hollow hair, it takes a long while to cool down. If you have to leave one in the bush, you should try to put some poles under it to get it off the ground. Hanging is the best as Pablo mentioned..

Chances are good the ravens found it early this morning, but will likely work on eating the guts first. If there is some human smell around the carcass, the coyotes might not have moved in so quickly.

Always good to leave a t-shirt, or some clothing on the carcass, or at least pee around the carcass, for extra measure against predators..

[bigbullshooter]

no we didnt gut it last night, but we did open it up. it appears to be all good now. its home. no smells or anything like that. there were no birds on it, but i didnt think there would be. hopefully theres nothing wrong with it

[kenkell1]

Hope your moose turns out ok and glad you got it home.
I would however....always gut the animal before you leave it...it cools way faster and is better for the meat.
Enjoy the steaks and congrats.

[the rifleman]

Good thing you opened it at least. How was it to work the gassed up stomach out?
I suspect that unless the intestine/stomach was punctured from the shot or when opening it up, that the main contaminants would never touch the meat. They would be contained in the intestines. You probably got lucky this time, but I wouldn't make it a habit.

If one is hunting late afternoon, you really should be equipped to work after dark. A Coleman type lantern is great, hang it up if you can. (This would be if your truck was nearby, and you could go back and get it.)
A strap on headlamp is invaluable, and beats the heck out of trying to hold a mini-mag flashlight in your mouth. Flashlights are great, (better if you have a buddy to hold it for you)..you can easily pack them in your knapsack.
If your hunting in grizzly country, and worried about a bear approaching, start a campfire. Too wet, set up several road flares around your perimeter. You can stuff a few of those in your knapsack, along with the flashlights, and headlamp.