2021-2022 hunting thread

[BabaYaga 15288]

4 hours ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Definitely want to learn. Just don’t have time or patience to do it today. Have to leave town later to get to my businsss meeting which is the reason why I got the hall pass to come out here in the first place. 

Buzzards gotta' eat too.  I can cape out deer.  Hogs are a waste of good drinking time.  If you do get the itch, try the disposable Havalon-esq knives.  Scalpel sharp, and you can just pop new, clean blades on.  

[Speedtrucker 2071]

Here’s the last couple of weekends. 5 down, 100 more to go.












All but 1 were drop’em where they stood…

1 of mine, the 2nd from the last took 4 subsonic 7.62x39 rounds to finally drop him. Hit him in the side as he quartered to me but it went right through and out his hind leg, hit him again in the head, and again in the shoulder, finally got him a 4th time in the head and he dropped. So I’ve retired the subsonic rounds from hog hunting…

Didn’t plan on using them but I didn’t realize I left my softpoint ammo at the house and only brought 4 mags of subsonic.

The top Sow left behind a sounder of about 7 piglets that keep coming to my feeder still. We are going back for closing weekend this weekend and if we don’t see deer on Saturday morning, it’ll be a hog hunting trip instead.

[solamente73 1132]

On 12/16/2021 at 1:04 PM, solamente73 said:

DSC is a great idea, and it’s on my calendar.  Will report back.

Reporting back.

First, thanks to @686 and to @BabaYaga for the help and advice.  And thanks to all for all the other kind words.

Second, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE DALLAS SAFARI CLUB'S ANNUAL CONVENTION, PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR FOR 2023.  Holy shit that was awesome.  Almost everything you can imagine; if it can be shot or caught, you can plan it there.  Plus gear and guns (integrally suppressed lightweight mountain guns, anyone?).  Even stuff for your farm/ranch.  882 companies on the exhibitor list.  Plus the, ahem, talent was off the charts; 10s were everywhere, and I'm talking about the attendees.  Hot chicks love alpha males, and apparently DSC is where hot chicks go to find alpha males.

Third, the mission.  I had 19 exhibitors targeted.  Express UU Bar happened to be the first I spoke with, as they were right by the entrance.  They were booked up with returning clients for the next few years, but Pat was the nicest guy, very knowledgeable, and all-in to help me accomplish the mission.  He taught me what I needed to know about my search, referred me to a few exhibitors, and took my info to ask around up there.  So, shout out to them.

After two days of searching and considering all options/factors, I chose Royal Rut Ranch in Eagle Mountain, UT.  I needed a hunt with a very high probability of success on a 300-400 bull elk, and after meeting the owner and his wife, I was sold.  I have a close friend who was just coming along for the ride, but after attending DSC with me, he's decided to pull the trigger, too.

So, I've officially embarked on the mission to take a trophy bull elk this fall - I mailed the deposit check today.  I get to do this in the 30th year of my father's passing, using the rifle he never got to use (fuck cancer), and it will take place over what would have been my father's 94th birthday.  I'm so fortunate to be able to honor my father and his friends like this.  Let's get to it.

[BabaYaga 15288]

3 minutes ago, solamente73 said:

Reporting back.

First, thanks to @686 and to @BabaYaga for the help and advice.  And thanks to all for all the other kind words.

Second, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE DALLAS SAFARI CLUB'S ANNUAL CONVENTION, PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR FOR 2023.  Holy shit that was awesome.  Almost everything you can imagine; if it can be shot or caught, you can plan it there.  Plus gear and guns (integrally suppressed lightweight mountain guns, anyone?).  Even stuff for your farm/ranch.  882 companies on the exhibitor list.  Plus the, ahem, talent was off the charts; 10s were everywhere, and I'm talking about the attendees.  Hot chicks love alpha males, and apparently DSC is where hot chicks go to find alpha males.

Third, the mission.  I had 19 exhibitors targeted.  Express UU Bar happened to be the first I spoke with, as they were right by the entrance.  They were booked up with returning clients for the next few years, but Pat was the nicest guy, very knowledgeable, and all-in to help me accomplish the mission.  He taught me what I needed to know about my search, referred me to a few exhibitors, and took my info to ask around up there.  So, shout out to them.

After two days of searching and considering all options/factors, I chose Royal Rut Ranch in Eagle Mountain, UT.  I needed a hunt with a very high probability of success on a 300-400 bull elk, and after meeting the owner and his wife, I was sold.  I have a close friend who was just coming along for the ride, but after attending DSC with me, he's decided to pull the trigger, too.

So, I've officially embarked on the mission to take a trophy bull elk this fall - I mailed the deposit check today.  I get to do this in the 30th year of my father's passing, using the rifle he never got to use (fuck cancer), and it will take place over what would have been my father's 94th birthday.  I'm so fortunate to be able to honor my father and his friends like this.  Let's get to it.

Sweet.  Good luck.  Having that rifle passed down is so cool.  Makes for very special memories!  Take lots of pics!

[Herbie Hancock 7345]

2 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Buzzards gotta' eat too.  I can cape out deer.  Hogs are a waste of good drinking time.  If you do get the itch, try the disposable Havalon-esq knives.  Scalpel sharp, and you can just pop new, clean blades on.  

These were life changing for me.

 

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-edge-razor-blaze-razor-blade-system

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2732]

Absolutely correct. 
 
“that hog weighed at least 409 lbs.!!!!”
Put on scale and it weighed 186 lbs.  
Need a scale for deer anyways. 

100% this. We vastly overestimated the weights. It’s a running joke now.

[Speedtrucker 2071]

That’s standard. That 125yd shot on 105lb doe 3 years ago is now a 350yd shot with a 18mph cross wind on a moving doe that was roughly 145lbs.

[RMac5 1551]

I can’t sharpen a knife to save my life. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

5 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Buzzards gotta' eat too.  I can cape out deer.  Hogs are a waste of good drinking time.  If you do get the itch, try the disposable Havalon-esq knives.  Scalpel sharp, and you can just pop new, clean blades on.  

X2 on the Havalon.  I’ve got several very nice custom knives collected now.  But I reach for the Havalon every time it seems. Just too easy to start with scalpel sharpness at a moments notice.  

[Speedtrucker 2071]

I can’t sharpen a knife to save my life. 

One of our group can do it to perfection but I always feel like I’m dulling my blades or scuffing them fierce…

It’s an art that I can do

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4975]

3 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

These were life changing for me.

 

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-edge-razor-blaze-razor-blade-system

I keep one of these in my hunting bag for cleaning game. Too easy.

[HOOKEM4 5036]

I have a stupid number of knives in my pack. Havalon, 2 Benchmade I get sharpened by them every year, buck, Kershaw that is just the right amount of dull and an assortment of random blades that I rotate out. I use the havalon and dull Kershaw most of the time. When I am not at my place, I couple those with a little hand saw my fil gave me to split the pelvis so I don't need a knife and strength 40-11 drinks in.

[Izhmash 562]

Taking all my Gene Ingram's to the grave with me.

For those of you not inclined to sharpening....I would recommend a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Makes for a pretty idiot proof system. Everyone I've convinced to get one loves them. Not as good as a belt sander / strop, but better than complete free hand if you aren't comfortable with sharpening techniques.

[fattyflattie 4639]

44 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

Taking all my Gene Ingram's to the grave with me.

For those of you not inclined to sharpening....I would recommend a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Makes for a pretty idiot proof system. Everyone I've convinced to get one loves them. Not as good as a belt sander / strop, but better than complete free hand if you aren't comfortable with sharpening techniques.

I’ve been using this and like it. 
 

https://shop.opticsplanet.com/warthog-ec2rd-v-sharp-classic-ii-elite-diamond-coarse-steel-powdercoat-red.html?_iv_code=WHG-KNS-EC2RD-EC2RD&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOkkDrVO3S6e3xse8hVYe4qmjUn8WXavWsXG0Vw6gma7la4DpcMhq_xoCyh0QAvD_BwE

 

[686 3447]

Reporting back.
First, thanks to [mention=2146]686[/mention] and to [mention=1701]BabaYaga[/mention] for the help and advice.  And thanks to all for all the other kind words.
Second, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE DALLAS SAFARI CLUB'S ANNUAL CONVENTION, PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR FOR 2023.  Holy shit that was awesome.  Almost everything you can imagine; if it can be shot or caught, you can plan it there.  Plus gear and guns (integrally suppressed lightweight mountain guns, anyone?).  Even stuff for your farm/ranch.  882 companies on the exhibitor list.  Plus the, ahem, talent was off the charts; 10s were everywhere, and I'm talking about the attendees.  Hot chicks love alpha males, and apparently DSC is where hot chicks go to find alpha males.
Third, the mission.  I had 19 exhibitors targeted.  Express UU Bar happened to be the first I spoke with, as they were right by the entrance.  They were booked up with returning clients for the next few years, but Pat was the nicest guy, very knowledgeable, and all-in to help me accomplish the mission.  He taught me what I needed to know about my search, referred me to a few exhibitors, and took my info to ask around up there.  So, shout out to them.
After two days of searching and considering all options/factors, I chose Royal Rut Ranch in Eagle Mountain, UT.  I needed a hunt with a very high probability of success on a 300-400 bull elk, and after meeting the owner and his wife, I was sold.  I have a close friend who was just coming along for the ride, but after attending DSC with me, he's decided to pull the trigger, too.
So, I've officially embarked on the mission to take a trophy bull elk this fall - I mailed the deposit check today.  I get to do this in the 30th year of my father's passing, using the rifle he never got to use (fuck cancer), and it will take place over what would have been my father's 94th birthday.  I'm so fortunate to be able to honor my father and his friends like this.  Let's get to it.

Nice man! glad you made it and glad you were able to find a good outfitter! Love it when a plan comes together. So your buddy is going on the elk hunt with you? Awesome if so; hunting with good friends is the best.

Let’s talk logistics on your hunt:
what elevation is the ranch at?
What month is the hunt?
Rain gear needed?
Range of shots to be prepared for?
You driving up and hauling the meat/trophy(s) back? If so, what’s your cooler setup look like?
What bullet you shooting in your 300?

[deadshank 24652]

6 hours ago, Izhmash said:

Taking all my Gene Ingram's to the grave with me.

For those of you not inclined to sharpening....I would recommend a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Makes for a pretty idiot proof system. Everyone I've convinced to get one loves them. Not as good as a belt sander / strop, but better than complete free hand if you aren't comfortable with sharpening techniques.

Spyderco Sharpmaker is the Duke.  Good call. 

[deadshank 24652]

8 hours ago, HOOKEM4 said:

I have a stupid number of knives in my pack. Havalon, 2 Benchmade I get sharpened by them every year, buck, Kershaw that is just the right amount of dull and an assortment of random blades that I rotate out. I use the havalon and dull Kershaw most of the time. When I am not at my place, I couple those with a little hand saw my fil gave me to split the pelvis so I don't need a knife and strength 40-11 drinks in.

Why are you splitting the pelvis?

[HOOKEM4 5036]

23 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Why are you splitting the pelvis?

To get the poop chute out? 

[deadshank 24652]

21 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

To get the poop chute out? 

We have differing ways of skinning deer.   
 

Are you doing this to field dress / gut?  Or doing this at the skinning , cleaning rack?  
 

Why are  you getting out the poop chute?

[Lat22 4010]

I’ve always split the pelvic bone. I guess I do because that’s how my dad taught me 45 years ago. It was always hell on knives until I got this thingamajig a couple years ago. 
 

[HOOKEM4 5036]

29 minutes ago, deadshank said:

We have differing ways of skinning deer.   
 

Are you doing this to field dress / gut?  Or doing this at the skinning , cleaning rack?  
 

Why are  you getting out the poop chute?

I was talking about IF I have to field dress. When I am in South Texas I may get dropped off at 3pm and not get picked up until 7-8 depending on how many people are with the crew. 15k acres and we spread out. I am not letting the deer sit for 2-3 hours before gutting. I guess it was just how I was taught but I basically split the deer from pelvis all the way to throat. Then try to prop the deer ass up on a tree/bush and let it start cooling. 

If I am at my place, it is just me hunting 99% of the time and I have a UTV with me. I will go grab the deer, hang it and clean it without gutting. In the end, you have to split the pelvis to quarter it so if you have a magical way to quarter without splitting the pelvis, spill it.

[Anastasis 23463]

1 hour ago, HOOKEM4 said:

To get the poop chute out? 

buttout tool will take care of that for you.

 

 

Don't split the pelvis here either. Once I've taken the front shoulders and saddle off on the rack, I just go to the table (or tailgate) and bone out the pelvis. Get down to the ball joint, pop the joint out, cut the tendon and connective tissues, then bone down the rest of the way.

 

[Anastasis 23463]

48 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

I am not letting the deer sit for 2-3 hours before gutting.

So what's crazy to me is when I watch some bow hunting videos and these guys are shooting the deer, leaving it in the field over night, and coming back the next day to track it.  That's not normal right?

[deadshank 24652]

16 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

buttout tool will take care of that for you.

 

 

Don't split the pelvis here either. Once I've taken the front shoulders and saddle off on the rack, I just go to the table (or tailgate) and bone out the pelvis. Get down to the ball joint, pop the joint out, cut the tendon and connective tissues, then bone down the rest of the way.

 

@Anastasis is my man.  I am on #Team cut through the hams while hugging the backbone toward the aft end of the spine and beyond the back straps.  Go around the topside of the pelvis (make a loop around the protruding  ischium) and then the same thing on the bottom side of the pelvis.  Stay outside the pelvic bones to avoid stabbing or slicing any guts. 
 

Get down to the ball joint, apply pressure to splay open the hind quarters and touch up on ball joint with knife and the ham comes off intact.  
 

It takes a little practice and the results are superior when you get the hang of it.  No sawing through bone and bone debris on meat.  
 

Can be done while still on gambrel if you have someone hold the deer and provide balance.  If not, putting the deer on a flat surface or the carcass in the gut bucket with hind quarters up and out of the gut bucket.  
 

One can pull the tenders from the sides or straight through the abdomen while hanging and also leave the guts in if you know how to do it.  
 

For the record, I will field gut if necessary due to a long wait or if the need arises to jettison weight and hump out a large animal like an elk.   

[fattyflattie 4639]

50 minutes ago, deadshank said:

@Anastasis is my man.  I am on #Team cut through the hams while hugging the backbone toward the aft end of the spine and beyond the back straps.  Go around the topside of the pelvis (make a loop around the protruding  ischium) and then the same thing on the bottom side of the pelvis.  Stay outside the pelvic bones to avoid stabbing or slicing any guts. 
 

Get down to the ball joint, apply pressure to splay open the hind quarters and touch up on ball joint with knife and the ham comes off intact.  
 

It takes a little practice and the results are superior when you get the hang of it.  No sawing through bone and bone debris on meat.  
 

Can be done while still on gambrel if you have someone hold the deer and provide balance.  If not, putting the deer on a flat surface or the carcass in the gut bucket with hind quarters up and out of the gut bucket.  
 

One can pull the tenders from the sides or straight through the abdomen while hanging and also leave the guts in if you know how to do it.  
 

For the record, I will field gut if necessary due to a long wait or if the need arises to jettison weight and hump out a large animal like an elk.   

This is the way I do it at as well. I don’t split the pelvis. 

[HOOKEM4 5036]

59 minutes ago, deadshank said:

@Anastasis is my man.  I am on #Team cut through the hams while hugging the backbone toward the aft end of the spine and beyond the back straps.  Go around the topside of the pelvis (make a loop around the protruding  ischium) and then the same thing on the bottom side of the pelvis.  Stay outside the pelvic bones to avoid stabbing or slicing any guts. 
 

Get down to the ball joint, apply pressure to splay open the hind quarters and touch up on ball joint with knife and the ham comes off intact.  
 

It takes a little practice and the results are superior when you get the hang of it.  No sawing through bone and bone debris on meat.  
 

Can be done while still on gambrel if you have someone hold the deer and provide balance.  If not, putting the deer on a flat surface or the carcass in the gut bucket with hind quarters up and out of the gut bucket.  
 

One can pull the tenders from the sides or straight through the abdomen while hanging and also leave the guts in if you know how to do it.  
 

For the record, I will field gut if necessary due to a long wait or if the need arises to jettison weight and hump out a large animal like an elk.   

I will try that. I was taught by my FIL many moons ago. He uses a knife to cut through the pelvis and field dresses all his deer. When it come time to get the hams apart, he uses a solid swing of the machete. I never have done that because I am sure I would hit the hams. That old fucker just swings through the pelvis like its butter.

[BabaYaga 15288]

4 hours ago, deadshank said:

Why are you splitting the pelvis?

Quartering the animal?  If you are of the mindset that you need to bleed out the meat over days or even weeks, guessing this is about quartering to get into large cooler with ice?

 

[BabaYaga 15288]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

Get down to the ball joint, apply pressure to splay open the hind quarters and touch up on ball joint with knife and the ham comes off intact.  
 

What I do as well.  If I have multiple does and want certain cuts, I'll even avoid the body cavity completely, dress from the back of the deer in.  Take the backstraps, take off both shoulders, then remove both hams.  Sometimes I take a section of the neck for stew, often not.  

Zero gutting.  Minimal blood, but you do need to package and cool meat quickly after.  

[BabaYaga 15288]

46 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

That old fucker just swings through the pelvis like its butter.

[deadshank 24652]

30 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

What I do as well.  If I have multiple does and want certain cuts, I'll even avoid the body cavity completely, dress from the back of the deer in.  Take the backstraps, take off both shoulders, then remove both hams.  Sometimes I take a section of the neck for stew, often not.  

Zero gutting.  Minimal blood, but you do need to package and cool meat quickly after.  

That's pretty much the way I do all WTD.  Splitting the pelvis is not required.

[RMac5 1551]

Processor in Mills County charges $10 to field dress them if not done in the field. He’s 10 minutes from the ranch so I let him do all of it. Back in the day, I split the pelvic bone when field dressing as well. Made it easier to gut and get the meat cooling.

[BabaYaga 15288]

Spatchcock deer!

[huge 3793]

Last weekend was a bust for our group near Rock Springs.  1800 acres high fenced and deer were scarce.  

Only thing I killed?  1M brain cells

[BabaYaga 15288]

3 minutes ago, huge said:

Last weekend was a bust for our group near Rock Springs.  1800 acres high fenced and deer were scarce.  

Only thing I killed?  1M brain cells

Kind of gets at the anecdotal bias against high game fences being essentially "pens" for market hunting.  Deer generally have limited ranges that they move within and a HGF is far from a guarantee.  It sure as hell helps with management and genetics, but in terms of a harvest, you still have to do your part.  

[deadshank 24652]

18 minutes ago, huge said:

Last weekend was a bust for our group near Rock Springs.  1800 acres high fenced and deer were scarce.  

Only thing I killed?  1M brain cells

Careful.  You didn’t start with a lot to spare. 

[The Royal We 3067]

31 minutes ago, huge said:

Last weekend was a bust for our group near Rock Springs.  1800 acres high fenced and deer were scarce.  

Only thing I killed?  1M brain cells

Rock Springs is one of my favorite areas of the whole state.  I was lucky enough to go on some corporate hunts with my pops growing up at a place called the Cool Water Ranch.  It had live water and swimming holes all over the place along with lots of terrain, box canyons, cliff faces, etc.  Low fence place that was crawling with axis, black buck, fallow, aoudad, etc.  I loved going out there just to ride around and see everything more than hunting really.  It would have been an incredible place to hang out during the summer with all the swimming holes.  I remember going to a place where you could see an artesian spring just flowing out of the bottom of a cliff face into the creek. 

Unbelievable beauty hidden just off the highway. 

I just tried to dig around a bit on google maps to see if I could find it, but I can't remember the little road that the gate was off of - I'll text my pops, I'm sure he knows exactly where it is still.

[fattyflattie 4639]

2 hours ago, huge said:

Last weekend was a bust for our group near Rock Springs.  1800 acres high fenced and deer were scarce.  

Only thing I killed?  1M brain cells

Just there for a day hunt?  

[huge 3793]

1 hour ago, fattyflattie said:

Just there for a day hunt?  

Couple hours

[fattyflattie 4639]

16 minutes ago, huge said:

Couple hours

That math works.  I think. I lost a few million last weekend, too. 

[RMac5 1551]

Speaking of Axis, heard the population took a huge hit from the mega freeze last winter. I have heard numbers like 50% in some areas. Have any of you seen these type numbers? Always want to let the air out of one with my bow. Might be harder to do now with less critters. Never had it but have heard it’s the best game meat out there.

[686 3447]

Speaking of Axis, heard the population took a huge hit from the mega freeze last winter. I have heard numbers like 50% in some areas. Have any of you seen these type numbers? Always want to let the air out of one with my bow. Might be harder to do now with less critters. Never had it but have heard it’s the best game meat out there.

Elk meat >> axis meat in my experience; admittedly based on a small sample size. The axis I shot a few years back was a rutted up buck in a late dry summer in that area, which doesn’t help meat quality, I’m sure the does are better. I wet aged, lightly brined, stuffed, bacon wrapped/trussed and baked/lightly smoked the backstraps from this buck and although it all got eaten, I was honestly a little let down with how it turned out, probably just had my expectations too high. Also, I’m changing my venison cooking methods to really high heat for short durations, which gives a better result for my palate.


Yes the axis took a beating in some areas, but they will bounce back quickly over a few years IMO.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

12 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

What I do as well.  If I have multiple does and want certain cuts, I'll even avoid the body cavity completely, dress from the back of the deer in.  Take the backstraps, take off both shoulders, then remove both hams.  Sometimes I take a section of the neck for stew, often not.  

Zero gutting.  Minimal blood, but you do need to package and cool meat quickly after.  

I like to hang my carcass in the cooler for at least 10 days.  Cool and dry.

[deadshank 24652]

7 hours ago, Johnny Sack said:

I like to hang my carcass in the cooler for at least 10 days.  Cool and dry.

We’ve thought about building a walk-in cooler to temp store and age deer we take.  The problem with those cotton-picking things is the refrigeration system is always breaking down.  Heck, we even have an HVAC contractor in our camp and he’s non-plussed with the idea. 
 

Also, keeping the inside of the locker clean.   The ones we’ve had at other camps were always a foul-smelling and bloody mess with blood on the walls, floor, plastic tote bins and everyone expected the other guy to clean it up.  

There are 5 guys in our camp.  The HVAC contractor and I are very cleanly, the Geologist is no too bad, Mr. Wall Street is clueless and pays for the  help to clean and The Lone aggy is a great guy but a complete pig; therefore, I don’t want to be the guy to clean up after everyone.  

[Johnny Sack 8397]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

We’ve thought about building a walk-in cooler to temp store and age deer we take.  The problem with those cotton-picking things is the refrigeration system is always breaking down.  Heck, we even have an HVAC contractor in our camp and he’s non-plussed with the idea. 
 

Also, keeping the inside of the locker clean.   The ones we’ve had at other camps were always a foul-smelling and bloody mess with blood on the walls, floor, plastic tote bins and everyone expected the other guy to clean it up.  

There are 5 guys in our camp.  The HVAC contractor and I are very cleanly, the Geologist is no too bad, Mr. Wall Street is clueless and pays for the  help to clean and The Lone aggy is a great guy but a complete pig; therefore, I don’t want to be the guy to clean up after everyone.  

Yeah. That could be an issue.  We have someone maintain and clean ours.  It’s a necessity.  We’ve had as many as 40 deer in the thing.  
 

But yeah, given your setup, I’d probably not screw with the cost and aggravation. You can keep meet cool and dry using frozen water bottles or even ice but packing cardboard or newspaper between ice and meat.  I don’t ever want my meat touching ice or water.  

[BabaYaga 15288]

2 hours ago, deadshank said:

We’ve thought about building a walk-in cooler to temp store and age deer we take.  The problem with those cotton-picking things is the refrigeration system is always breaking down.  Heck, we even have an HVAC contractor in our camp and he’s non-plussed with the idea. 
 

Also, keeping the inside of the locker clean.   The ones we’ve had at other camps were always a foul-smelling and bloody mess with blood on the walls, floor, plastic tote bins and everyone expected the other guy to clean it up.  

There are 5 guys in our camp.  The HVAC contractor and I are very cleanly, the Geologist is no too bad, Mr. Wall Street is clueless and pays for the  help to clean and The Lone aggy is a great guy but a complete pig; therefore, I don’t want to be the guy to clean up after everyone.  

Seems a pressure washer close by would be a necessity.  That and a painters suit to wear to keep from getting soaked.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Our guy bleaches the shit out of ours.  It’s very clean. Also has cement floor and drain.  Which helps a lot.  
 

We keep our ice maker in the cooler. Much less maintenance on it since me moved it into cooler years ago.  It used to be in our kill shed.  Covered.  But not HVAC.  Would constantly be running and burn out.  

[HOOKEM4 5036]

We have a giant rubber mat like a weathertech mat that came with ours. It makes it a breeze to keep clean. 

[Spaulding Smails 1552]

3 hours ago, deadshank said:

We’ve thought about building a walk-in cooler to temp store and age deer we take.  The problem with those cotton-picking things is the refrigeration system is always breaking down.  Heck, we even have an HVAC contractor in our camp and he’s non-plussed with the idea. 
 

Also, keeping the inside of the locker clean.   The ones we’ve had at other camps were always a foul-smelling and bloody mess with blood on the walls, floor, plastic tote bins and everyone expected the other guy to clean it up.  

There are 5 guys in our camp.  The HVAC contractor and I are very cleanly, the Geologist is no too bad, Mr. Wall Street is clueless and pays for the  help to clean and The Lone aggy is a great guy but a complete pig; therefore, I don’t want to be the guy to clean up after everyone.  

Check this out.  Probably not a good option for a large walk-in or something that gets used frequently, but we installed this, and it's worked like a champ the last three years.

https://www.storeitcold.com/

I got a small walk-in (8' x 6') from a demo job we did at a restaurant years ago.  The remote condenser was shot, but the shell was in good shape.  Before I had an HVAC guy on staff, I couldn't get anyone to come out and help me rig something up.  My dad stumbled on this.  We bought a window unit, cut a hole in the walk in, spray foamed the shit out of the opening, and installed the cool bot.  Basically, it overrides the thermostat in the window unit.  I hung two doe in the cooler over Christmas for three days.  Hot and humid outside, and 38* with low humidity in the cooler.  

My fear would be leaving them to hang with me not there and having the unit seize up since it is kind of redneck engineered, so I've yet to let anything hang for longer than I'm at the ranch.

[noharleyyet 2838]

On 12/18/2021 at 11:24 AM, Izhmash said:

Dad saw this one come in checking for the Big P. Image quality sucks (old iphone & 150 yds away), but curious to get Surly's estimates on size of this deer.

 

Wide, haz some ups & prolly mass, sagging belly showing some calendars survived. Nice buck

[fattyflattie 4639]

So I took an old school 5 rack deep freeze that can range from 40 to what seems like negative something (not really, but cold af) and put some cookie/bake pans on each shelf. The shelves are 18x24”.   Quarter out animal, store in the deep freeze at upper 30’s and let it do it’s thing, then take home in a chest without the whole water soak/bleed out deal.  First year I’ve been messing with it and it seems worlds better than the bleed out in ice/water method.  You can fit a few deer in there, believe it or not.  Would like to have an actual walk in but this place won’t ever have one.  Pull pans out and clean in sink before I leave camp.