Mad_Angler's Link
In Alaska (and elsewhere), most folks use citric acid spray. For trips in Alaska, it can easily be a week or two before the meat actually gets cut up and put in the freezer.
The acid is just a small bag of powder and an empty spray bottle. Spray down the meat well and let it dry. Between the citric acid and the crust that forms, the meat is pretty well protected.
Adding good game bags is the final step and that protects the meat from flies.
In most elk places, it probably gets fairly cold in the evening. Keeping the meat in the shade probably keeps it cool for most of the day.
The most important step is probably breaking the animal down as quickly as possible and getting it cooled off quickly.
Food grade citric acid is a very safe product commonly used to adjust pH in certain foods and household products. It's one of the main ingredients in de-scaling (lime removing) products, and it's also the ingredient that makes your jaws hurt when you eat Sour Patch candies.
I've used it several times on meat bags and it works perfectly for me. The low pH makes it very inhospitable to flies and insects seeking to land and feed or lay eggs. It also seems to help meat form a protective crust in the bags, though I'm not sure how that might happen.
Finally it's cheap. You can buy it by the pound on the auction site for just a few dollars. I put about 6 heaping tbsp in a baggy and bring it, along with a $1 spray bottle. A trick you can use ahead of the hunt is to mix citric acid in a small bucket and dip or soak your meat bags. You don't need to unfold them. Just dip or soak them and then set them in the sun to dry. Actually the less they drip the more citric acid they retain. The bags will be immediately able to repel insects, and you can use them to drape over a carcass or un-bagged meat until ready to load.
I buy a cheap little spray bottle from the travel section at walmart and add a bit of citric acid. Leave it dry until time to use. Depending on the flies I usually break it out after I have quarters bagged and add my drinking water to it spray away.
I also used it on my skull. The flies were thick and blowing tons of eggs. I hosed the skull w/ citric acid back at camp, nothing negative came of the situation. I'd call that a success.
The meat gets a skin on it anyway in time, and I've never had any issues with GOOD gamebags and deboned meat. Only issues have been with crappy bags with loose weaving and can't handle supporting the meat. Never had any eggs laid through good bags.
Any info that it actually aides in preserving meat? Like a salt or smoke would?
TD and SDHNTR are right. The key is to get it cooled to the core as quickly as possible. Quartering and hanging in the shade quickly will go a long way to cooling fast. If that hanging is done in the evening, the meat will be plenty cold by morning.
Another option is putting in trash bags and submerging in a creek. As the link notes, this is the only time meat should be put in water and it should be removed from the water and plastic bags as soon as it is cooled.
CA is a weak acid, along the lines of vinegar (acetic acid).
CA's biggest benefit is in situations where it might be a few days until meat is out...temps are borderline warm...and insects are out. Given how cheap and easy it is to use I always bring it.
How much citric acid would you bring to treat an unskinned bruin? 8^0
My method probably isn't the best, but it is not much of a burden either. I usually put a lot of CA in my bottle, add water (at this point its pretty concentrated), use it a bit and then add more water to stretch it out. I'm very picky about how my meat is handled, I've witnessed too many guys who don't respect the meat and their families complain about gamey taste. I haven't had that problem and hope to never encounter it.
All in all I think toting along a little CA has more benefits than deficits.
I've heard using pepper helps with wasps and yellow jackets, the CA does as well?
Good info. Thanks. Where do you get it? It comes in powder form?
I believe CA would inhibit any insect from landing and attacking a treated meat bag...including wasps.
My next round of TAG bags are going into a bucket of concentrated CA. I'll soak them a couple hours and let them dry slowly. I'm not going to unfold them or anything...just soak the entire block of bags as they are. I'll still carry a bit of CA and a small sprayer when I go hunting.
I'm just a bit surprised that TAG (Larry B) or other premium meat bag companies don't offer either CA pre-treated bags or a pre-treatment kit as an option.
The soaking of the bags is a good idea. How long does it usually take for your treated bags to completely dry out?
Maybe you could take the pre-treatment kit idea on Shark Tank! Might end up making a deal with "Mr. Wonderful;>)
Kevin, oh yeah there's a lot more that can ruin a bear hunt in cali. Them libs love seeing a dead bear on top of a dog box!!
CA last forever as I can tell. I bought one small bottle from the canning section and still have plenty left. So if you were to treat the bags I'd imagine they are good to go indefinitely. But I would still pack some to reconstitute esp if you are solo and like to bone out your meat in a high insect zone. If I see flies landing on meat I immediately spray it bag or not.
If the bags hold the CA after it dries it might work, my concern is after spending some time in your pack you may just end up w/ a pile of dry CA in the bottom of your plastic bag. You're banking on the meats moisture to reactivate the CA.
On the flip side, good bags will keep bugs out. I use cheap allen bags, I know they are good enough, I just don't like taking a chance I know I could've prevented.
