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John,

Thanks for sticking with us!  This forum goes through "seasons" and still keeps plugging along.  Sorry for anything that offended you.

You pose a great question!  You're correct in saying that there's often no way to hang meat in areas where there are no trees.  Here's what I do:

Find a clump of willow and lay your game bags on top of it.  If the meat is on the bone, put the shank ends toward the ground and the large end farthest off the ground.  Spread the meat around so the bags don't touch each other and you'll have good air circulation around it.  Then, place the antlers on top of the meat and secure your tarp over that.  This will provide good air flow over the meat on top.  If necessary, cut some more willows and pile them on top to keep the tarp off the meat.  When you tarp the meat, make sure the tarp doesn't touch the meat and that it's relatively open on the sides to allow the wind to evaporate moisture from inside without blowing rain up under it.

Tarp your meat rack even in clear weather; otherwise dew will form on the bags at night and they'll be damp; a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

A tipi tent or awning might be a good choice to cover the area too.  Some awnings are large enough to provide coverage for you while you work on your capes and hides too.  Here's a link: < http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2772&deptid=1605 > and another; < http://www.rei.com/category/4500540.htm? >.  Naturally if you have high winds, some of these options won't work; but there are lots of ways to go with this!

Hope it helps!

-Mike

Message Thread:

• Meat Care in the Field rost495 Oct 19 2005
  • Game Bags Kort Oct 22 2005
    • Notes on game bags Michael Strahan Oct 22 2005
  • North Slope Meat Cache John S Oct 20 2005
    • Meat Cache Michael Strahan Oct 20 2005
      • Thanks for the advice Mike John S Oct 21 2005
  • Meat and Trophy Care Akres Oct 19 2005
    • Meat Care Snowwolfe Oct 19 2005
  • Great Start - How About Some Pre-Shot Input? mdhunter Oct 19 2005
  • Here you go- Michael Strahan Oct 19 2005
    • More ideas on meat care. Michael Strahan Oct 21 2005
    • great post Mike. fullkurl Oct 20 2005