Salvaging meat - how long until spoiled

MEG2

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The scenario is the deer was shot at 5:15 in the evening with sunlight fading fast due to overcast skies and rain moving in. Rain quickly washed away the blood or there wasn't much of blood trail. Turned out to be a good shot and the deer didn't go far but died in tall grass. My friend who shot the deer wasn't able locate it that night with a flashlight and was unable to get back early in the morning. The evening was warm in the upper 50's, but dropped through the night and then all the next day to the upper 30's. Found the deer about 22 hours after the shot. Took all the meat that we could and it seems alright.

What is everyone's opinion or experience with salvaging meat after an extended recovery time? I know it depends on temperatures. In my experience, meat has been fine in warmer conditions after leaving over night for 10-12 hours, but I have never gone much past this.
 
My experience has been similar to yours, Ive never had a deer go much longer than a few hours. If after collecting the meat and getting it chilled, it looked and smelled fine, I wouldn't be afraid of it. My understanding is a lot of it has to do with where the deer was shot. If the stomach and intestines were hit, almost anything in contact with it is likely ruined after just a few hours. The magic number in relation to bacteria reproduction is a meat temperature of under forty degrees.
 
Undisturbed muscle groups are sterile at death. Spoilage due to bacterial action will take place eventually, with speed of decay based on temperatures. Areas where bullets/shrapnel have penetrated are compromised to a little or huge extent, based on pathway of travel.

I have disposed of meat that probably would have been eaten by Ma and Pa Ingalls, back in the day, but I do have a backup plan for me to get more groceries. The good folks of Walnut Grove had to rely on their own hands to hunt/gather and maybe barter with Mrs Oleson at Oleson's Mercantile

(Little House on the Prairie tv show reference for you younger HT'ers)
 
I shot a buck once and didn't find it until the following day about 22 hours later very similar conditions as you... He died in a creek, and was plenty cooled out. He made it about 150 yards, maybe less could have floated a little ways. I walked within about 10 yards of him about 5 times, just didn't think he'd be in the creek in that spot. The meat fine. We packed out an elk once time in sub zero weather that was spoiled in the front shoulders. The guys didn't open it up and left it laying on it side in the snow after they gutted it, vs putting it on its back and opened up. It was less than 24 hours after it was shot.
 
Hunted with a guy who shot a bull at 10:00AM it was 60 degrees for a high all of the following days and a low of 30. Bull went a mile and died. We did not find it until the end of the day the next day. It had flies all over it. We quartered it and hung the meat. Didn't get it fully out until it was on ice the following day at 4:00 in the afternoon. He took the meat home and said it was edible. I tried it and there what he gave me in the trash.....

It was bad meat. I suspected the bull had died within a couple hours of being hit judging from the liver shot he made.

I am proud we were able to find the bull and at least try to salvage the meat. It was one heck of a tracking job if I have to say to myself. Most people would never have found that bull or looked that hard. I watched the arrow hit the bull so I was 100% sure it was going to die.
 
My experience with elk and hits in the guts, last light to first light, it’s spoiled.
 
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