We all know that elk spoil easy and it's best to get that hide off the animal and cool it down as quickly as possible. On occassion, after paunching out my elk, I have dumped a carcass or two in a stream when there was one near by. Sometimes hide and all just simply for that reason.....too get it cooled down quickly.
Hunters have different methods for field dressing their elk and if possible I like to get rid of the head and hide as quickly as I can. Here's something new I learned recently and something I have been doing wrong for a good many a years. First off, when I shoot an elk, moose, deer, whatever, I instinctively cut the throat. I know this isn't always necessary but I do it any how. Then I use that same knife to continue skinning and cleaning the animal.
Recently, I read on another forum that an elk’s windpipe and esophagus sour quickly and will taint meat if not removed pronto......the reason for this, elk are vocal animals and carry alot of bacteria in their throats. Also semidigested food is sometimes expelled into the gullet where it can spoil the meat.
