As an outdoors writer I probably get on average of about 10 or 12 press releases every day. Most tout some new product that is just hitting the outdoors market. Others talk about some new conservation effort spearheaded by an organization. Others, well…to be honest, I just don’t even bother reading most of them. They capture about 5 seconds of my attention span and then I move on to the next task at hand.
But today a press release caught my eye that really struck a chord. Not in a good way, mind you, but in a somewhat disappointing way. Today I received a product press release for an item that in my opinion is borderline absolutely worthless. In fact, if used incorrectly I feel it could even be downright dangerous.
Take a look at the Trophy Bag Cooler found at www.TrophyBagCooler.com. The core theory on the use of the product is you stuff your recently killed game animal in this over-sized cooler, pack it with ice, and VIOLA!! You have perfectly preserved meat from the site of the kill all the way to the butcher shop.
Hold on…not so fast. It’s not often I disagree with a product but this one I personally feel is quite flawed. I agree, in warm weather the goal of every sportsman should be to chill the killed game as quickly as possible. That theory of meat science preservation is quite clear and I agree with that fundamental concept. But there are proper ways to do it and then there are improper ways to cool a recently killed carcass. In my opinion this game cooler bag promotes the improper way to do it.
For a second opinion I turned to my good friend, Jeff, who quite honestly has more big game hunting experiences during his 40+ years of hunting than any other person I know. Certainly more than I will ever have in my life. I asked him to comment on this new product concept…and here were his thoughts:
Water from melted ice ruins meat in a hurry!!
During all my years of hunting big game I have never used regular ice on big game meat. It melts super fast, creates water, and moisture is one of the worst things you can introduce to big game meat being transported from the field.
I have used dry ice on meat in a sealed big game coffin which will actually freeze the meat.
I would say if you put this item on a warm critter you are asking for spoilage! If you are to add ice to the bag you need lots of it…which probably means a trip to the nearest town to get that much ice. Why not just take the critter with you and drop it at the meat locker…and then buy the ice for your cocktails in camp later that evening! 
Jeff confirmed my thinking. Besides being a human predator for 8 to 10 solid weeks each fall, Jeff also prides himself on being an exquisite game chef. When Jeff brings home game from the field it is handled with extreme care beginning immediately from the moment of the kill.
Here’s my “beef,” so to speak, with this cooler. Think about it, when you place a game animal into a cooler what are you doing? The cooler will retain the heat from the carcass going into rigor. That’s the last thing you want to do…instead, you want that heat to dissipate away from the animal’s body as quickly as possible. A thermal cooler will retain heat as much as it will retain cold.
Okay, so now you add loads of ice stuffing the body cavity and any available space inside and around the animal that the cooler will allow. Sounds like a great concept, but in reality what a mess. I don’t have to own one of the Trophy Bag Coolers to recognize this is not what I would want to be doing with my precious trophy.
Let’s face it, as sportsmen we owe it to the game animal, as well as to our families, to take the utmost care in handling our game meat from field to fork. Agreed, there are times when you want to rinse out the carcass with water just to clean things up a bit…but the time to do that better be when you are butchering the game. Even when you are quartering it for ease in transport moisture is your enemy for so many reasons.
And when the cooler touts it’s material as being anti-microbial that is just wonderful. Doesn’t do a damn thing for the wholesomeness of the game animal, but it’s nice to know that spending $200 will get you a product that resists harboring dangerous microbes on its surface.
Seriously, folks, I take great personal pride in how I handle the game I’ve killed and this type of product wouldn’t see use during my hunt if they gave it to me. It even bothers me just a bit to think there are naive sportsmen that will spend their money on products such as this thinking it is the right thing to be doing during the hunt.
Truly, I don’t like speaking ill of a new outdoors product because I realize the manufacturers have put a lot of time and money into its development and marketing. On the other hand, when the product so blatantly contradicts one of the core principles of my game handling beliefs I feel it’s only right to blog about it and open it up for further discussion.
So, how do YOU handle game meat during warm weather? Do YOU see any benefit in this new game cooler product? Are YOU concerned about moisture contacting your meat during transport? Do YOU think this product will still be on the shelves 5 years from now?
2008 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.
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Filed under: Gear, Hunting, Outdoor Techniques
Not only a bad idea, but quite possible one of the most annoying websites I’ve ever visited.
Granted, we handle meat much different than I know a lot of people would – but it’s worked for us…however, the one thing that can not happen is this moisture bit. I thought that was common knowledge! The thing we do differently, is we use plastic bags – which doesn’t allow for breathing like the deer bags do, but it keeps flies off and when we hang the quarters, the meat cools off very nicely. We hunt a long ways from roads and in steep country, so taking an animal out whole is just not possible, so the first thing we do on the mountain is quarter the animal and stick each quarter in a separate bag, then take the back strap and tenderloins and put them in a bag together. Any scrap meat is added to yet another bag. The animal is packed out, then immediately upon returning home, we hang the meat – or if it is so hot that won’t work, we have a huge freezer we can use. Maybe it’s not the best way, but like I said, it’s worked for our family for 50 years – but never, never, never do we let it get wet. Especially if it is inside of something (like a cooler) where the moisture can’t escape…I can’t think of a faster way to ruin the meat.
I recently ran accross this blog and felt the need to comment. I feel exactly the opposite about the bag. This is one of the best products to hit the market for home processors in years. The bag may be advertised a little “incorrectly” but the overall idea is fantastic. Harvest your animal, remove the hide as quickly as possible, allow the animal to cool to air temperature, then rather than place it in a walk in cooler where the evaporator unit will simply dry your meat out, or hang it in the garage with dust, dirt and flies. Place the animal in the bag at that point, use the antimicrobial citric acid spray to reduce spoilage and the PH level of the meat, pack the animal with the cooler gel bottles (not ice). Ice makes water and a mess of your meat. Always remember harmfull bacteria needs three key elements to thrive. Protein which is in all meat, proper temperature and moisture. Follow the correct steps and this bag is a great item for the home processor. I recently transported a skinned muledeer 36 hours home using the cooler bag, I packed it with 6 of the cooler gel bottles and the animal was in perfect condition with and internal temperature in the bag of 42F. I realize USDA defines the proper storage temperature as 40F. But I can live with 2F. This bag is a great item.
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