Cool the Meat Down

• The most important thing you need to do after tracking down your kill is to cool it down. Take your photos and admire the trophy, of course, but don't dawdle. The quickest way to cool down meat is to remove the internal organs and, if hunting in the summer, cut away the skin.
  
  If you're hunting in an area that allows it, remove the meat from the bones when hunting a short distance from your final destination. If you need to carry it long distances and heat is a factor, then leave the bone in the meat. As packed, boneless meat is harder to keep cool.
  
  If hunting in sweltering heat, you can even cool the meat by plunging it into a nearby stream or river for 15 minutes. Dry it as best you can when you remove it by running your hands over the meat and pushing the water away. Then pack the meat away for the trip back to camp or your home.
  
  If you are hunting in the cold winter months, do not pack the cavity of the carcass with snow. This will insulate the meat between the snow and the skin and you'll end up with rotted meat.
  
  

Keep the Flies Away

• The best way to keep flies away from your prize is to pack it in good-quality game bags. Depending on whom you talk to, you'll get different answers as to what kind of game bag is best. Some prefer the cotton or canvas bags, while some hunters swear by the cheesecloth style that lets the meat breathe. Important factors in choosing a bag and in how to proceed once you have chosen one are how much it can hold, and how well you can pack it. Make sure it will fit loosely around the meat.
  
  Another tactic in keeping flies away is to spray the meat with food-grade citric acid, which will create a darkened "crust" on the outside of the meat, which flies cannot lay eggs in or eat.
  
  Some hunters even use black pepper to coat the meat, which is a temporary solution that works well.
  
  

Proper Transport of the Meat out of the Woods

• The idea is to keep the meat cool, dry and loosely packed so that it does not increase in temperature while you're leaving the hunting grounds. If you have to spend the night at camp, then hang the meat in a shaded tree so that it will stay cool and dry. In the morning, place it back in the meat bags and wrap it in your sleeping blanket. This will insulate the cool temperatures for a couple of hours, after which you should unpack it from the blanket and carry it externally.