deer cooler?

A forum to discuss all your Game Processing and Butcher Block Skills!
From the Skinning Rack to the Dinner Table.

Moderators: GoodOyster, Cr0ck1

Post Reply
gl
scout
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:16 pm
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both

deer cooler?

Post by gl » Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:39 am

Has anybody ever tried to make a small stand up deer hanging cooler using an insulated box and a window unit AC. Posting an earlier post got me thinking of how I could hang deer to age in Florida but with the heat you cant just leave them out.

User avatar
treefarmer
Ordeal
Posts: 1399
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 3:37 pm
Location: LA(lower Alabama) Fl. panhandle

Re: deer cooler?

Post by treefarmer » Thu Nov 24, 2011 1:17 am

Google the name "coolbot" and you will find a device that is supposed to allow you to use a small window a/c unit as a cooling unit. Some how the control box they supply fools the a/c into being able to operate at a lower temperature than normal household use. I talked to these folks a few years back and it was developed for cooling vegetables on a truck farm up north. I too would like to build a small walk in cooler to age venison properly but the Honey-Do list has grown longer since I retired. An insulated plywood cooler, stud walls, etc. is easy to construct, biggest issue is building and swinging a properly sealed door. Some years we get enough cool weather in the panhandle to hang a deer, in the shade, with a fly bag for several days. Usually end up breaking them down and putting the meat in a big ice chest and simply add a small cooler of ice every 3 or 4 days over the top of the meat, leaving the drain open so the melting ice will run out and not leech the color out of the meat. Have had 3 deer at a time in the chest. Remove the shoulders, pull the back straps, salvage the tenderloins, split the pelvis with a sawzall to seperate the hams, then bone out the neck, brisket and rib meat for sausage or burger, all that is left is a boned out rib cage, neck and back bones for the coyotes to drag around. Some folks have asked me how do I know when to take 'em down and put 'em in the ice chest, I usually say "When the buzzards start to circle it's time." Ageing makes a world of difference in the finished venison just as it does in beef. Treefarmer

User avatar
Skunk Ape
Vigil
Posts: 4619
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:57 am
Location: Brooksville

Re: deer cooler?

Post by Skunk Ape » Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:41 am

I don't think that would work. Temps need to be around 40 I think. Best bet is to get a big igloo cooler,quarter the meat and pack in ice. It will hold up to 10 day if you keep draining blood and adding fresh ice.

User avatar
Skunk Ape
Vigil
Posts: 4619
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:57 am
Location: Brooksville

Re: deer cooler?

Post by Skunk Ape » Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:42 am

I don't think that would work. Temps need to be around 40 I think. Best bet is to get a big igloo cooler,quarter the meat and pack in ice. It will hold up to 10 day if you keep draining blood and adding fresh ice.

User avatar
nachogrande
Wood Badger
Posts: 5197
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:13 pm
Location: Spring Hill, Fl
Contact:

Re: deer cooler?

Post by nachogrande » Thu Nov 24, 2011 7:20 am

out west we used to be able to get big 300 lb blocks of ice or dry ice from beer distributors/warehouses, it may be cheaper than electric. a super insulated shed large enough to hold say 6 deer shouldn't be too hard like an old fashioned ice house or milk shed. the door will be the biotch. maybe put a styrofoam sheet over the door when you leave and tape it shut? not that I need it. I've always had a spare refrig and I've taken the shelves out and hung quartered deer on the rare occasions it was too warm to hang them in the garage, usualy we had to worry more about keeping them from freezing.
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing

User avatar
GoodOyster
Ain't as Good as I Once Was , But I'm As Good Once As I Ever Was!
Posts: 3902
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:28 am
Location: Sarasota, FL
Contact:

Re: deer cooler?

Post by GoodOyster » Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:54 am

Here's a link to a an article on the CoolBot site with tips on making one.

http://storeitcold.com/coolerconstruction.php

A while back I was searching for something and ran across a thread on another hunting forum with a lot of guys in California, Arizona, Texas and other places with warm climates, and they were discussing their homemade coolers. Some were using a CoolBot, some knew how to bypass the window A/C thermostat so it would cool it way down. Some of the coolers were very impressive. It can be done, and built right they work extremely well. Just wish I could find that other forum thread's link!
"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!"
~Thomas Jefferson

ImageImageImage

Unlucky
scout
Posts: 102
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:49 pm
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Ocala. FL

Re: deer cooler?

Post by Unlucky » Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:44 am

A friend of mine uses a coke machine. He removed all of the racks inside and installed a bar for hanging the meat. It is kind of tight trying to hand a whole deer but if your 1/4 it you can get a couple of deer hanging in it.

User avatar
GoodOyster
Ain't as Good as I Once Was , But I'm As Good Once As I Ever Was!
Posts: 3902
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:28 am
Location: Sarasota, FL
Contact:

Re: deer cooler?

Post by GoodOyster » Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:17 am

A guy who was a member of my dad's hunt club said he used to put his deer in bed with his now ex-wife, but had to put a blanket between her and the deer so it wouldn't freeze!
"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!"
~Thomas Jefferson

ImageImageImage

User avatar
bodysnatcher
Moderator
Posts: 6646
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:25 pm
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: North Port, FL.

Re: deer cooler?

Post by bodysnatcher » Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:23 am

GoodOyster wrote:A guy who was a member of my dad's hunt club said he used to put his deer in bed with his now ex-wife, but had to put a blanket between her and the deer so it wouldn't freeze!
That's just funny right there. :lol:
Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.

User avatar
nachogrande
Wood Badger
Posts: 5197
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:13 pm
Location: Spring Hill, Fl
Contact:

Re: deer cooler?

Post by nachogrande » Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:18 pm

putting it on a trailer, pure genious. just gotta keep em from swinging around for handling while driving. wouldn't that be nice for a hunt camp or out of state trip. boys and their toys lol. the things we think up in order to spend MORE money.
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing

User avatar
redneck75
scout
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:55 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Dinsmore (NW Jacksonville)

Re: deer cooler?

Post by redneck75 » Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:50 pm

I've used the coolbot and it worked like a champ! When I lived in San Diego I helped a retired butcher/hunting buddy who is now a wild-game only butcher set one up in his walk-in cooler (6'x14') after his "real" compressor failed. Much cheaper than an actual compressor and worked great. It's on it's 3rd year now and still works as good as day one. He has no problem keeping his cooler at 38 degrees and can go cooler anytime he wants to. The key is to have a very well insulated walk-in. It won't get down below 40 degrees if you don't get it well insulated.

That same buddy helped me set mine up in my garage in San Diego. Mine was only 4'x4'x6' and used a smaller a/c unit. I had no trouble keeping it at 38 degrees even in the early season when temps at the house could get well over 100 degrees outside and it was only running about 30-40% of the time. I could run it down to 34 degrees with temps in the 90s (warmest weather I ever tried it in) but never saw the need to run it that cool. As long as you're under 40 degrees you're good for a week to 10 days.

You may want to look into one of the portable coolers. Game Keeper Coolers makes on called "The Cube" which is the cheapest I've found. It can be a royal pain in the azz to get your homemade walk-in sealed correctly. I had the help of the professional and he had some spare parts/pieces laying around or I wouldn't have made my own. It's not much more expensive...you're looking at close to a grand or more to build your own and use the coolbot and an a/c for cooling. I just looked at their prices for The Cube and it's gone up to $2200 and change this year. They're stand-alone and run on a 110 outlet. No reason you can't throw them on a trailer and haul them to deer camp either. Guess it would come down to how much you want to play Bob Villa and build your own or do you want the convenience of plug and play and the ability to have it be portable.

Of course, now that I've moved to Florida, I've gotten lazy and haven't gotten around to building another walk-in so I'm using an old fridge on the back porch. As long as you remember to put in a small fan to circulate air, that's actually tough to beat. I took all the shelves out and ran eye-Bolts through the roof to hang it from...just used a 2x4 across the top to run the eye-bolts through so they wouldn't pull through. It's working for now. I've actually been watching the interweb pretty closely lately watching for a small refrigerated trailer with a broken-down compressor that I can get fairly cheap. I'll rip the compressor off and put my coolbot in it and be all set.

Post Reply

Return to “WILD GAME PROCESSING”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests