Where To Start

Filling the freezer with wild game is a skill that builds over seasons. These steps lead from the first hunt to the first great meal.

Checklist graphic of six steps toward a first freezer of wild game
Six steps from hunt to table.

Step 1: Pick a hunt known for good meat

Deer, elk, pronghorn, dove and squirrel are all excellent table fare. Small game and doves are the easiest place to start, with long seasons and simple field care.

Step 2: Plan the cooling before the hunt

Bring game bags, a cooler, ice and a way to hang meat. In warm country, plan to skin and quarter the animal in the field. See Field Dressing and Cooling Game.

Step 3: Learn to field dress

Watch an experienced hunter, take a class or study a good guide before the season. Practice on small game first.

Hunter sitting behind a harvested desert deer with his rifle in the shade of mesquite trees
Every deer is a freezer full of lean, local meat.

Step 4: Decide on a processor or home processing

Find a reputable processor before the season, or gather the tools to cut meat at home. See Butchering and Processing.

Step 5: Package and label well

Vacuum seal or double wrap every cut, and label the animal, cut and date.

Step 6: Cook it right

Cook lean steaks hot and fast within safe temperature guidance, braise the tough cuts and turn trim into grind. See Wild Game Food Safety.

Step 7: Share the harvest

Invite friends to dinner, or donate a deer through a game meat donation program.

A day’s bag of doves and a rabbit laid out on desert sand
Small game makes some of the best meals of the year.

Questions are welcome through the Contact Us form.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Leaving a deer in the sun or in a warm truck bed
  • Letting meat sit in cooler meltwater
  • Skipping the trim on fat and silver skin
  • Overcooking lean steaks
  • Forgetting to label packages in the freezer

Learn from experienced hunters

Ask a seasoned hunter to show you how they field dress, hang and cut a deer. One afternoon watching a skilled hand is worth hours of reading, and most hunters are glad to share what they know.

Start small

Doves, squirrels and rabbits are easy to clean and cook, and they teach the basics of handling game before a hunter tackles a deer or elk.

Set up before the season

Clear freezer space, buy game bags and find a processor before opening day. A plan made in the off season makes the busy days after a successful hunt much easier.

Sources