Hill Country State Natural Area

[B-LazyS]

Hello Texas Hunters

I got lucky this year and was drawn for a TPWD hunt at the Hill Country SNA in December - two deer, unlimited hogs and exotics. I'm looking forward to the hunt, but it's been a long while since I've spent much time in that part of the state. I'll be far enough away from home to make a trip back here in the middle of the week impractical, and if I'm lucky enough to shoot something at the first of the week I'd like to store it for a couple of days and pick it up on the way home at the end of the hunt. Does anyone know a good processing/cold storage facility in Bandera or somewhere nearby that can provide that service?

This is the first time I've participated in one of these TPWD hunts, so any tips or advice from anyone who has - especially at the Hill Country SNA - would be welcome too.

Thanks!

 

[Art Eatman]

I'd Google for "Bandera + deer processing" or "...+ deer storage".

 

[B-LazyS]

Yeah, I've done some Google research and got the names of a couple of places. I was just hoping for some local input if there is any.

 

[Texan Scott]

Schott's has always been good to my BIL... it's just over in Helotes. Also, interesting assortment of cookery/ recipe stuff last I was there.

 

[adelbridge]

I second Schott's, great sausage but they take about 1 week.

 

[heeler]

Cold storage places are getting harder to find today now that Texas officials started allowing people to quarter up their game in camp a good number of years ago.
Any reason you just dont quarter up the deer and put it in a 90 quart Igloo cooler filled with ice?
Of course if you really get lucky and kill a large number of animals I can see this possibly being a problem.
I generally keep mine on ice a good 5-7 days before taking it to the processor.

 

[B-LazyS]

Thanks Heeler, that's probably what I'll end up doing.

This may sound silly, but I wanted to try to get the deer home whole so that my little girls could help with the processing. I haven't hunted much since they were born and they've never seen a deer up close. They aren't allowed to come with me (TPWD rules - no guests) so I was trying to find a way for them to be more involved.

 

[Art Eatman]

Back in my leasing days, it was mostly weekends. If the weather was at all cold, below 60, anyway, we'd field dress in the pasture, hang in camp for at most a day, and then skin and butcher at home. At most a four-hour drive. Never had any spoilage.