Thanks for checking, Fload.
Another issue: How do you process a large kill in a reasonable manner?
I just went up against the dreaded Moose, and have spent 3 days without sleep (coffee) processing as much as possible, but a lot has been lost nevertheless.
What I’ve done (to allow people to point out better ways):
- Brought all the tools needed for butchering (replayed the encounter when I discovered that I needed a saw for the butchering).
- Brought a large backpack to be able to carry as much as possible back immediately (would a travois be a good complement in forests?).
- Full butchery, followed by loading up liver, fat, and some meat) (should probably have waited with the fat until after the meat).
- Went back to the “base” and stuffed everything into a minifridge.
- Dropped the combat gear and went back for more meat.
- Stored the meat in a minifridge, filling it, and moving the excess to the “main” minifridge.
- Went back for the last bits, stuffed it in fridges.
Repeat cycle:
8. Foie Gras on the liver for food when hungry.
9. Dehydrating 20 pieces of meat at a time using a dehydrator, replacing the battery between each set and dropping the spent one on a recharger.
10. Coffee when tired.
Repeating this until running out of battery power for the rehydrator due to darkness.
11. Converting fat into lard.
12. Finding that the extra minifridge didn’t have any power during the night (same vehicle as the recharger).
13. Once FINALLY out of meat to dry I made the mistake of starting a 20 batch of pemmican (that’s a 15 hour job, interrupted several times for food and drink).
14. Finding that the hides that didn’t fit into the secondary fridge started rotting, and so processed the ones that were still fresh.
15. Went to sleep and then finished the pemmican run.
I think a more sensible approach is to make 2 pemmican per batch rather than 20. There’s no batch saving, and the companion might be able to help (think he’s too poor at cooking, though). And then, rather than making pemmican for the next week, make one or two batches per day for as long as it lasts (I think the last batch of dried meat only had 1 out of 3 seasons left in it).
Much of the liver spoiled, and all the other intestines did as well. Is it even possible to process all of a large animal without access to freezers?