Thanks for the informative replies provided on the previous field care discussion.
Wondering about the possibility of negating the need to transport salt afield at all on trips that extend to 7-10 days. As mentioned before, packing light is extremely important for us Alaska hunters, as fly-ins are costly and weight restrictive. Anyway, while doing some pH research and testing on maggot development and bacterial growth related to wild game meat, I learned the narrow margins of pH that allow these elements to exist. For example, flies require a certain surface pH and moisture percentage for maggot hatches. And even when moisture levels are copious, without an ideal pH level maggots cannot exist. I strongly suspect the same is true about bacteria, as you may likely know.
Since maggots will not develop on surfaces with pH 5.5 and lower and most bacteria is unable to thrive with ph 5.0 and lower, is moisture that huge a concern initially, if one could balance the pH of one's cape surface at pH 4.0 to 4.5?
Seems logical that by doing this might eliminate the intitial requirement to apply salt. Of course, the hunter would be able to apply salt and dry his or her cape immediately once out of the field and before taxidermy drop off.
As with any new idea, critics are expected. This question is merely for the sake of further knowledge, so please go easy on me...
Larry
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What substance do you intend to use?
I figured a satellite phone would work on the North Slope with the technology the way it was. I'm sure glad the salesman bothered explaining the facts to me before I wasted that money.
Now as for you, there are plenty of things that might perform your magic on the pH of the hide, but your bush pilot probably won't be very happy with having them on board. He'll tolerate a whole lot of salt before he'd want acid on his plane I'm sure.
IN MY OPINION, most people oversalt a hide to begin with. An average caribou could be salted sufficiently with 4 - 1 pound boxes of commercial table salt. Just plan on wearing your underwear 3 or 4 days in a row and save that weight for salt.
I have never tried it myself, But i know people who swear it works, i haven't had a chance to view the cape before it got tanned, but I did see the finished product, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. But george made a great point, it doesn't pay to over salt, it just wastes salt.good luck.
I use citric acid (common food preservative) in commercial strength to adjust surface pH levels on wild game meat. The target range for my tests suggest a pH of less than 5.0 will prevent bacterial, mold, and maggot development in the field environment.
I agree with you about how much salt is actually required to obtain optimal results, with trained cape care providers. The "average" hunter needs double or triple the volume of salt to obtain optimal results. This is largely due, from my experience, to insufficient fleshing prior to applying salt.
So, since my audience is the average hunter, just tossing around some food for thought. I'll likely run a simple field study with various applications and post my results here for the sake of conversation.
Thanks much for each of your replies.
Larry
You will have your hands full with all the possibilties that may work for your situation, and to put them into a package suitable to every hunter.Now if it is a product that might help even say "whitetail hunters", usually the '"average hunter"... not to be rude, but hanging the deer on the post to freeze for a week before bringing it in.. or nursing his hangover,..if it would influence this then I think it would be a great product indeed.
There are also the spec-ops medivac kits with the dry ice for body parts, but kind of pricey... just more ideas.