Laurie (Thayer) Pidgeon Bags A 540 Pound Moose

[Henry]

HI Henry

Here are some pictures of my daughter Laurie's moose.  It weighed 540lb.

Cathy Thayer

[Mike Raburn]

THAT IS INSANE!
Nice job Laurie!!!!

IS that a cow Moose?

I do not see any spikes.

Serious question here, why do you all East Coasters hang them up for display?
I have never seen that before.
This is not a loaded question.

[cedarman]

I'm not sure about the "hanging up for display" side of the question, but allowing them to hang for a couple of days improves meat quality - just like for beef.  I think for most people, it might be a little bit of bragging rights, and also a matter of not having a large enough or high enough space inside to hang large game, not to mention most people don't have an indoor cooler to hang meat in. 

We fixed up our old woodshed a bit so we could hang sides of beef and large game "indoors" (sort off).  It's still open to the chilly fall air, but out of the snow, rain, and sight of neighbors.  Who really wants to see a side of beef hanging to age anyway.

[Mike Raburn]

Cedarman,

I do understand the air drying and curing of the meat part.
SO I guess these pics were taken prior to the skinning, I just wasn't thinking of the other part of neighbors and all. 

3 weeks ago a co-workeR got a spike bull and he had almost the similar pictures you did AND he IS from the East Coast.

I have just never seen that, even hunting with mY Dad when we got animals.

[Cat]

I don't know if it was this moose or not but, my daughter told me that they were riding home on the school bus this week & all the kids saw a moose hanging dead outside someones house.

Some of the kids were not so excited about it.

[Mike Raburn]

I have to ask, Not so excited about what?

[Mike Raburn]

By the way.

I like Bald Eagle AND Spotted Owl on a Wasabi glaze....

Um UM!

[Cat]

I have to ask, Not so excited about what?

Seeing the moose dead & hung up. Not everyone is a hunter.

[woodstoves2]

Not everybody is a hunter, but we all eat.

[Formerflatlander]

At least Laurie has the satisfaction of knowing where her pot roast came from.

[Loctavious]

Yeah - i know the house you're talking Cat - i remember one time when my daughter was in 2nd grade how the house right across from the HS sideof thw school had A huge Buck gutted and hanging there.... twirling in the wind so you could see inside.

[cedarman]

I recently found out a neighbor of mine in northern fairfax got a moose last week (or the week before) also.  I think it was 656 lbs.

As far as hanging and curing.  I only know what I've read about for my own beef.  From studies I've read on beef quality, the best quality of beef is achieved by hanging beef for 5-7 days in a cooler at 35 to 38 degrees F with 80% or higher humidity.  I think the humidity part is to minimize beef losses to drying since beef is almost always hung without the skin.   I've been told beef is MUCH harder to skin after it cools.  I don't know if that is the same with moose or deer, but I suspect if the meet is hanging outside where there is no control over humidity, leaving the hide on probably helps protect from losses due to drying since humidity is typically low when it is cold out.

As unpleasent as it is to see a dead animal hanging, I'm sure it is easy for people to see the animal WITH it's hide than without.

[Henry]

Well, I will throw in my two cents as to hanging beef.  My Dad used to butcher his beef when the weather got cold, usually December and they would skin it and let it hang in the barn floor (The entrance over the cow barn where you drove in to unload the hay).  For some reason, he would let it hang for 9 days, supposedly to age it.

[mkr]

Congratulations to Laurie!  This will surely help feed her family this winter. 

Also, I am not offended in any way.

[cassyt]

Sorry if we affended anyone but we did have to hang it up so it wouldn't spoil will tell the guys to keep the thanksgiving turkey out of site when they get them ready.