Game Bag Question

[Are. M.]

So I have this surplus store bag that I turned inside out and made fancy that I then waterproofed with the proprietary blend of beeswax, mineral spirits, and boild linseed oil. I used it as my main shooting bag for a while, but have been using it mainly as a "bag of tricks" to hold everything from shooting supplies and small game to cold beer.

My question is this: How should I clean it after chucking the bloody corpses of tiny animals inside it? Soap and water? Club soda?
I feel like I should clean it after every prodictive daily hunt, but I'm not sure. Any input is welcome.

RM

 

[Ames]

Perhaps think about adding some game keepers on the outside. No more mess inside.

 

[FishDFly]

Sounds like a good plan.

Will let the little critters cool quicker also.

 

[Are. M.]

Thats a good idea. I'm not a big fan of free-swangin', brush-tuggin', blood-swirlin' critter cadaver, though.

RM

 

[Ames]

Stay out of the brush?
Seriously though, I use a hunting vest with a large game pouch on the back. End of the day toss it in the washer.

 

[Boomerang]

Ya I don't like hanging them on the outside either. They swing around and get blood everywhere. It might not be HC, but I just stick them in a plastic grocery bag before I put them in my leather bag.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

RM,

English game -bags have a net on the outside. Game is dropped in there where it stops bleeding and cools, then can be transferred to the inside.
A sponge out with soap and water will not hurt when the bag is soiled.
Trouble with a plastic bag, is that game can spoil really quickly.

 

[Ames]

Shoot them up here this time of year and they are already in a refrigerator.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Where are you Ames?
I'm central Alberta, west side a bit.

 

[Ames]

I'm in the middle of Maine. Toss the game on top of the snow for 5 minutes. Squirrel sickles.

 

[Art Caputo]

Cotton canvas bag or pouch. If soiled, hand or machine wash with warm soapy water/ dry.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

I'd probably just get a plastic pail and some kind of laundry soap in good warm water. Stir it around with a stick and let it soak. Shake it out and let it hang to dry.

 

[Bob McBride]

Here’s mine that goes with my Duprey Soddy squirrel rifle. Pouch and English style game bag by Joe Mills. A bit of soap and water and she’s ready to go again...

 

[Loyalist Dave]

How should I clean it after chucking the bloody corpses of tiny animals inside it?

Take a paper towel and soak it in Hydrogen Peroxide. This will destroy the blood, and get rid of other organisms left by the critters. The blood will foam, and you may need to wipe several times if the critters are particularly messy. Then follow with a paper towel damp with water and allow to air dry.

LD

 

[hanshi]

I'm in the middle of Maine. Toss the game on top of the snow for 5 minutes. Squirrel sickles.

As another hunter in Maine I can assure you that Ames is, if anything, being conservative. Brrrr!

 

[user 13896]

Don't wash it, just leave it be. You'll always be able to find it, the Little Woman will make you keep it in the barn (which is not a bad thing) and it'll keep the fair weather hunters out of your territory.

 

[Sam squanch]

Pukka bundook- is that your shooting hat on the chair there?

 

[tnlonghunter]

As another hunter in Maine I can assure you that Ames is, if anything, being conservative. Brrrr!

Maine is on my short list of places to retire to, when the time comes (like 100 years from now). Maybe by then global warning will make the winters feel like my native Tennessee!

 

[hanshi]

I'm a native Georgia Cracker and was born and bred in jungle heat & humidity; I was used to it. Maine certainly can be cold in the winter but the summers are delightful. It does snow frequently, for sure. But the deepest snow I've ever encountered was the winter of 2009/2010 in Virginia! The lower half of Maine, especially the SE part is not particularly snowy. Even now in December the normal high is in the mid to upper 30s, well below freezing. The motto says it all, "Maine, not as bad as Canada".

 

[tnlonghunter]

I'm a native Georgia Cracker and was born and bred in jungle heat & humidity; I was used to it. Maine certainly can be cold in the winter but the summers are delightful. It does snow frequently, for sure. But the deepest snow I've ever encountered was the winter of 2009/2010 in Virginia! The lower half of Maine, especially the SE part is not particularly snowy. Even now in December the normal high is in the mid to upper 30s, well below freezing. The motto says it all, "Maine, not as bad as Canada".

Good friends of ours from middle TN moved to the Rockport/Camden area. That's a little more high-priced than my preferences, but the summer when we have visited was amazing.

I moved to VA the year after that snow. There's been one more like that since then.