Killed a groundhog today. Want to try cooking it up, but won't have time to skin and gut it until tomorrow. Until then, it's sitting in the bed of my truck. I assume a lot of wild meat trappers eat have been sitting outside for atleast a day or two before it gets cleaned and refrigerated, considering conibears kill instantly. But I here some hunters say you have to immediately clean and get the animal on ice or the meat will spoil quickly. Is it safe to eat if it sits in the bed of my truck for a day? I hate to be that hypochondriac on a wilderness living forum lol...

In Georgia? With these temps? Nah, I’d have to pass on that.
Did you trap it?

Yep. I throw some footholds for nuisance grounshogs around a lady's barn whenever I go to set my furbearer traps. Keeps her happy while I use the land. I figured it was too hot but figured I'd ask. I hate wasting the critters but I suppose buzzards and worms gotta eat too.

I saw you're from GA too. This has been one terrible season for trapping. Hot, wet, and muddy.

It’s actually been one of my best so far. But I’ve been jumping around to different properties. The first week or two on a new property are great, then it starts to fizzle out. On a place now that’s giving me fits. Got another week or two here then to my main place that will really humble you, lol. Thankful for these other places to build a little confidence.
I am tired of this rain though...every 3-4 days we get another 1-3” of rain. These next 5 days in a row of no rain is almost going to be a record, lol.

Toss It. No way I would eat It after what you said.

I have read of English people hanging un-drawn pheasants for a week or more, Of course beef is drawn before hanging but a couple weeks hanging at above freezing improves the flavor and tenderness. A deer hung for a week at about 40F after dressing will be much improved.
I doubt the woodchuck will hurt you at all, you do plan to cook it, yes?


ps; read this https://honest-food.net/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

It’s 70 degrees here and humid enough if it’s not actually raining it feels like it...eat it if you dare, lol.
Kill it, gut it, and throw it on ice...then yeah. Sitting in the back of a truck, ahh heck nah!

If you're heck-bent on eating it, then don't grind it, and cook the Saturday out of it, and you'll be alright! (Disclaimer) I'm NOT a scientist! Good luck!

I've decided to ditch it. I just feel guilty killing critters and not utilizing them... This is my first year trapping and I've wasted like over half the critters I've dispatched. On top of my new job and starting back school not allowing me to have time to work on furs, I don't have a lot of the storage and tools I need to be trapping also. Oh well, I guess this was a good learning season. Next season I'll have a goal to not waste and hopefully have a shed with a fleshing beam and deep freezer

Ghogs can begin to taint and turn belly green pretty fast in my experience. I would at least gut and rinse it out then refrigerate it until the next day.. Of course it depends upon your standards. I have seen some southern folks let them sit around for a day or so and eat em later so to speak. I would think it could begin to smell like sun ripened ghog during the cooking process.

You probably could....but why if you don't have to? Make a nice canine bait from it, then you didn't waste it.

I knew this old polish guy who would gut his ducks then place them In a nylon stocking and hung them out on the clothes line till the gutted opening turned green.
I never ate at his house.

I think that is how the Orientals prepare their Peking duck Beav. Add lots of sweet sour sauce it should all be good.

It'll buff out, all good

I think I would prefer eating a few day old ducks then eating pickled coon anal vents some were talking about a couple days ago.

hang them by their tails,, when they fall to the ground their about done haha

It is best to gut the animal as soon as you can and put in a cold to freeze area when you ready to skin and then cook. With the gas in the guts is what will spoil the meat..Some animals will spoil faster then others.

Ground hog is very good coyote bait ! Take an ax or sharp knife and put a hind quarter in a big deep dirt hole . Set a trap out front and a little to the left ( the only time I go left ) , put a little urine on your backing and wait !

Peking duck is gutted and very slow cooked. They want the skin crispy and the duck fat essentially sweated out. I’ve had it several times. It’s yummy!