It is always imperative to use caution when hunting, even after a successful trip. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources wants to make sure animals taken for food are properly handled and processed.

Hunters should make plans with lockers or other processing facilities before they hunt if they intend not to process meat themselves. Hunters should also plan on taking their game to the facility as soon as possible to preserve freshness. The DNR also suggests field dressing the game within a half-hour of death. Hunters should use disposable gloves and clean utensils to keep the meat clean and prevent disease. Hunters who prefer to debone the animal themselves should use food-safe containers for storage and transport. The DNR recommends clear “zipper-lock” style bags and avoid  using plastic garbage bags.

Iowa law allows lawfully taken game carcasses and waste to be disposed with other residential waste, although individual waste collection agencies may have some restrictions. The waste should be sealed in plastic bags in lots similar to other residential waste. Dumping animal waste in a ditch or on public property is not allowed and hunters can be cited.