hanging a deer

Genset, window A/C unit, and a couple sheets of plywood, and you have the makin's of a nice cool spot to hang a deer when it's hot out.

Or you can hold off actually shooting one, until it's fit weather to keep it cool.

Cheers
Trev
 
I've hunted in early September before. What we did was hang the deer up with a butcher's gambrel to gut, skin, and quarter them. We found hanging it while working on it allows a lot of blood to drain. Take along a couple large (50L) extreme coolers, the kind that can keep ice solid for five days, with some ice inside. After the game is quartered, put the parts into plastic bags then into the coolers. These coolers will hold you over until you get them to a freezer. I've had some mighty fine venison steaks from those deer, a lot better than anything from a supermarket. :)
 
for animals as small as deer, I think that aging is overrated. What is far, far, far more important is how you dress the animal in the field. Get the guts out ASAP - before you move the carcass! Then hang it and take off the hide as soon as you possibly can. If 20C is the coolest you can manage, I'd be thinking about butchering the carcass within 2 or 3 days at most. The meat itself actually lasts a while at these temps: if kept *dry* the surface will dry and harden, and keep most of the insects out. I don't think it's spoilage that you need to be most concerned about, but the fact that the texture will start to suffer, and you'll end up with mushy grey steaks

I've butchered and packaged meat before it even went into rigor - it was just fine, although the cuts looked a little funny after frozen and then thawed - jagged surfaces, like it was cut up with a chainsaw. Otherwise they were fine
 
I travelled through eastern Africa many moons ago and saw many little sheds which were just screened in. Thats where the beef was hung. No cooling, just airflow and the screens to keep the flys off it.

It sure wasn't 20 Celcius there, either.
Handling it properly and keeping airflow and bugs off are vital. But pay attention to that, and you can buy yourself a few days.
 
prosper said:
for animals as small as deer, I think that aging is overrated. What is far, far, far more important is how you dress the animal in the field. Get the guts out ASAP - before you move the carcass! Then hang it and take off the hide as soon as you possibly can. If 20C is the coolest you can manage, I'd be thinking about butchering the carcass within 2 or 3 days at most. The meat itself actually lasts a while at these temps: if kept *dry* the surface will dry and harden, and keep most of the insects out. I don't think it's spoilage that you need to be most concerned about, but the fact that the texture will start to suffer, and you'll end up with mushy grey steaks

I've butchered and packaged meat before it even went into rigor - it was just fine, although the cuts looked a little funny after frozen and then thawed - jagged surfaces, like it was cut up with a chainsaw. Otherwise they were fine
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We gut em where they drop, go back to the same watch the next day, do a run and drop another one right on top the day befores gut pile ;)
 
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