Hanging your deer

StiffDrink

StiffDrink

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Hey guys


So this next year will be my second season hunting, and a thought occured, it was cold last year when I got my deer, so there was no thoughts or worries about hanging it for a week, but what about earlier in the season when its warm. I plan on starting the season with black powder, and expect temperatures to still be quite warm if I am lucky enough to bag something. Any thoughts on hang times if at all in the plus temperatures? Especially in a warm shed. How long for meat to go rancid in +10-+15 range, hours? A day or 2? Or should I just process the whole thing right away. Thanks guys.
 
I have a game crane for my truck so I get my deer to the truck immediately or vice versa and skin and gut my deer right there. After thats done I drive home and debone it hanging right there and put it in large stainless steel bowls and put it all in the spare fridge. It cools quickly and doesn't freeze so its easy to work with. If you skin it before you gut it you don't have hair all over the meat either.
 
I have tried aging deer anywhere from 1 day up to 3 weeks and to tell you the truth the only difference i found is I had a lot more scrap from the ones that hung the longest. I also find that the longer you hang a deer the gamier it tastes. Let it hang a day or 2 (rigour mortis doesn't last more than 24 hours in deer). Even in late august it should be safe hanging it in the garage out of the sun for a day or so(i haven't got sick from it yet anyway).

The important thing is that you let the meat go into rigour mortis and come back out of it. If you butcher it and freeze it while rigour mortis is set in you will be guaranteed to have crap meat, but aging it more than a couple of days isn't worth the hassle with venison.
 
I concur that deer does not need to be hung more than a few days. I have had to cut and wrap deer 2 days after shooting it and found that it was fine. I believe the important thing is to cool the meat off as quickly as possible.
 
I used to hang my deer for a week on average but I was finding that there were risks. Bugs, mice, cats, dogs, too warm, too cold, etc. I currently skin and quarter my deer in the same day all the time. If I harvest the animal in the morning I usually completely butcher it and have it in the fridge/freezer before the day is done. I find the taste is as good or better than any hung deer.
 
#1 - Skin it out as soon as possible.
We hang them till we cut on Friday. So some hang for 4 days and some hang 5hrs! We have 2 OLD window air conditioners for the really warm years.
 
Your best bet for early season hunting is to find a semi professional cutter who has a cooler where you can hang your deer at 4c for a few days.
Cool and dry being the key to good meet prep.
 
I usually let it hang up to a week, providing its cool enough outside. If its a warm spell above 40f I'll get it into a cold room or have it cut & wrapped. I also take the hide off as soon as possible, it helps the meat cool a lot quicker, and the skin comes off so much easier when the animal is still warm.
 
You cannot hang deer for very long in warm weather, a few hours and they will start to turn especially if the hide is still on. I know several guys that use A/C units to cool down their garages for hanging, but your best bet is to debone and refrigerate the meat.
 
If it was that warm I'd be getting it to a butcher ASAP. Preferably the same day I shot it. Would you eat steak you left sitting out for 3 days in 10C?

Theres no point in worrying about aging if it goes rancid.
 
blasted_saber said:
If it was that warm I'd be getting it to a butcher ASAP. Preferably the same day I shot it. Would you eat steak you left sitting out for 3 days in 10C?

Theres no point in worrying about aging if it goes rancid.
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I agree.
If the temp gets above 7-8 degrees as a high, we take it to meat locker.
Just keep it out of the sun and cold to the touch and you will be fine.

Always have a back up plan if the weather turns
 
I don't hang any wild game more than overnight.

I ate the tenderloin out of my Cape Buffalo the evening after I shot it (less than 6 hours) and it was one of the most tender cuts I have ever eaten. Given that we turn domestic bulls into bologna I was amazed that a 8 year old cape buffalo bull that works pretty hard to make a living, could taste that good and be that tender.
 
Venison doesn't benefit from aging like beef, neither does pork. IMO the best venison I've harvested are the ones that get cleaned, skinned and cooled down the fastest.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
x 2

Now, trying to convince people who are stuck in their ways is another story.
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Indeed!

Clean and cooled down fast trumps about anything else you might want to do with your food.

Resist the urge to plonk the carcass into a creek or lake to cool it too. Every guy that I ever spoke to that did so, had sand in every mouthful of venison or moose meat. Blech!

I have resisted the urge to shoot deer in the early season if the temperatures are too warm. In a couple cases, I have taken carcasses in to the butcher while they were still twitching, just to get them cooled off as fast as possible. Lots to be said for having a freezer and genset on the trailer when you gout out in the bush for a week or two of moose hunt too. Have a plan!
A couple sheets of plywood and a window A/C unit can work too.

Most deer can be fitted into a fridge if you work smart and strip the meat off the bones. Big cuts of meat, and a couple salad bowls, eh?

Cheers
Trev
 
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kennymo said:
Venison doesn't benefit from aging like beef, neither does pork. IMO the best venison I've harvested are the ones that get cleaned, skinned and cooled down the fastest.
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I agree! In the early years, we had a book on how to do it, it turned out to be total B.S.! It said to keep the skin on until the day you are going to butcher it (to keep the dust off the meat). Totally wrong! It said to let it age as long as possible. Totally wrong! We gut it on site, put a rib spreader across the ribs to let the heat out, throw lots of snow in the cavity (if available). If the garden hose ain't froze, we hose the cavity out as soon as we get home which helps to cool it more and washes away the blood and crap and then hang it. My oldest son & I put the gear away and the Kid usually gets the call to skin it asap. He's got the most Indian blood in him it seems and is a natural for the job, very quick he is! Then depending on what time of the day it is, but in most cases, we open the Bar and celebrate! That evening we have a nice meal on the back straps. Butchering is first thing the next morning right after breakfast. Cut, grind and vac pak, and into the freezer.
 
We always keep a few bags of ice handy in the freezer at the farm, just in case I actually get one with a bow one of these years. Cool down is key, the other thing that I thought made a big deal is when I switched from old fashioned butchering to deboning. The first deer I boned out a few years ago wound up melting in your mouth like a stick of butter. Not so much for the 5x5 the following year, but it wasn't too shabby for a horny ol' buck...
 
StiffDrink said:
Hey guys


So this next year will be my second season hunting, and a thought occured, it was cold last year when I got my deer, so there was no thoughts or worries about hanging it for a week, but what about earlier in the season when its warm. I plan on starting the season with black powder, and expect temperatures to still be quite warm if I am lucky enough to bag something. Any thoughts on hang times if at all in the plus temperatures? Especially in a warm shed. How long for meat to go rancid in +10-+15 range, hours? A day or 2? Or should I just process the whole thing right away. Thanks guys.
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Let it hang in the butchers cooler as long as needed.
If you're cutting your own meat on your second year, you're a better man than I, and tip my hat to you sir!
 
I don't think it needs to be aged, therefore the sooner it's cut warped and frozen the better. I have got home and butchered until 3am then gone to work the next day.
 
Man I can't believe you guys don't age meat. It takes a few days for rigor to fall away. Bet you guys all think macDonalds is tasty too ;-)

tenderloin and loins don't need to be aged the rest should be aged but only if temps don't get above 40 F. I don't know what that is in degrees C for the pepsi generation
 
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