question

I think the answers you receive will be all over the map. Obviously if it's warm the deer will probably need to be butchered soon. At cool temperatures, I think it's personal preference. I got into deer hunting last year and aged my deer five days(@4 C)....and it was quite tender. I aged the tenderloins and back legs eight or nine days(@2 C) this year....tastes even better.
 
I used to make my living cutting meat, and aging meat is very important for a good end product. I age a deer for a week at just above freezing, and if it is too mild I will take it to a butchers cooler and rent space. They only charge me $10-$20 for the week.
 
We leave the hide on as well, partly because we hang outdoors. Keeps the meat clean, the snow, pine needles, or bugs off, and keeps it moist. It's not that hard to skin, even after a week and a half.
If it were really warm, I'd take the hide off, let it hang over night, and do the cutting in the morning, or when the meat started to warm again. Once the meat is cooled, you can get away with a short period of warmth, as long as it's not in full sun. We hang under some big spruce.
Another trick, to let it hang a bit longer is to jam a bag of ice or two in the cavity.
Remember, it's the meat temp you are watching, not the ambient temp.
 
When I asked hunter/butcher that question he told me upto one week at temp near zero Celsius is best for meat.
 
I have taken mature deer when it has been warm out. I empty the beer fridge out :eek:, and let the de-boned meat age on the racks for a week or so. I put a layer of tinfoil and newspaper at the bottom, to catch any blood drippings. Works great....other than the warm beer;)

This also works in really cold weather also, where the carcass could freeze solid.
 
cdnred said:
well we aged them 3 weeks in the garage, had steaks tonight delicious!
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As long as it did not get too warm in there for the 3 weeks, above 33-35 F,
then you should be good to go.

You will find out that answer if you are running to the can 20 minutes after eating.

I hang mine in the garage for 5-7 days, no problems. Enjoy.
 
Im a butcher by trade also and agree with "levi Garrett" and "Snowshoes " posts. I will point out that only because of the temp and the fact that the hide is left on in "levi Garrtt's" post I would agree with him. Deer for the most part lack the overall fat coverage that protects the meat from spoiling. That is where the hide on is helping.

The fat coverage is what allows mature fat beef to be hung much longer than lean veal. Veal starts to spoil much sooner due to lack of fat coverage. For the same reason lamb and goats don't hang long.

If you want to dramatically change the taste of wild game (Deer in particular) have your butcher do the entire animal boneless. The bone in a prime rib of beef adds a beautiful flavour to the meat.

In wild game it makes the game wilder, I have seen many people that swore they didn't like deer meat and said that they would not try it again , try it in the boneless form and did enjoy it as it tasted milder.

Food for thought...... ha ha , I made a pun !

Cheers
 
roccoskeet said:
If you want to dramatically change the taste of wild game (Deer in particular) have your butcher do the entire animal boneless. The bone in a prime rib of beef adds a beautiful flavour to the meat.

In wild game it makes the game wilder, I have seen many people that swore they didn't like deer meat and said that they would not try it again , try it in the boneless form and did enjoy it as it tasted milder.
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Best advice so far. As for time..... I have a buck'sicle in my shed right now. Been frozen solid since November 30th. I am hoping it may thaw out before new years!
 
I hung a buck for 14 days this season and butchered a mulie fawn buck the day after shooting it. In the first case, I wanted tender, flavorful boneless cuts and in the second I wanted a lot of cuts on the bone (ribs, saddle, shanks etc.). Both deer are excellent eating with the buck having a nice deep rich meaty flavor and the fawn buck eating more like really good lamb.
 
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