I’ve tried many efferent ways in term of hanging time and to be honest, hanging for 10 days or not hanging at all I do t see any difference. It I like to get done with it ASAP so I’m done with it and can have my shop back lol! I have friends that curse me for not hanging, they say that my meat must not be that great…. I tell them what I just wrote and they still don’t believe me… but again they never tried it, they always hang and really think It is the way to go!! So too each there own i guess!!
Wild meat handling
- Thread starter Stw81
- Start date
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Wild game doesn't need to hang.
Cut is ASAP
Cut is ASAP
Funny thing, I've been beating this drum for about 8 - 10 years...that is how long I've known of this way of approaching game.
Til then I followed 'The Olden Ways' as prescribed by my father and his generation.
Actually visited with the owner down the road on it... did a complete 180 on the matter.
And one can slowly see the change come about...lots of people are doing it this way.
Internet means we have more info now... seems like it is slowly gaining ground against the old school 'Must be hung!' way of thinking.
Til then I followed 'The Olden Ways' as prescribed by my father and his generation.
Actually visited with the owner down the road on it... did a complete 180 on the matter.
And one can slowly see the change come about...lots of people are doing it this way.
Internet means we have more info now... seems like it is slowly gaining ground against the old school 'Must be hung!' way of thinking.
We've never had meat spoil, but have seen and smelled spoiled carcasses from other hunters. There is no question when the meat is bad.
We've butchered same day, and had meat hang in a cooler for 2+ weeks. Can't say there is much, or any difference. So it's usually butcher ASAP for us.
Our main priorities are to gut, clean and cool immediately.
We've butchered same day, and had meat hang in a cooler for 2+ weeks. Can't say there is much, or any difference. So it's usually butcher ASAP for us.
Our main priorities are to gut, clean and cool immediately.
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
tokguy - I am discovering the same - at least in Prairies - I think a lot influenced by how generations before handled fall butchering of farm's beef and pigs - was done every year - do not think they wanted to "chance" doing it wrong - although did not always have a lot of control. "Rules" just seemed to swung over and applied to game - some evidence these days, that there are fat layer and enzyme differences that got ignored.
Earlier posts about how the thing taken in first place - I agree. Drive into pasture - shoot a decent Angus steer in back leg and chase with half-ton for 1/2 day - not likely getting "premium" meat from that one, either. Clean quick kill, clean gutting, clean cooling and eventually skinning - clean meat cut (we prefer to remove all deer fat, "clear skin" connective tissue, tendon, etc.), then wrapped and into freezer so all of it freezes - not a big pile where centre does not freeze for days.
Sausage making even "worse" - I am quite sure some pork mix was being ground and had never actually yet got "cooled" - garlic, spices, smoking, etc. - seemed to end up just fine.
Earlier posts about how the thing taken in first place - I agree. Drive into pasture - shoot a decent Angus steer in back leg and chase with half-ton for 1/2 day - not likely getting "premium" meat from that one, either. Clean quick kill, clean gutting, clean cooling and eventually skinning - clean meat cut (we prefer to remove all deer fat, "clear skin" connective tissue, tendon, etc.), then wrapped and into freezer so all of it freezes - not a big pile where centre does not freeze for days.
Sausage making even "worse" - I am quite sure some pork mix was being ground and had never actually yet got "cooled" - garlic, spices, smoking, etc. - seemed to end up just fine.
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I process ASAP as well and very little of my venison tastes like it did when I was a kid. My father and his hunting partners still insist to age it, and his meat always has that wild taste. But he also loves liver. And there is no changing his mind. But when I give him some of my loin steaks he raves about how good that was, even cooked well done, cannot change his mind on that either. Sorry op kinda off topic but relevant.
I am on it... when I'm too old to entertain learning new things... take me for a long walk behind the barn.
We've bumped heads over other stuff, but I respect your attitude for the most part, and obviously your hunting experience. On the subject of hunting and meat aging I'm the noob-est of noobs - I've 'hunted' squirrels and rats in recent years but that's it, something over 400 rodents so far, establishing that I'm a good shot when it comes to turning off the lights with a base of the brain hit using a low-powered airgun. But I aspire to hunt ungulates and will likely do the CORE next year sometime, then head for the hills with some friends who have a lot of hunting experience.
Couple of questions; what do you think of this guy, apparently a very experienced processor of wild game, who is seemingly advocating for a month or so of controlled environment hanging up to the point of green mold coating the interior of the cavity?
And the other question I have which is off topic, is regarding glands. Do you have any strong feelings about which of the many glands in a deer are most imperative to remove, and how you go about that? Any resources to point to on this seemingly under-served topic? I've seen it dealt with in a few videos including one in the series of which the above aging video is part, but still don't feel like I have a solid grip on what's involved.
Hi Gerard,
I couldn't even bear to open that video it looked so sick.
See post # 15 above for my point of view. I'm in the gut it, skin it, cool it, cut it freeze it camp, but it might take two or three days so that is "aging" to a degree I guess.
Regarding glands, the deer have metatarsal glands on the outside of the lower leg and tarsal glands on the inside of the knee. Some guys get all overly concerned with slicing them off immediately on killing an animal to not get the meat stinky. Better not use the same knife to gut as you use to cut the glands off.
There are probably just as many opinions on "Glands on and "glands off" while field dressing as there are in the "Hang or not to hang debate."
The main thing (in my opinion) is to avoid the touching the tarsal glands when skinning out the inside of the back legs.
The video isn't that bad. The thumbnail the uploader chose is a bit spectacular... but that's not really representative of the whole conversation, which covers a range of options and of course the butcher's opinions on aging.
I just saw a video yesterday where Steve Rinella was being ever-so-careful carving away the metatarsal glands, then washing his hands and knife very, very thoroughly before continuing. Those seem daunting, but not excessively intimidating. What I'm more puzzled about are the various small internal glands, especially in the hindquarters. It seems almost that some who cut up deer ignore these entirely, while others take pains to excise them cleanly to discard, preventing meat flavour degradation.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Maybe is something to just do many dozens of times and find out that it really doesn't matter?? We skinned out the rear legs far enough to get the carcass hanging by tendons - avoided touching the glands inside the leg while doing that - skinned off and cut up without worrying about much more about it. Is probably a different thing to try to do your first one and have to rely on something like U-tube, versus doing 5 or 6 in the same evening, versus having done them for 50 plus years or so. Is okay to make mistakes - so long as you learn from that and make different mistakes the next time. Eventually, you get a sense that you might actually know what you are doing??
Freezer space was always short for us - so learned to basically "fillet" a deer - have not put bones in a freezer for many decades - separate the muscle groups - likely tossing the lymphs with the connective tissue and the tendon that gets scraped or skinned off. Can cut some muscles into nice "square-ish" roasts - most ends up being ground - used as ground meat or as sausage mix - we get nice beef if we want steaks - just about not possible to buy nearly 100% lean ground. Deer back straps get frozen in packages about 8 inches long - after remove that tendon like you take skin off a fish fillet - thaw out - cut about 3/4" thick and marinade - terrific BBQ things!!!
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Regarding that video posted above, something that people don’t quite get is the control environment, something that the average hunter can’t duplicate in there garage/shop!! And plus the faster you deal with it the less waste/trimming you have to do and the more meat you are putting in the freezer and for me it is all about the meat in the freezer and not about the trophy on the wall lol!
But best thing to do is experimenting, cut some right away, let some hang for some times and some to hang sometimes longer! Label properly and see if you can see the difference!! That way you will know for yourself!
But best thing to do is experimenting, cut some right away, let some hang for some times and some to hang sometimes longer! Label properly and see if you can see the difference!! That way you will know for yourself!
huntingfish
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Quebec City
Our butcher told us a sure way to verify if the meat is good or not.
If you suspect the meat isn't good, do a small incision and go check out the joint of the rear leg. If it has a turned green'ish, don't bother bringing it to your butcher. He'll charge you to toss it out. From what he told us, it's one of the first places to show signs when the meat is bad.
David
- Location
- Western Manitoba
As DGY says - can not precisely control everything and have to do your best, that time, with what you have, where you are, that Fall. I have a lot of experience with Prairie Deer - I am sure 90% of them was battle to keep from freezing solid versus getting them to cool. I have never done elk or moose in my garage - elk was done by a "pro" - moose meat that was given to us, I have no clue how it was done. But, I think is common to handle the big ones (elk and moose) more like a beef is cut up, as opposed to the way we filleted our deers (white tail and mulies). Not something that I have tried, so would be "new experience" for me. As if the fat on moose and elk is more palatable - I simply detest deer fat, so trim it ALL off.
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I have "Drive-in" garage in my basement that I have never used to park a vehicle. It has deep freezes, camping supplies and what not in it.
It previously had a thin uninsulated sheet metal garage door and was a very cool room. I have since removed that door and replaced it with an insulated wall with a regular door and the room is too warm for meat now, but when I got my first mainland deer shortly after moving into the house, I hung it from a stepladder in the room for a day or two until we butchered it.
Later on I got a Vancouver island cow elk and being unable to hang the enormous slabs of meat, we just laid it out on the cool basement floor and my wife and I hand butchered that whole carcass with knives, a hand meat saw and a meat grinder from Canadian Tire. Took us the better part of of four days and nothing went bad. And this was after shooting it on Vancouver Island one evening and leaving it out gutted and propped open overnight, skinning and cooling the next day and night and then cutting into chunks and driving to Vancouver on the next day.
It previously had a thin uninsulated sheet metal garage door and was a very cool room. I have since removed that door and replaced it with an insulated wall with a regular door and the room is too warm for meat now, but when I got my first mainland deer shortly after moving into the house, I hung it from a stepladder in the room for a day or two until we butchered it.
Later on I got a Vancouver island cow elk and being unable to hang the enormous slabs of meat, we just laid it out on the cool basement floor and my wife and I hand butchered that whole carcass with knives, a hand meat saw and a meat grinder from Canadian Tire. Took us the better part of of four days and nothing went bad. And this was after shooting it on Vancouver Island one evening and leaving it out gutted and propped open overnight, skinning and cooling the next day and night and then cutting into chunks and driving to Vancouver on the next day.
About 7 years ago we were on a Mule Deer hunt.
I was tagged out first.
My 3 deer were hanging over night and it froze hard...minus 3....
Over the the next 2 days the other guys tagged out....BUT temps had warmed up and it didnt freeze at night.
On way home it was Sunny and plus 18 degrees, which we did not expect on Nov.10?...
It was a freak warm spell.
My deer meat was 100% fine.
Some of the others had alot of spoilage because the meat never got that intiial "chill" to pull the heat out of the bones and meat.
Moral of the story...
IF your meat gets a nice good chill it can hang for a long time, keep it out of sun and fans on it.
IF my garage was 7 degrees I wouldnt hang for more than a few days ...
I also agree with Elk, Moose and Deer that it doesnt need to "age" like Beef.
I was tagged out first.
My 3 deer were hanging over night and it froze hard...minus 3....
Over the the next 2 days the other guys tagged out....BUT temps had warmed up and it didnt freeze at night.
On way home it was Sunny and plus 18 degrees, which we did not expect on Nov.10?...
It was a freak warm spell.
My deer meat was 100% fine.
Some of the others had alot of spoilage because the meat never got that intiial "chill" to pull the heat out of the bones and meat.
Moral of the story...
IF your meat gets a nice good chill it can hang for a long time, keep it out of sun and fans on it.
IF my garage was 7 degrees I wouldnt hang for more than a few days ...
I also agree with Elk, Moose and Deer that it doesnt need to "age" like Beef.
Per the Youtube thing; I've been very grateful for a lot of instructional content on a great number of subjects, from electronics repair, many sorts of metal work, software manipulations when changing to a new OS version on my phone or wrestling with my PC, cooking stuff, even work in my own profession, as the odd luthier posts extremely high level repair work there. Philosophical, sociological, psychological discussions and more, so much fascinating content on Youtube. And I learned how to easily and cleanly skin and gut a squirrel in under a minute from a friend of Steve Rinella's in this excellent short tutorial:
Doesn't make the job fool proof, but very close to it. Keeps hairs on the meat to an absolute minimum. Seems there are similar, or at least related methods for larger game, but I'll need to study more before attempting those.
Excellent thread guys. So much good information from experienced hunters.
Hey Gerald.
Thanks for coming forth with common ground. We are both on this forum so we can likely find common ground, LoL. Funny where we find it, eh?
The 1st frame of that video is off putting. If you look into 'Dry Aging beef' they advocate 30 days min...some push for 45 days... and they acknowledge that you have to cut off the mold.
I listened to that other fellow's suggested podcast. Hey, I'm just a fellow who hunts... I take in different opinions and theories and try to work things out as best I can... this is an alternative to 'Skinning Shed BS' anyhow.
The scientist they were interviewing seemed to be of the opinion that any time aged is good...but he also references how venison can be marbled... I think that is a corn fed thing upon reflection.
Not that many fields of corn locally... Semi-arid dessert here. Requires a ton of water to grow corn IIRC.
Short version... I can acknowledge that perhaps 3-4 day hanging can't hurt. Lots of sources recommend it irregardless... but lots against it as well. Locally we won't see marbled deer so if temps work...go for it. But should it be quite warm... fuggadaboutit.
The scientist whom the podcast spoke with stressed the unaware shot and prompt ( and clean ) dressing. But he did nay nay the immediate cold temps or freezing... uber tough if you do that.
I highly recommend giving the podcast a listen...bearing in mind that he is in the central US, so diet and climate are going to be different...hence the marbled venison reference.
But you are quite analytical... give it a listen and get back to us with your take on it.
Stay healthy and safe.
Tokguy ( ironically I don't even have a Tok anymore, LoL)
