Hanging deer

It's not the high temp......it's the low temp, the aging process stops when it's below '0'. The high temp is associated with bacterial growth etc.

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The most important part of that environment is temperature. Too cold, below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and the enzymes stop working. To warm, above 40 degree Fahrenheit, and bacteria multiplies rapidly, causing spoilage and leading to conditions that could very easily cause food poisoning. To properly age venison, the temperature needs to remain between this 32- and 40-degree temperature range, or at least very close to it.

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https://www.realtree.com/brow-tines-...ll%20reproduce.

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Originally Posted by sabmgb

my rule of thumb is 5C, make sure the belly is spread, keep out of sun and a breeze is nice don't skin until time to butcher. Skinned once the day before the butcher got there, boy was he pissed. The outside meat was all dry and he had to trim it all off. The butcher also said that deer didn't need to be aged as the meat is not marbled like beef.

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If you leave the hide on it you keep in a lot of heat and increase the rate of bacterial growth.

I skin everything out as soon as possible and I leave at least 24 hours for the meat to setup but ideally long enough to make sure that rigor is out of it, but this is in an insulated garage in the fall and or winter.

I do this with goats and deer and will do this for a young steer this winter too.

no matter where you go this topic comes up
ideally hanging inside a cooler is best ( I'm fortunate to have my own). in actual fact you can get away with temperature fluctuations as long and the shot wound is trimmed out and the animal is properly gutted and cleaned out
I've stopped excepting random guys deer, bear and moose to butcher because over 75% of what I've seen in recent years is not gutted or cared for in a proper manner.
It's every hunters responsibility to learn how to properly care for their game after you've harvested it

When I first joined the Hunt camp and they would hang deer for the week....no matter what the temps. The old guys said it was to 'Age' them... the reality was, they left them hanging for the guys from other camps to see the 'Racks.

No climate change back then, snow down and freezing cold. The 'ageing' enzymes that break up the muscle etc stopped working at '0' so nothing was accomplished and we had to skin them when they were frozen solid. Ahh, the good old days at camp HaHa.

Congrats on the nice deer.
I do not think You should vorry,6 C is perfectly fine.As long as the deer is not in the sun,not wet,clean and has air circulation-i am not telling you what to do,but even +10 C is ok.

I do not think You should age.Deer will be fine eating regardless.My buddy ages his deer,and the"smell"of the aged deer meat is a turn off for me.

You already skinned it-likely will not do this the next time.......I did it once,never again.
Good luck and let us know.

Congratulations on getting a nice buck! As for hanging the deer, Mike Pal has some good information. One reason to hang the animal is to get air circulating around it so that it cools quickly. To that end, it’s a good idea to open the the neck up to the jaw bone and remove the wind pipe, and crack open the pelvis.

The truth of the matter, unless you can age the animal at a constant 2-5 degree temperature (i.e. in a cooler), you won’t be accomplishing much. As Fox says, let the carcass cool and allow the meat to set up, then butcher away.

By the way, let’s hear the story.

Don't keep it in the sun and don't let the legs or head touch the floor. If you have to hang it head up and saw the bottom legs so they aren't hitting the floor. You'll be surprised how easily mice can climb up a leg lol.

We don't skin until the day or day before we butcher. 6° should be fine. Last year we had deer hanging for a week when it was over 10° during the day. Congrats on the buck.

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Originally Posted by Bowjob

We don't skin until the day or day before we butcher.

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Most deer that get shot here are in the afternoon....so it gets hung in the barn and skinned immediately, while it's still warm. I then let it hang overnight and butcher it in the morning.

If it's really cold (Dec ML season), I'll quarter the meat and put it inside the shop overnight so it doesn't freeze. Usually everything gets done in less than 24 hrs.

1. A butcher would never hang meat in an environment where the temp wasn’t constant.

2. No one would ever freeze and thaw a steak 3-4 times and expect it to be decent

IMO (and that of the butcher I had hunted 20 years with and processed a pile of deer with) the better process is as follows;

Hang 24 hours, skin on or off to let rigor pass. butcher completely then either dry age or bag age cuts in a fridge at constant temp (approx 4 degrees) for 3-7 days. For bag aging, drain the blood daily, for dry aging cover with parchment paper to prevent drying and drain blood from tray daily.


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Originally Posted by outdoorlife

1. A butcher would never hang meat in an environment where the temp wasn’t constant.

2. No one would ever freeze and thaw a steak 3-4 times and expect it to be decent

IMO (and that of the butcher I had hunted 20 years with and processed a pile of deer with) the better process is as follows;

Hang 24 hours, skin on or off to let rigor pass. butcher completely then either dry age or bag age cuts in a fridge at constant temp (approx 4 degrees) for 3-7 days. For bag aging, drain the blood daily, for dry aging cover with parchment paper to prevent drying and drain blood from tray daily.


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Exactly. Unless it’s too hot waiting for rigor to pass is preferred. If it’s warm butcher right away.

I always skin when they are warm it’s just so much easier

You guys who are convinced hanging is a good idea should take a hind quarter off right away and butcher it. Then compare to the same cut from the quarter you had hanging for a week.

You will quickly realize that it doesn’t improve the meat and you have much less loss of meat