I drop the guts ASAP to start the cooling process and obviously to remove any matter that may have been distrubed by the shot. Equally I like the hide off as soon as possible, usually not until I am at location it can be hung and free from dust, etc. If it is warm outside you have less time to perform each process. If the animal can not be hung where the temperature can be maintainedat no higher than the 40's, I will debone or quarter then place in a fridge or on ice to ensure it is adequately cooled and no loss. One of the toughest things is cooling the entire carcass down, so the use of stick to open the chest cavity or frozen milk jugs inside the cavity can help in this regard.

Handling and care of your game is the single biggest factor to meat quality. Unfortunately it has many facets such as: clean harvest, cooling of the carcass in a timely fashion, handling of the carcass, removal of any stomach or intestinethat may have been distrubed, cleanknive/saw/etcand care when butchering (removal of hair, silverskin and fat).