I just started cutting up my own this year , and I let it hang just long enough to gut and skin it and cut up the meat . I've had venison that was aged , and venison that wasn't , and I'd be hard pressed to say that I could tell the difference . Beef is hung to age mostly so that the rictus in the muscles can relax , and to allow the enzymes in the meat to break down the tissues to tenderize it . My wife and I mainly eat venison as roasts and stews , both of which are slow cooked and therefore already tenderized , so aging isn't that important to us .