I have heard of people handing deer for up to 28 days in temps below 40. We typically try to let them hand for 5-7 basically, depending on the weather. This past season I took my first bow kill, weather was in the 50s during the day, shot it near sunset. So we let it hand overnight in the 30s and butchered it the next morning. Tastes as good as the doe last year that hung for 4 days in the 30s. I am no expert, my plan is to always cool the meat down as fast as possible after the kill and after that I hope to get the blood out by hanging it, and the rest depends on the weather.

--Jim