It all depends on the weather. I don't have a freezer to hang it in so if the weather is around 40 I'll let it hang for a few days. If its too hot I'll quarter it and throw it in a cooler for a couple days. I hunt far from home so skinning and butchering immediately isn't an option. Usually Id say I leta deer hand from 3 to 5 days and I've never had any complaints! I can't answer the poll question though because there's too many variables on how I treat my deer.