MZS

Sitting in water could do this. Frankly, I am not even a fan of washing out the deer, but will do so (if needed) with small amounts of cold water if it is hanging and I can dry it out quickly. My philosophy is that if the temp is over 45, I immediately quarter the deer after skinning, placing the large pieces in the freezer to chill. Then the next day I de-bone before it all freezes. If the temp is 40 or below, I let it hang and cool - and hang in the cool wind is even better. (From 40-45 I use judgement and the overnight forecast to decide) I de-bone, placing the de-boned meat back in the freezer to chill to near freezing, and wrap or take to a (trustworthy) processor. Use clean hands and tools too! My deer meat always turns out nice. Spoilage comes from heat + bacteria. If the deer is hanging, only the outside is exposed to bacteria and this outside is the coolest. If the deer soaks, then bacteria can go inside to the warmer areas. So leaving the deer soaking on the ground brings bacteria to the warmer inside areas and also prevents cooling.