I used to soak my rabbits and squirrels overnight in saltwater, until my uncle told me that the salt in saltwater --- does not help in drawing any blood out of bloodshot meat --- so now I just soak them in a pot of water overnight.
When you hang a deer carcass up to age it some --- try to keep the body cavity from being soaked with water --- but I would pat dry or drain the body cavity, if I had to drag a deer carcass across a clean stream.