i live and hunt in wisconsin so it is usually cool enough to let my deer hang for 2-3 days before i skin and butcher it..but if i get a deer early in the season it might have to be cut up asap...it seems that every deer i've cut up asap the meat was usually tougher then a deer i let hang..even a yearling was tougher than a 3 1/2 10 pointer i got and let hang...hanging them makes them more tender..all the blood i able to run out of the meat.