Merry Christmas ya'll,
I have a stupid question. Can you age deer meat after it has been butchered or does it have to hang? I shot my last doe for the season last night and my butcher said he had to process her today without letting her hang. I usually have him hang it for three to four days. I was wondering if I could let it age in the packages for a couple of days in the fridge before I freeze it. Any thoughts on this?
Have a safe and happy New Year.

I have no awnser for your question because I butcher my own deer. But why let them age and start to break down. The meat is great and tender as it is as long as you dont over cook it espiecally with a doe. Sorry I cant help you with your question.

I wouldn't try to age it once wrapped. It'll sit there with the blood all draining and then it'll lay in it. Once it's wrapped up tight, freeze it. I debone mine and age it on trays in the fridge with absorbtion pads under it for 3 or 4 days, but that's before it's wrapped.

i doubt it would do much aging wrapped up in the fridge i wouldn't worry about it it should be fine without aging i have only aged one deer to date and have never really noticed any difference between the aged and non aged deer

I quarter mine,put it in white garbage bags and put it in a fridge at 34 degrees for up to 4 weeks(depending on the age of the deer).Then I cut it up,wrap it, and freeze it.
Don't age it if its wrapped.

Deer doesn't benefit from aging like beef does as there is no fat in the meat. This is why I do my deer when they are warm and easy to skin and boneout. The secret to making deer taste really good is to soak the meat inthe fridge in salt water for 4-5 days dumping the salty, bloody water off every day and replacing with clean salt water. The salt water draws the blood out of deer and by doing so draws the "gamey" taste out of it.

Hey ya'll,
Thanks for the advice. I talked to the butcher and he did hang it for 36 hrs. He said the meat smelled real good and he thought it wouldn't matter. Guess thats the benifit of shooting corn fed deer here in the midwest.
Ya'll have a merry Christmas and a safe happy New Year'
Ralph AKA- 2footroper

soaking meat only takes the wild taste away ,and does nothing else but ask for bacteria to form. some say deer is more tenderer if froze within the first six hours.

if you don't like the wild taste of deer ,kill a cow......

When my sister can't hang the deer she completely butchers it and leaves it in coolers on ice. She uses two large fishing coolers and layers the meat with ice initially, draining the coolers and adding more ice for up to two weeks then grinds it to make her sausage, burgers etc. She does all of her own and won't let anyone else touch her deer. She swears by aging the meat before packaging it, and it tastes milder than any cow you'll find.

Boy, we sure have a lot of different opinions on this subject. I do age mine and I think it helps.3 to 6 days depending on the temp. We never butcher until it has coled out. I will also debone the meat and put in large stainless steel pots with lids and keep in the refridgerator to age.I guess it's what works for you.