How long....
 

Can a deer hang before it goes "bad"? I had a buddy ask me this... because he has been hanging a deer for about 2 weeks now. The temps are hovering around 10-15 degrees during the day with lows towards -10. The deer is pretty much a frozen chunk of meat, but the hide is still on. The deer is a 1.5 yr old buck if this makes a difference.

well, if its frozen, it will last fer quite awhile, usually guys let deer hang to let the rigor go away, but depending on the temps, it could be 4-8 days, but your not supposed to freeze it. personally, livin in texas, we dont get to let anything hang outside, have ta use a walk in cooler.

If it's froze it's not going to ruin in a week or 2.

I'd sure hate the job of skinning that deer! :(

Dan

made that mistake a couple of times and trust me it sucks.

sounds like it might be easier, but i'll take yall's word fer it.

Wow I bet thats going to be like skinning an ice cycle

I got away from hanging deer decades ago
 

When it's cold my taxidermist will let his deer hang for over 2 months if the temps stay cold enough. I would never do that but he says the meat is awesome when it hangs that long.

yeah, this is popular in NY...called aged i think, but kinda like dryin it.

2 months??? That's a long time to let a meat hang that has no marbleing in it.

It seems that it would begin to break down seriously in that time frame...even if it was kept cold.

that deer is froozen it won't go bad but with time will develope freezer burn wich is not tasty. dry aging it needs to be below 38 but above 32 with high humidity. anythig else is rotting with inviting bacteria.
aging will form a darker layer on the meat and will loose moisture making the the meat
a more concentrated flavor. the natural enzimes break down the meat fiber

Once it freezes, you might as well cut it up. Freezing and thawing is not a good thing. If it stays frozen, it will last just like if it was in your freezer, with the exception of drying out the outer meat (freezer burn).

I like to age my deer at least a week before I butcher them, but no more than 10 days. I keep them above freezing, but no more than 40 degrees for any extended time.

I agree with Burnie. I'd butcher it as soon as you can and get it properly packaged.

Here's my schedule

I usually follow these guidelines and never had a problem

65-70 degrees--24-36 hours
50 degrees--3-4 days
35-40 degrees--7-10 days

All depends on the humidity,if it's humid I go by the first if dry then the second.

I don't remember where I got this scale from but it was years ago and I do remember shaving off some time when I copied it to be on the safe side.

i dont think berni said anything like this, temps over 40 breed bacteria...you are storin your meat in a bacteria inferno for 5 or 6 days?