Hot in October
 

Most places it is still pretty warm opening day of bow season.

Last year I took my doe in to get processed by 10am opening morning.
This year I'm not sure I want to shell out the $70.

So..... What do you guys do with your deer opening season?
Send it to the processor or butcher it yourself???

For those that butcher themselves - Do you have air conditioners in your garage for hanging the deer, use a modified refridgerator, use a friends walk in cooler??? How do you keep your deer cool for hangin?

RE: Hot in October
 

and for that matter how long do you hang it for? this is a good question i also wondered about.

good question Hazcon7. :D

RE: Hot in October
 

Just quarter them and put them in a cooler full of ice. I am from the south (hot) and that is what we have done for the last 30 years. They will stay in a cooler full of ice water for several days. Not to mention it soaks out a lot of the blood.

RE: Hot in October
 

I do it the same way as silentassassin. 1.Kill 2.check-in 3.skin 4.quarter 5.put in ice filled cooler for 3-7 days 6.debone. I haven't found the need to hang a deer. I can work hard for 5 hours and save the $70-$100 and buy new hunting equiptment for the next season.;)

RE: Hot in October
 

I typically start butchering the first nite. After I shoot, I either quarter and put in a refrig in the garage, or on ice. I butcher on my wife's counter. She really must love me.

RE: Hot in October
 

What these guys have said is great, but if for some reason you can't butcher that night......getting the hide off is key. The faster you can get that meat cooling the better off you are. Skinning out a warm deer is very easy to do. Just get someone to help you hang it up and always have a sharp knife handy. Just make sure you decide if you going to mount the buck before you start skinning. You'll need to somewhat cape it out. Good luck!!

RE: Hot in October
 

ditto silent

RE: Hot in October
 

Cooler of ice is what I've done in the past but you lose a lot of meat from only quartering it.


Did I mention - I'm allergic to deer fur - God's little joke for me!!!

RE: Hot in October
 

I just call in sick the next day and do the deed. If it's extremely warm I'll quarter and ice but I live in Maine and hot is not the rule. Usually letting it hang over night isn't a problem.

RE: Hot in October
 

I also quarter them and put in a cooler. The only meat I lost was the ribs, and although my deer last year was pretty small, I didn't lose much. It worked quite well

RE: Hot in October
 

mobowhuntr - what did you do with the neck? put it in the cooler too then? Don't the roasts come out of the neck?

RE: Hot in October
 

A spare fridge helps. I use the freezer in a pinch but you need to finish it all right away. I do it in cycles. Half hour in, twenty minutes out then back in. I also trim down my quaters a bit and use the crisper in the kicthen fridge to store them. I use all of the above methods with good success. It's a juggling act but sure beats having to pay someone to do it.

RE: Hot in October
 

In october here can get seasonably warm as well,but the evenings and nights are sure to drop in temp.I would hang one in a shed and have it hang there for at least 3 days before i skin it out and butcher it myself.Back in 98 i got one on opening day,it was real warm so i skined it out that day,quartered it and put in a big freezer.:)

RE: Hot in October
 

Yep. Put it in the cooler with everything else. Like I said, it was a young'en.

Pretty sure the roast comes from the rump. Anyway, other than the backstraps, I cut the rest up and made sausage.

RE: Hot in October
 

I do the cooler thing too. I drain it on a regular basis to get the blood out. If it is realy warm outside I will put a couple bags of ice in the cavity till I get home. The money I saved on one deer allowed me to buy a grinder, so the rest is just gravy. I do mine on the wifes counter too but she doesnt seem to mind with all the money she saves at the supermarket.

RE: Hot in October
 

This may be a stupid question, but do you get all 4 quarters in the cooler? Maybe I just need a bigger cooler.

RE: Hot in October
 

Back to the refrigerator, you can also pick up a used one for about 50 dollars and then remove all of the shelves and modifiy it so you can hang a deer. You then skin the deer, remove the head and let it hang for a couple three days in the fridge before butchering it.

RE: Hot in October
 

Now thats more like what I was thinking about trying. Do you do this?

RE: Hot in October
 

skin it cut the bottom legs off, and throw in the deep freeze, till i can get to it.

RE: Hot in October
 

Skin, bone, put on trays and in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Yeh, it does get crowded, but with only two of us in the house it works. I fold up a glob of paper towels and put in the bottom of the trays to absorb the blood. On top of the paper towels I put a layer of wax paper that I've cut a bunch of slits in to allow the blood to migrate under the wax paper to the paper towels. I cover the whole deal with saran wrap to keep it from absorbing stink from the fridge and drying out.