Fletch NY

To answer the question you can eat it as soon as you can get a bite in your mouth. I would sugest a quick gut job and rinse out and hang with the body cavity propped open to cool off. I live in Northern climate so this can usually be done without too much headache. Once the body is cool go at it. Heck I know a couple guys that will be eating it as we cut it up. My self I like sliding it across the grill for a minute or two first. Of course all health regs will tell you to cook it to an internal temp of 160 to be completely safe. I would rather take my chances with dying than eating overcooked venison.

Up here our regular is to gut rinse and hang to cool asap. We leave the hide on to keep it from drying out. In southern temps the hide will have to go. We hang for a day or two or three depending on temps and time to butcher. 99% of people can not age meat the correct way to make any difference and 99% of deer do not need to be aged anyway. If you have meat taste issues your better off spending extra effort of quick cooling and clean and neat butchering practices. Contamination of meat while butchering be it hair or dirt or worse can make your meal not fit for the dogs. You can add bone meal to that list of contaminates also. That makes the meat just nasty. Bone your dear out.

Hope that helps.

geterdun2

you can eat it directly after the kill. i killed a doe last year and it was the first one of the yearfor my hunting buddy and i, as soon as i shot the thing, he heard my shotgun from across the mountain, he called me on my walkie talkie and i jus replied with "deer down" and next thing i know i heard the 4 wheeler coming to get the deer, and me as well lol. we all left our stands, went back to hunting camp, checked in deer, and then cut thoose backstraps out of it and had them right there. THEY WERE DELICIOUS, i cant think of another meet better than a backstrap. but to answer ur question, i beleive aging it for a few days helps, but its defintely good right out of the deer while the deer is still hot [&:]

KYDeerHunter03

Thanks, we had some tough buck meat this year and I think its because we didnt let it hang. This year if we get a buck I will let it hang and tender it up a bit.

And I am glad someone else out there knows how good the backstraps are. Some people out here dont even use them and it makes me sick.[X(]

rbduck

Sometimes we hang the deer for a few days and other times we butcher it the next day. We don`t have to worry about cooling the animal down as it is pretty cold here during most off the season. Archery is different asthe seasonstarts mid Aug.
We always leave the hide on until the butchering is started. The deer is completely deboned also. A big diffference in taste plus less room in taken up in your freezer.
We haven`t had a "bad" one yet. And yes, the tenderloins are usually the first to go.

Ron

geterdun2

amen

ranger56528

Ive allways have hung my deer by the back legs(mind thought)..when its still warm the blood will work its way to the neck and head"when its hot out".if I get a deer in late Nov or Dec its cold enoughto let it hang without useing Ice to help it cool down..
Washing out the chest cavity and and hind end is a giveme before I even get it in my garage.....
As soon as I hang it in the garage I take the hide off too the neck and cut the head offasp,its easier when its still somewhat warm...IMO...

jerseyhunter

I eat the tenderloins that night or the next. Cool em down and cook um up. I try to age the deer if the temp permits. If not I qtr it and put into fridge or freezer, as someone stated, it's easier to butcher and makes more professional looking cuts if the meat is partialy frozen. Also you can't grind warm meat.

midsouth_hunter

From my experiences I prefer to cool the meat downfor 24hrs at least. After cleaning the deer of all skin, gutting it and complte cleaning, and of course weather and temperature permitting,to hang it up for 12-24 hrs is better

1poppabear

How would you cool it down in 90 to 100 degree temps? I'm down here in Fla. My wifesaid to gut it and we'll get some ice and put it in the bathtub before we butcher it. I have no place to hang it outside and no garage. To hot to hang outside any way.

midsouth_hunter

I know what you mean 1poppabear, inthesituation asyou stated,you would have to improvise. Apply the logic to the situation. Anyway to get the meat cooled down but notfrozen.