How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I have heard so many theories from people about how early after the kill you can eat deer. Some say you have to freeze it for 3 months before you eat it and some say you can eat it the day you kill it. Can somebody clear this up for me? Thanks

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Most should age for a few days, I've always chicken fried small pieces of neck meat the same day and had no problems. aging simply breaks down the fibers.
Dan

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

The backstraps are very tasty for supper after the kill. Lots of hunters eat those the same day of the kill. Thats usually the first thing that get eaten around here. So you can eat deer after it has been checked in...

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

You can eat it right after you kill it! I like to clean the animal right away, skin it,cut into major pieces and then put it in a fridge for a few days up to a week. This cold aging helps tenderize it. I then finish butchering it up and package for the freezer . It is also a lot easier to cut up when the meat is cold.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I always try to let it hang for about three days depending on the weather. I don't have a big cooller so I just hang in the garage. So weather temps play a roll for me on how long to hang. Cold weather longer hang time, warmer weather shorter hang time. As Big Guy said the longer it hangs the tenderer it gets. GL hope it helps ;)

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

How fast can you get the back strap out......Other then that I hang mine by the back legs for a day or two,if its early in the season and hot out I will put Ice bags/jugs in the chest cavity and wrap a tarp around it to keep it cool....Then quarter it up and then cut it up in the kitchen and wrap it,then into the frezer for later consumtion.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I would at least let it cool down.. if not it can have a bad taste to it. Letting the body heat out of it first is a big plus. If the weather allows I like to hang them for 3-5 days first. I do not care for a deer that has been cut up and frozen with the body heat still in them before freezing....

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Since we've begun processing our own venison, I don't recall the tenderloins making it to the freezer. If we get home late then they are consumed the next day. The tenderloins first then the backstraps. Then whatevery you want. The "tougher" the piece of meat the longer we usually let the age before freezing. We don't have the luxury of letting them age a few days without lots of ice in the cooler unless we're home and have the fridge.

It is kind of creepy to have the backstraps (of hogs) twitching in your hands.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I let my han atleast 2 days, and Ranger I would not hang my deer by the back legs, or put ice in it unless it wasn't that coldand still I see no reason, but I hang mine by the neck for 2-3 days after gutting, and washing out the inside with a garden hose, open up the chest good, and after those days I cut off the head legs, and skin it then we de-bone the whole deer and freeze it for a couple days and start eating after we let it sit another day in salt, water and vinegar this gets the game taste out of it, some processing plants screw you over by not doing this process it makes the meat taste hundred percent better.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I can understand what you are saying as the climate here is much different....Also the same here with the tenderloins but we still cool them down even if putting them in a fridge. Some have been known to cool the deer down by putting it in cold water as well. Water just doesn't do it for me. But if the weather is to warm quartering and placing in a fridge or cooler will get the body heat out of it.

Would you if a dog or coyote ate the hind quarters off from it? Or someone came along in the night and stole a hind quarter? It does happen in some places and here is one of them.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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 [&:]

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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(]

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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:D

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

amen

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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...

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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.:D

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

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.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

DO NOT wash your deer with water after field dressing! This may promote bacteria growth. Take your time during gutting and take everything from the throat to the anus out. I like to take the hide off and slip a game bag over it while the carcass is still warm. Prop chest cavity open and cool down as soon as possible and let hang for 5-6 days if weather is below 40 degrees

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

After skining I have quartered some and put in a spare fridge, a cooler with ice will work, just don't let the meat sit in the blood water. I like the tub idea. Makes for easy clean-up.:)

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

KYDeerHunter03,

Have you thought about building a small shed? I always cut the deer up and soakit in the tub with vinegar and waterfor a few hours before I freeze it. I always eat it the next day and its very tender. Could be a Louisiana thing.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

If you hunt them with a knife then you are halfway to the pit. Just keep them coals hot and ready. Tenders and backstraps don't get better then when someone is cooking next to the cleaning shed while your braking down the rest of the deer. Heck, you might even get someone to feed youwhile your hands are dirty. Kind of like cooking fish while some else is catching them. Doesn't get any fresher.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I bone mine out the day of the kill and sometimes have some that evening, since it doesn't go through rictus it's always been fairly tender. Freezing overnight will usually break down the tissues fairly well too, three months sounds a bit long though, the ice crystals that form in the cells break them down as soon as the meat freezes.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Deer meat can be eaten immediately after kill. But two butchers/meat inspectors taught me how to process deer. Skinkill as soon as possible. Weather permitting, let kill set up overnight. Do not age deer unless you can controll the temp at just above freezing. I use propane torch to get rid of stray hair. Bone the kill --- without cutting bones. Marrow is very fatty and spoils, even in freezer, when spread over meat with saw. Shrink-wrap, packaging according how it will be used: sausage trimmings, jerky, chops, etc. Freeze. Don't overcook wild meat (bear excepted, which can carry trichanosis like pork) medium rare steaks. Prolonged cooking just makes it tougher.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

When you say backtraps are you refuring to the ribs.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

No. Backstraps, or tenderloins as they are called around here, are two long but narrow sections of meat found on either side of the backbone that extend from the pelvis to almost the neck. Usually the premium meat on any animal (filet mignon on a cow:D)

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Of course you can eat it immediately after the kill. Do it quick enough and you don't have to heat it up...it is already steaming hot and juicy. Mmmmm fresh venison over a gut pile.:D:D:D

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

There is no need to wait any time at all. I often eat it the same day as its killed.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

The Tenderloins are the small strips of meat on the inside cavity or back bone down toward the hips. The Backstrap or Loins or Rib Eyes are the two large strips of meat running down the outside of the backbone. The Filet Mignot are the two medium strips on the inside of the backbone up in the rib cage. Here is a simple butchering page.
http://www.wideworldofhunting.com/cutsforbutchering.htm#E
Eric S. Stacy

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Kydeerhunter, do you think the Inidans let their meat age when they were hungry? Seriously though you can eat it the minute its down if you want to .

What happens if you hang the deer by it's back legs?

Not a blessed thing. Ever take a walk through a butcher shop walk in cooler? The animals are hung by the tendon in the hock of the hind legs, neck down. I don't know where some of this nonsense comes from but you do not need to soak you venison it in salt water or vinegar or buttermilk or any other cockamamie. My deer are hung by the hind legs for 6 or 7 days, because I like to age the meat, I think it tastes better and is more tender that way. However you do not have to do anything except take care of the carcass, butcher it and properly wrap it, preferably vacuum packed and it will be fine.

Old thread...

But I've had tenderloins cooking before I even had the skin off.... They might have still been quivering had I not cut them out.

Those typically go straight into the kitchen while I start skinning out the deer. The rest I let hang as long as temperatures cooperate


-Jake