My game meat , elk and deer, always tastes better when it was allowed to hang a day or soin above freezing temps.

I process asap . ageing has to be done in a controlled environment with the right humidity . Most of you are not doing that i would say . there is a fine line in aging and rotting

If temps are between 32-38 (degrees F) I will let it hang for a couple of days. If it warms above 38, I'll cut it up immediately.

Let it hang, preferably in a cooler or shed of some sort. Even if the temp is desirable, leaving the critter out in the sun can straight up rot it...killed in the afternoon, hung overnight and cut up tomorrow is my preference.

I Have an old refrigerator in my utility room i use for the freezer, however during hunting season i remove the racks from the fridge. As soon as i get a deer home i skin and quarter it and the put the meat in the fridge, works great for early season bowhunting when temps are really warm. then i can take my time and butcher at my leisure, will keep for almost 2 weeks in there. Over the years i have found that regaurdless of whether i let it hang, or process it imediatly, old deer or young, buck or doe, i cant tell any difference in the taste. It's all in how it is cut up and cooked. It is NOT beef and can't be processed or cooked like beef. I know a lot of people that pay to have their deer processed and these are usually the people that say they don't like the taste of venison. But when they come to my house and try some of mine, they love it. Debone it, clean it well, cut it thin and cook it hot and fast and you can't go wrong.

Poll is incomplete there are to many varying factors, weather, age of deer, sex of deer ( a rutted up buck needs some extra care).

Martin

When we hunt, our group usually takes between 15-20 deer, so most are skinned right away, then we butcher the meat the following weekend. After we butcher, we smoke and process into bologna, except the loins, usually within a couple of days. Works for us, and taste amazing!

In the heat of our hunting season, I butcher it as soon as possible.

We normally skin,gut and quarter it.We'll then put it in an ice chest for several days before butchering it.It's so dang hot down here it would ruin without the icing down.I'm sure you all do this,but we strip all muscle sheaths and white ligaments and tendons(everything that's white).It really makes a difference in taste.

I like to hang them for 3 days minimum, five to seven if the weather's cold enough. It's more tender if you hang it. If you hang it in a cooler, you can get away with 7-10 days if the deer is real fat.