bryant1

We hang ours in a retired milk delivery truck compartment for 3-7 days. i think last time I checked the truck stayed a constant 35 degrees. We do let the deer hang longer at times, but there is only enough room for a dozen deer and the compartment fills up quickly. The longer it hangs the better the venison taste IMO

mackesr

I have always hung mine from the back legs as well. I cut a nice slit just below each knee where the tendons are close to the skin and put my gambrel through them and hang it high!! During bow season and times of unusually hot temps I will put a bag over it and sprinkle some black pepper on the eyes and any moist areas to keep the flys off until I can get it cut up (the same day of course). Thats an old southern method....

jcscan71

We have always hung ours from the legs. Mainly because to me it is easier to skin out and I do not damage the cape if it is one that I am taking to the taxidermist. I have always been told that it keeps blood and such from pooling into the good meat also.

rh160kid

I have worked for 14 years on a farm where we raise red stag and fallow deer for slaughter. We process deer and break them down every day!! Trust me when i say to hang by the rear legs. Make a cut in-between the achilles tendon and leg itself and use a gambrel,spreader,stick or wahtever else you got and hoist em up. You DO NOT want the blood in the muscle tissue (meat) draining down into the hind quaters and loins where the majority of your quality cuts are. But most importantly you want to stretch out the muscle fibers in the hinds that constrict after death (rigamortis). This is what will make your meat more tender. If posssible i would hang a deer no less than 3-4 days and more if you can. The more the muscle tissue breaks down the more tender your cuts will be.

thndrchiken

I place a cut behind the rear knee inside of the tendon and insert each end of the gambrel and hoist it up with a block and tackle. Once it's up then start skinning while the deer is still warm, the hide comes off so much easier. Allow to hang for several days in the cold, mine is done in the garage, the meat stiffens up and makes it easier to cut.

Kid

Same here!

brianguy

always by the hind legs for me never done it by the head before

turkey guide

Field dress immediately first!
Hind legs, hang in 40 degree or cooler weather 1-? days. Remove cape, head, antlers if necessary. On a doe I just bring the hide down past the front shoulders or a little more if you save the neck meat, and leave the head attached. Remove the front shoulders and parts you want. I have a table in my garage where I butcher, to lay the quarters out on. Wrap them in paper (newspapers work fine)or plastic to keep insects off and to keep from drying too much and let them age as long as you prefer before final cutting and packaging, as long as the weather is cold enough.
Otherwise place it in an old refridgerator if you have one working in your garage or barn. You may have to drink some beer to make room, and after a few days you can cut it up for packaging, grinding and freezing.
Doing it this way lets me skin them fresh, within an hour when the hide comes off easy. It also lets the meat cool faster.I can skin and quarter a deer in 30 minutes and take the remains back out with me for disposal. on my way back hunting. Never dispose of animal remains in a creek or waterway. In Missouri it is illegal anyway, and besides making a pile in the edge of a field will feed other critters and maybe make a good ambush site for coyotes and bobcats. The remains will be gone before spring.
This also keeps my hooks open to hang more deer, even though I have room to hang seven at a time on my rail system. I often have clients deer cluttering up the place, so I just like to keep at least one open for me.
You can save enough money in one or two years, depending on the volume of animals you would have to pay to process, to buy some eqipment of your own for grinding and slicing yor meat. And once you've learned to do it train your kids and get them to help. It's something everyone should know how to do even if they choose not to. You never know when you may have to do it yourself.

#1Predator

I forgot to mention,field dressed first!!! You don't need the
insides decomposing and tainting the meat.
Well, like I said an out side temp of 40 or lower is optimal,
yeah,Like a fridge.
I also hang mine in my barn,it has a concrete floor which
keeps it kinda cool.

GPMD

Thanks for the info guys, seems like hind legs first is the way to go, guess my dad did know what he was talking about I do always field dress first, 1) because i couldn't imagine butchering without doing it and 2) im not the biggest of guys, 145 soaking wet, so the lighter the drag the better for me!