I was raised on outlawed deer and homegrown chicken, didnt matter if it was middle of the summer or dead of winter, if the freezer was slim we went hunting. Always cut fresh steaks so that mom could fix dinner while the deer was being processed. If we had beef or ham growing up I thought it was a holiday.

only on days ending in Y

I've only heard about keeping it in the freezer for 4-6 months before making jerky - because you typically don't "cook" jerky. The temps don't get high enough to kill the bad bacteria. But if you're really cooking it - I will typically eat the loins the day I kill the deer.