Does a deer have to hang before butchering?
 

I was told a deer has to hang for atleast a day or two to get all the blood drained, will I hurt the meat by butchering it a couple hours after the kill?

Nope, down here in the South the temps are in the 80s during bow season...

We clean them and get them on ice as soon as possible...We do soak them on ice for
3-4 days and drain the blood off each day..

Needs to be processed if the temps are above 45 degrees or below freezing. If you have a cooler that can regulate the temp they can hang to suit your taste preference. 7days or longer at optimal temps age and tenderize the meat. During the early seasons here in Kansas September through early November I will let a deer taken at sunset hang over night as long as it is not going to be a hard freeze. Process in the morning... if a deer is taken in the morning I will process right away if the temp is going to be above 45.

With deer meat that is processed within a couple hrs. of harvest it is best to let it set in a bowl over night in the fridge after you take it out of the freezer and it is thawed. I usually take it out a couple of days before I cook it.

we usually go ahead and butcher the deer, then let it sit. I put mine in large tubs and in the fridge, let it sit for 10 to 14 days, then process it

It needs to be hung for me, and not in a garage with uncontroled temps. I have my butcher hang mine for 7 days halved in his walkin. The difference in flavor and texture is apparent. Hanging allows the enzymes in the meat to break it down somewhat making it more tender and flavorful. I would not kill a beef steer and have it cut up the same day and I wouldn't do it to a deer either.

I always process right away and through it in the fridge to sit until I can get to it.
Days later I'll cut it up and package. Works out fine for me . I don't want to leave it out with to warm of temperatures.
If I had a cooler to hang it in then I might hang it that way.
I have never notice a problem processing it within hours of it dieing .

Sometimes we don't see the south side of 45 here until mid to late December! I quarter mine and keep it iced down for 6-7 days, draining the water and adding new ice! I never ever get any complaints of a "gamey" taste.

+1

For me too. :rock:

He ain't called "Oldtimer" for nothin' - also called experienced !!!

I butcher and freeze it within a day of shooting. I take my deer and elk out of wheat and barley fields, and they are bled just fine with a poke through the boiler room. I let them sit in the fridge for a day before tossing it on the bbq or putting it in the oven. Always tender, never run, as I interrupt their morning breakfast with a well placed shot.

ideally you want the deer to go through rigamortis twice at about 35-37 degrees that will make the meat very tender and the meat will start to seperate off the bones instead of that shredding sticking effect. that takes about two to three days ask your butcher to hang in his cooler and not to butcher for at least two-three day's i think you will notice the difference !!

Normally we have decent hanging weather during Michigan's fire arm and muzzle loader season. there are problem days during the Oct. bow season how ever. One year at our UP deer camp it was in the mid 70F range during the day so hanging wasn't some thing we did like normal. since we were 6.5 hours from home we took two deer to a processer there. We were very disappointed with the results, very little meat we felt for the size deer we took in and lost set of antlers. We vowed never again. We bought a used fridge at an estate sale that with the racks out will hold 3 180 200 pound deer skinned. We made a rack to hang them from and can keep it a steady 35F. after a few days hanging we will cut up the deer and package it then it gets frozen in the freezer compartment. We did decide that the next fridge we buy for this will be a side by side for more freezer space.

You can buy a used fridge at a estate sale pretty reasonable as well as a freezer.

:D Al

Pretty common for a camp to buy the box part of a reefer truck and use it as a walkin cooler.

There's a certain amount of personal preference involved. I used to work for a butcher. and we sold primarily box beef (not aged) through the counter. We got a contract to handle sides and quarters from a local farmer, and the meat was aged for a while (over a week, can't remember exactly). Some people loved it, others complained that it wasn't like what they were used to.

Deer I hang for a day or so, but that's about it. Whatever you do, skin it immediately to allow it to cool faster. I also have a trustworthy processor with a walk in that I use if it's too hot, and he lets them hang a little longer.

Skin and quarter right away then place in refrigerator over night and cut up the next day when we come back in at noon or kill another deer to cut up and freeze. Read an article that a butcher said you don't age veal same as deer not the fat content as beef that needs to be marbled and broken down. My family as been doing this meathod for other 50 years.

Hang it if you can, otherwise quarter it up, place in large garbage bags, toss it in a chest freezer to chill and nearly freeze for a day or so, and then process.

Aging meat does not cause the fat to be marbled nor does it break down the fat. Either a piece of meat is marbled with fat or it is not. Venison is not marbled at all, the fat in venison is on the outside and is not good tasting and should be removed before cooking. I cut meat for a number of years and I know what aging does for flavor. Some really expensive cuts of beef are aged untill they actually have mold on the outside, it is cut of before cooking. Meat molds do not hurt you. There are a lot of misconceptions about what aging meat does. Pork is not aged but beef and wildlife venison improve with aging. If some people don't like that flavor it is probably because they have never eaten properly aged meat. I can't even count the number f peole who swore they hated venison, t was too gamey. Then they ate mine and changed their minds. In my experience what people call gamey is caused by poor meat handling after the kill.

Shot deer in the South
 

where it was shot, gutted, butchered, and in the home freezer the same day in 70 plus temps. A days work I might add.

A friend lets us use his cooler for deer etc but he typically wants it out in a few days just so its not running up his electric bill. But I think gutting and letting the blood drain as much as possible removes a lot of the "gamie" taste.

Yup! I think so too...letting the deer drain out for a few days helps a lot! I usually gut the deer...I guess Ive been lucky since Ive never let a deer sit overnight. I wouldnt think it would be salvageable in temps above 45 degrees...

someone mentioned putting the deer in trashbags, just be careful which kind you use. Some can actually spoil the meat or impart bad flavor, google it

shot a doe Oct. 1st evening, hung it, cut it up the next morning. Already eating it, delicious and tender as can be.

Whitetailed deer is a fine grained meat which does not benefit from aging prior to butchering. Very different from a beef steer, or an Elk say.

Good hunting this season!

Opening day last year, it was 70 degrees. My deer was at the processor within 3 hours of being shot. I would never take a chance of spoiling meat.

Taste perfectly fine to me.

Once a deer is dead, the heart stops pumping and you really don't bleed it by hanging and aging it. The aging allows enzymes to break down the muscle fibers and make the meat more tender. If you double-lung a deer, it should bleed out just fine. A head shot leaves all the blood where it was.

When you shoot a deer you'll notice that it is limber immediately after the kill. Then in a short while it will stiffen (rigor mortis). Processing while the deer is in rigor is a mistake, from what I've heard. I always hang until the rigor is out of the carcass. If it is too warm, I add ice.

When it's time to eat the venison, I take the meat out of the freezer a couple days ahead and let it thaw in the fridge. I put it in a colander with a bowl under it, so it will not sit in the blood that comes out as it thaws.

As long as I've butchered my own (about 27 years), this has worked for me.

We do essentially the same. We don't hunt until it gets cold. Then we hang the deer in our shed until rigor mortis is gone. Then we butcher it.

Mickey Finn, you are wrong, hanging does benefit the flavor of venison and makes it more tender. Having a different grain than beef has nothing to do with it. Many people still hang their fowl to improve the flavor, I do not do that but many do.

i still say that letting the blood pool in the deer's carcass isnt good. Thats why hanging helps. it lets most of the blood drain out. I try to gut and skin the animal as soon as possible and let it hang overnight as a minimum.

FWIW I agree completely

Oldtimr, if you like the taste of venison better after it hangs awhile. Then by all means enjoy.:wink:

ATB