i skin mine out and put them in a cooler with ice and keep adding ice in the cooler for about 3 or 4 days, it gets all the blood out of the meat, and the meat is awesom. then take it to get processed or whatever you choose to do.

I would agree for the most part. One additional reason that skinning asap I don't believe that has been mentioned is: It makes skinning easier. Skin and animal when the body is still warm and that hide just peals off, wait a couple days and try it and you'll see it becomes much more difficult.
I've had it freeze before and talk about a finger numbing hard job.

I like to let the body hang in a dry, cool, place long enough for it to cool off. Never try to butcher a warm deer and place it in the freezer still warm. The meat will not freeze correct and you'll definatly run into problems.
A side note for a good reason WHY TO leave the hide on. If your a ways from gettting the deer into a dry, clean, cool, environment. The hide will help protect them meat.
Good Luck!

When its warm I gut and pack the cavity with snow or ice. Take it home and if its still worm I skin and quarter it and put it in an old refrigirater I have in my office. If its cold outside I skin it and let it hang in my office garage for about 5 days.

Depending on the outside temperature, I usually like to hang my deer for about 4-5 days and I do this without skinning. The temp can vary considerably in New England during the fall and leaving the hide on the deer acts as an insulator. There have been deer that I have shot when the temp was in the 20's and butchered it after the temp rose to over 40F and when I finally skin it, the meat is always ice cold. If the temp stays warm then naturally I butcher it right away.

i live and hunt in wisconsin so it is usually cool enough to let my deer hang for 2-3 days before i skin and butcher it..but if i get a deer early in the season it might have to be cut up asap...it seems that every deer i've cut up asap the meat was usually tougher then a deer i let hang..even a yearling was tougher than a 3 1/2 10 pointer i got and let hang...hanging them makes them more tender..all the blood i able to run out of the meat.

I hung mine for 8 days this year in a walk-in cooler. It's good! I left the skin on a little to long though, I think. All the same, the aged meat is delicious.

By the way, what is a "military solider?"

...just givin' you grief. Welcome to the board!

I see that you are in Georgia, so in the South it is usually too warm to allow deer to hang. I quarter my deer as soon as possible and put 'em on ice. Once you have it iced down, you can leave it in ice for 5 to 7 days. Just keep the water drained and add more ice as needed. This really does help age the meat and drains the blood out good.

I had to hurry this year but I always gut them in the woods wife dont like gut piles in the front yard <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I skinned mine quartered them and put them in the freezer then took out quarter at a time to cut up works for me <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

I have never heard of anyone purposely leaving the hide on.I want all the meat to get air circulation. But to each his own.I field dress him, skin him and get it to the cooler asap.35-40 degrees Hang it for 2-3 wks ,waiting for mold. Aged perfect. No need for a knife here. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I was driving down I-84 once and seen on a small flat bed trailer two 3 or 4 pts. (western count) mule deer.NOT cleaned or skinned <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> and about 80 degrees. Now that is sad.......fishon

Here in maine i usually let the deer hang 1-2 days before skinning it. then let it hang a couple more days. definately depends on the temp though.