Usually you are talking about 24 hours.
What the animal was doing when it was killed makes big difference.There are a lot of variables that effect tenderness. I mentioned rigor mortis because when I use to do a full quartering of an elk and split the spine, with no deboning, the back strap/loins/T-bones were always the most tender cuts. Now I find the opposite to be true.This is only my experience and I eat a lot of elk. I am sure others will chime in and have completely opposite opinions on it.
