I have read this, twice actually and am still not sure how to apply the information in the deep south.
I am going to kill a deer in the morning in 30-40 degree temps with afternoon temps in the 50-60 range or I am going to kill one in the afternoon with temps in the 50-60s and night time temps in the 30-40s.
It sounds like it would be best for me to get the meat off the bone immediately. Is that correct?
If I don't do that, I don't have a cooler to hang a deer in. I could probably quarter it out and get the quarters on the bone in large ice chests and keep those ice chests cool for a while. Would that work?
If not that, what's the best route.
I usually hunt Se Texas so similar temps and humidity to you. I gut and skin asap, break it down to legs and torso and keep it in an ice chest for about a week. Will drain the water and add ice every day. Seems to work fine.
This is what we do most of the time too. Get the deer cleaned and skinned as quickly as possible. If it is cold enough (or when we used to hunt at a place where there was a walk-in cooler) then we might let it hang until it is convenient to get it quartered, or if not, it gets broken down to bone-in quarters and iced down in my big cooler. We'll leave it on ice for a few days, drained daily, and then do the final cuts and wrapping and freezing at home. Ours seems to come out quite good with that method. I think the wet aging like that has the advantage of draining the blood out of the meet, which is supposed to be one of the factors that can effect the "gamey" taste.
