For whitetail, I never hang my deer. I get it stripped down and in the refrigerator and package it the next day and into the freezer. Hanging it doesn't just make it more tender, it dries the meat and concentrates the flavor. This is just my experience with eating venison over the last 30 plus years but in my opinion venison that has been hung and aged tends to be more "gamey".
Different strokes, I guess. But this is exactly what I avoid at all costs (for deer).
What are you trying to avoid at all costs? Not trying to get into an argument. I think people should be civil on this forum. There is another forum for insults. Unfortunately, it has bled into this one. I am just curious. Are you saying you avoid butchering deer right away at all costs or are you saying you try to avoid the gameyness at all costs? When you eat and compared the 2, what is it about the deer that you hung that you found preferable to the one that was not hung? Do you think the flavor is better or is it strictly the tenderness of the meat? What about diet? Where I hunt, the primary forage during hunting season is acorns. We do have some agriculture in the area. Primarily corn and soybeans. I don't know this for a fact but I have heard that deer that feed on sage can have a bad flavor. Is this true? If it is true, I would think concentrating the flavor would be the last thing you wanted to do.
I should have clarified - and I should also caveat that our temps during hunting season are generally cooler than much further south.
When feasible, I like the hide to stay on for a day or two - drainage etc happens and the hide keeps the meat from drying out.
The only gamey venison I've eaten was stuff that went from field to freezer almost immediately.
Like I said, different strokes.
