Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Aging deer a month?

Ain’t doing that!

I know that there are people who do that sort of thing, but I'm not one of them. I've seen people here leave a deer hanging in temps that would get up around 60 in the day, and leave them for several days before butchering. I'm very picky about stuff like that, and am just not going to do it.

In old England pheasants were hung until the bird separated from the beak.

I have had rancid meat in Africa, can’t recommend it.

I’d starve

nah, think I will keep cutting them up un aged

I watched Andrew Zimmern eat rotten hamburger. Friggin yuck. I remember him slapping his head because it tasted so bad.

ya, no. when i was a kid the common practice was to leave them hang with the hide on for a week or so and then butcher them with a bandsaw, bone and all. i always wondered why i wasn't too fond of deer meat in those days. now i skin them hot and hose them out and let them hang over night to chill and thats it. i debone them completely and take off all the fat and silver skin. when i am done, all i am eating is meat. i now like deer meat.

nope..
I've done it like that...
NOW, i cut up gutless method and put pieces in a cooler full of ice for 4-6 days with the drain open for the blood to escape. Best venison I have ever had.

I can let them hang at that in the day a few days in the shade if it's getting in mid 30s at night.

Waldorf hung gutted market hunted ducks by the neck until they fell, I've heard.

Gutted immediately.
Rough butchered in nearest tree.
Plastic bags in backpack.
In veggie bin of refer, within 90 min of kill.
3 days = fine butcher, into freezer.
Never cook roast or steak past 140°•••••••••

I left an ancient buck quartered in my fridge for 11 days because the bum who shot it didn't come get it. It was the best deer meat I ever ate. That deer scored 171 gross and his entire face was white. He must've been a monster when he was 6.

Yep. I do 5-9 days with the cooler in the shade in bow or early warm season. I may add a little salt every couple of days when adding ice. Even meat that gets nearly white from no blood is great.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

I have processed well over a hundred deer, and about 40 wild hogs. In Georgia you can't take a wild hog to the butcher.
After about 60 deer I learned of this technique.
Get the biggest cooler WalMart has, put in 5 gallons of water, mix in 2 pounds of salt, and put in 20 pounds of ice.
Put in the quartered deer meat.
The salt water will draw the blood from the meat. Leave the meat for at least 3 days, all the blood will be gone and the meat will be nice and cold and ready to cut up.

I aged a deer in an uninsulated garage for 5 weeks this fall, another 3 I aged for 3.5-4 weeks during the same time. night temps get in the 20's/30's highest day temp was 60 but average was 40's. checked on meat daily, never saw it get green anywhere or smell "off" at any point. conditions were perfect for aging (with the hair on) and the meat is amazing. not everyone can do it without a walk in cooler. mostly it depends on what the weather conditions are like where you live and if you want to do it. did the same with an elk in september for 3 weeks with the aid of a walk in cooler for about a week.

Dad did that, even with elk. I've btdt. No thanks. It's much better aged, that's why they age beef.

If in hunting camp and shoot even a fat doe, it's back strap that evening tastes a bit gamey. Bucks for sure need aging-bad.

Probably eat out of dumpsters too.

All right. Thanks for that. In south Texas in winter I would skin and hang quarters a few days in the garage with temps just a little warmer than that. I've hung them a week in colder weather outside in the shade with the hide on in west Texas winter, late Dec-Jan does.

Too may worry about the daytime highs, but if inside out of sun and wind they need to remember that mid 40s average. I need to try that longer time with the skin on to keep drying trim down and in a deer bag or army surplus mattress case to keep flies away.

To each, his own.