How long do you like to hang deer

[Pine]

Was wondering , how long do you like to hang your deer before you cut them up ?
I've heard of people who hang them at least seven days .
I have cut them up the next day .
But I will add that the ones I've cut up the next day were less than 80# deer .
So what your thoughts on this and why ?

Can't "hang" deer here, as it it too warm 99% of the time. Most of the time, you cannot hang a deer overnight! I leave my quartered deer in an ice chest with the plug removed for 5-7 days before processing it. I add ice as needed, but keep the plug out so the meat does not stand in water.

Bisch

[swampcrawler]

We aren't able to hang them at all. Too hot down here. We get them cleaned and quartered and onto ice as quickly as possible. Some people like to leave them on ice for a while before processing.. I try to take care of mine as soon as possible.

Ive always wondered if meat that has been properly aged is a whole lot better than ours. I'm sure it makes some kind of difference.

[mec lineman]

Don't get cold enough in va to safely hang deer. I do wet age in bags in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.  Every 4 or 5 days rinse blood out. I go ahead and clean meat of silver skin first. It makes one heck of a difference. You notice first when you cut into meat, you notice when you eat and lastly hardly any meat gets between your teeth.  I do about 7- 10 deer a year and it works great. Side note I prefer to skin deer within a few hours of kill. I used to use hunt club walk in cooler, that works good but I noticed some loss of meat due to dehydration.

[BAK]

67 years old and never hung a deer to age in my life.  Never saw the point.

[Trenton G.]

It depends on the weather and what time of year it is. If it's November, and cold enough, we'll let them hang for a while and keep hunting. If the weather is warmer, we'll cut them up within a day or two.

[TooManyHobbies]

I'm lucky that my friend has a walk-in cooler. Doesn't matter the weather. We kill'em as we can and cut up on Sunday. So 1-6 days, very rarely any longer.

[stagetek]

Not long. A day or two. Depending on temperature. If it's too warm, only long enough to skin and debone it.

[katman]

7 days hanging in a controlled environment cooler.

[mec lineman]

Guys if you ever get the chance,I encourage to try to wet age at least one pc. In refrigerator in a ziploc bag. Clean meat and place in bag and roll up bag to remove air. Wash blood off of meat every 3- 4 days. Age for at least 2 weeks . I promise you will not believe the results.

[SC Bowhunter]

Research shows that hanging for a week helps to break down the tissue (tenderize) but anything over the initial week makes little extra difference.
We have always hung deer and beef a week (in a walk-in cooler)my whole life.

[fnshtr]

Temperature dependent. In a controlled temp/humidity environment, up to 21 days. In my out building with max temp around 45* and min around 35*, 6-7 days. Temps above 55*, 1-2 days.

Aging is a biological process where micro-organisms break down the connective tissue in the meat, making it more tender and flavorful.

[Pat B]

I have an "extra" frig I use to age deer. I'll take the shoulders, hams and cut the back in half and place them on the racks so they don't touch each other or the sides of the frig. This gives good air circulation. The meat skins over but that can be trimmed off easily. I usually give the meat 10 to 14 days before I cut it or grind it for packaging and freezing.

[old_goat2]

Into the freezer as fast as possible and everybody that eats my deer are amazed at how good it tastes!

[Pine]

Originally posted by mec lineman:
Guys if you ever get the chance,I encourage to try to wet age at least one pc. In refrigerator in a ziploc bag. Clean meat and place in bag and roll up bag to remove air. Wash blood off of meat every 3- 4 days. Age for at least 2 weeks . I promise you will not believe the results.

I just might try this .
Sounds interesting .

[twitchstick]

I do a 7 day age. It's can be 90 degrees during the bow hunt here but I have walkins and refers to do the aging. Most "Choice" beef you get is done the same.

[ron w]

Do you see any meat hanging in front of the Super Market near you? Get it processed asap!! If you live up north and it's cold maybe you could hang it for a bit but I don't see the need.

[newhouse114]

I used to hang mine for a while. My wife convinced me to try cutting and freezing the day of the kill and it was the best venison I had eaten. So.................99% of my deer or elk end up in the freezer the day they die. If I am on a remote hunt, we have two coolers full of crushed ice and two empty coolers for icing the meat. Works great!

[mec lineman]

The reason you don't see beef hanging at the supermarket market is because it is already aged. I am very fortunate to live where there are unlimited amount of anterless tags to be had. I do not process one deer a year, one every three to five years, I process many every year myself. Believe me it makes a difference in aged venison.  I do gut and get meat cooled asap,I think that is critical as well.

[crazynate]

Man I learned something new this year. For when it's warm you quarter up the deer and put it in coolers and have it tilted so the water and blood drains and the meat isn't sitting in it. Put ice on top and let them stay in there for 3 days. It was some of the best tasting venison I've ever processed. Think I'll do it that way from now on I used to hang them for about 5 days if it was cold.