Processing your deer in warm weather

[troutman]

I process my own venison when I kill a deer.Which means,I hang it in the barn,skin it and ideally,let it hang a day or two before cutting it up.Obviously,with the warm weather we been having,this is not possible and has resulted in me passing on an animal or,not going out at all.What is the maximum temperature that one can leave a deer hang at and for how long?How are you guys that have taken an animal and also do your own processing dealing with this problem?

[Jim Uran]

If your going to take a deer in warmer weather your going to have to cut it up right away. It's that simple. If the weather in the 50's I wouldn't bother hanging it too long.I fit stays in the 40's with lows in the 30's i'll hang my deer for a couple of days as long as it's not in direct sunlight, or like in your case the barn. But if you get into the upper 50's and you have your deer hanging for a couple of days it has already start to spoil.It's nice to have an extra fridge. I'll quarter my deer up in the warmer weather and shove it in the extra refrigerator for a couple days that helps it age a little.

[Rosalita]

You probably know a lot of what I will suggest, but I am just offering advice. Obviously, Your deer will be very warm from the body heat when you kill it. Fortunately, it is getting into the thirties and forties quite often now at night. If I kill a deer this weekend, I will hang it in a dark building, skin it immediately, and the next morning starting at 6:00, cut it up and get the steaks in the freezer or the trimmings to the butcher right away (or at least on ice or in the fridge) before the mercury begins to rise. I do not like to cut up loose, bloody, liver-like meat. I have passed up deer as well because the temp was not going to get in the forties that night. Giving the deer a chance to cool and drain out always makes the task more productive. However, I hunt in the far North which can have quite different temperatures than other parts of the state.

[bigbucks]

I've shot many deer in warm weather & as long as the highs weren't past 70 during the day & I could hang it in a cool building out of the sun it's been fine overnight or even two nights, especially if it cools off at night. I would agree it's not optimum, but you can find a deer 6-8 hours after shooting it & being it's on the ground & shaded, even ungutted, they're usually fine.

[Nova]

the 2 deer we have shot his year have been gutted, cleaned out and packed the cavity with ice until the next afternoon when we got home. Then we cut them up and right to the freezer...except the steaks we ate that night. The temp for both deer was about mid 60's for the high.

[CrappieJohn]

If at all possible, get that hide and fat layer off the carcass and then do as Mova suggested.....pack it with ice. If you are careful to not let the melt water pool inside the carcass it will be good for three days or so as long as it is kept shaded and fresh ice is added as needed.

[troutman]

Thanks for the response.On a couple of occasions in the past,I've killed,butchered and froze an animal,in very short order and the resulting venison was a bit on the tough side.A couple of you guys mentioned skinning the animal and that is something that I think has a great deal to do with the quality of your venison.I think it bears repeating for those who don't know or are new to deer hunting.The faster you can get the hide off the animal,the better eating you're going to have...it's that simple.I'm sure the colder it is outside,the less of a factor it becomes but,a skinned animal will cool down much,much quicker than one with the hide left on.

The ice in the chest cavity is something I may have to try.I may stick some jugs of water in the freezer and if need be,pack the cavity with that.Should alleviate that water pooling in the cavity problem.Thanks again.

[chucker34]

I'm by no means an expert. Got my first deer ever on Monday but after I dressed it out, I packed the body cavity with five milk jugs full of frozen water and left it that way for about 3 hours before I could get it to the processor. He hung it up right away and said he would get to it the next day or the following and that the days in the 60s and nights in the 30s/40s wouldn't spoil it before then. Water still pools in the cavity from condensation and I noticed the jugs were on their way to melting after a few hours.

[kc0myy]

You guys have to know that all the flys are not dead yet. If you do hang the deer up make sure its cools enough and get one of the game bags keeps the flys from getting to the meat. Thats my 2 cents. I have never got a deer yet but talking with friends and elmers and they have tough me a lot about hunting.

later guys

[rocky]

I have a friend who is a butcher and he claims as long as it it out of the sun and the temp is 60 or less that it should be ok. With that being said I would still have a hard time leaving a deer hang if it is 60

[woodview]

If available this is a situation where dry ice excells. I've hung deer in somewhat warm weather with no ill effects and prefer to let a deer age at least a little if at all possible. A lot of lockers will gladly hang a deer for you (since you're paying them) and I'd think that's maybe the best option. Slowly changing my mind on aging a deer as the years go by - seems I hang them a little less every year, but remember the really expensive beef is the stuff they hang for something like 3 weeks (at very controlled temps).

[Gus]

This will probably be aruged till the day we all die...

The last published article I read (sorry I don't remember the magazine) stated that venison does not "age" like beef. According to the article you are better off processiing the venison as soon as possible.

With warm weather I think I'd follow this rule. Now that it's cooling down very nicely I don't think we have much to worry about anymore.

Whooohooo! 11 days of hunting for me in the next three weeks! I can't wait!