[muleskinner]

How do you all keep your deer cool when it is to hot to let it hang. I have no power on the farm I lease and it is very remote and 2 hours from home. Sometimes it may be a couple of days berfore I can butcher them. I have been quartering them up and putting in a cooler, but don't like the taste of the meat when it sits in the ice water. How warm is too warm to let one hang?

 

[delbert]

down here we cut it up like you do .but we are only 12 mins from home and the butcher..we try to get the meat back to town by the next day...unless it is in the 30 to 40 deg range or lower...

 

[BruceBruce1959]

A Butcher would say, "If it's not 40 degrees or cooler dont hang it" (warmer than 40 is too warm) the meat should be cooled down ASAP
If you field dress a deer and can't get it into a cooler for about 2 hours, that's fine just take it straight to the butchers cooler and you'll be fine BUT
If it's going to be 8 to 10 hours then Stuff a bag or 2 of ice into the chest cavity ASAP and that should hold it until you get it to a cooler.

 

[Buckshot]

I usually won't hang a deer unless it's in the 30's. I just take them to town and put them in a butchers cooler. There's usually one fairly close. I have been looking for a cooler I could put behind the garage. The price the butchers are charging now if I had a place to hang the deer for a a few days I would do it myself.

 

[buckfever]

We pay the butcher or do what you do with them in coolers.

I do the ice bags shoved into the cavity until I can get it to a butcher if its going to take me awhile. Buckshot your right on about those prices getting a little to steep for my taste.


Below 40 Im comfortable with 1 hanging.

 

[Southern Man]

We dress all our deer here. I don't like the way slaughter houses do it. If the temps are 55 degrees or lower, we'll let them hang for 1 or 2 days. If the temps are above that, we'll skin them, cut them up and package. If we're still hunting, we'll quarter them and ice down in a cooler (and keep the water drained out) until we have time to package it. We never have any problems.

 

[Southern Man]

We don't do the ice thing. If we're gonna hang them, I'll leave the skin on and spread the chest cavity open and prop it with a stick. I do wash them out before hanging and that helps with the cooling. I agree with the cooling out thing, it should be done.

 

[flexj]

I will cut mine up and package it usually within 4 hours. I really don't know what the advantage is to hanging it...I have never hung up a deer.

 

[Southern Man]

To be blunt......When a deer dies it begins to rot. Ever notice the white tallow (I think thats what it's called) between the muscles? That's the first to go. The longer it hangs...to a point...the more that will decay for lack of a better word. It makes the meat a little more tender or easier to eat. If you hang it with the skin on, the meat won't dry out like it will with it off. I've always been told hanging for 3 days at 50 degrees is best. We can't always do that here but we do what we can. If you fool with it enough you'd be suprised at how it affects the taste of the meat. The meat we package is really not that strong tasting. But we take care in the field and in the shed when we prossess it. All in what you want really but we eat a bunch of it. We'll put 5 - 7 a year in the freezer.

 

[joel the signman]

hanging the deer allows the muscles and tendons etc to stretch and like SM the meat to break down.if you can its best to hang your deer.My grandfather was a butcher:yes:

 

[rickw8844]

until december it can be hot down here. As soon as I get my deer back to the camp, (I hunt 1 hour from town) I skin and quarter my deer. Pack it in Ice and it will last the whole weekend. I don't drain the water off but I make sure the ice never runs out. Meat always tastes good and almost always tender...... (Could be my redneck culinary skills.):wink: