[Body Bag]

4 hours with the skin on and guts in isn't an issue. Just cut away meat near the entry and exit wounds.

That said, the biggest oldest buck will skin much much easier within the first hour and the faster you get the blood out and meat cool (in a meat locker or icechest) the less gamey the meat will be. So take a good shot and keep the parade short.

 

[Body Bag]

On the other hand, anyone who kills a deer and retrieves it right away should gut it immediately regardless of where he or she lives or whatever the temperature. Not doing that is irresponsible and disrespectful to the deer.

I totally disagree with this. Never gutted one in the woods. If it is going straight to the cleaning rack then what is the point. All the waste goes in one gut buck to the river. Generally shot to icechest is 2 hours.

 

[Body Bag]

The point is that Bacteria begins immediately Risking meat contamination,,,
the quicker the deers cavity is empty the better.
Any Butcher will tell you the same thing, that's why they only kill animals they are prepared to dress immediately.

True. Disrespect is just a hard word to swallow.

That is why I try to only take high quality shots for a quick recovery, and clean the animal as soon as I can get it to a cleaning rack. Dragging an animal 20 yards and a 10 minute 4 wheeler ride to the cleaning rack doesn't disrespect a deer.

I would venture to say that my carcass on the rack skinned out and sprayed off with a water hose is about as clean as it can get. Rimming out a butthole in the middle of the woods doesn't sound too sanitary to me.

To each his own I guess