Safe for meat to let deer expire for hours/overnight???

I've always wondered how many of you that leave deer to expire for extended time periods such as 4+ hours and overnight have issues if any with spoiled meat. I understand not wanting to bump your deer and loosing it but at the same time you don't want a deer that is inedible. Thoughts??

 

Depends on temp outside id say... but I have left deer overnight manytimes and ive never had a problem. Just when you find it id get the meat cooled or on ice faster then usual. Should be fine unless a pack of coyotes come along and have a feast on it then im not sure if I want it...

 

I had a deer go around 24 hours in low 50s with a few bags of ice packed in the chest cavity and the meat was fine. It happened when I was young and lived in an apartment where skinning and processing a deer in the parking lot would have probably resulted in eviction . I had to make a 6 hour trip back home with the deer and by the time I got home the processors were all closed so I packed it with ice and waited until the next morning. From kill to getting it to the processors cold delimbing room it was about 24 hours total.

For the record though, I wouldn't chance it with those temps again. I made sure to wash out the cavity with cold water really good and kept replacing the ice as it melted. I wasn't going to lose the meat but I would just process it on my own now.

 

like stated above it all depend on the overnight temp and the condition you find your deer in. Once you find him get him field dressed and rinsed out with cold water then put some ice in him quick.

We haven't had an issue so far.

 

Agree with all, I generally will let my deer sit a night or two before I process anyways. Early season just get some ice ready.

 

Above 45 at night I wont leave anything out.

 

I believe the OP is asking about leaving a deer overnight in the woods before retrieving it.

I have if it is cold. If warm then I do not like it. As for hanging a deer. They say life begins at forty. Degrees that is. That is when the bacteria action ramps up so if it gets above forty then I would either ice it or bone it out and place it in coolers or a refrigerator.

 

Yes I was asking about letting a deer to expire overnight, thanks for all the advice.

 

I killed a doe October 6, at last shooting light. I could not find her that night so I had to leave her. Night time temp got down to like 50. I found her the next morning around 9:00am and the temp was warming up fast. I hurried up and got her to the house and immediately started quartering her. The meat looked good, smelt good, and none of the family got sick. I just used common sense and my five senses and it turned out alright. I think if I would of got there another 2, or 3 hours the meat would have been spoiled. Also where she died at was heavily shaded, so the sun never had a chance to warm up the body.