How long do you let your deer hang before you butcher it?

Well I definitely won't be letting my deer hang until maggots are on it....I agree that's just gross

 

We have had several deer hang in our shed for a week before getting butchered. Never heard of anyone getting sick from their deer and we've been doing it for years.

 

The faster and fresher the deer is when processed the better the meat has tasted. I concur with what some others have stated, the aging technique is a beef technique not for deer, sheep or goats (which deer are more related too). A couple area butchers have even told us this and say they themselves will have their deer butchered and freezing or in the fridge within hours of being killed and is how they prefer it.

I had a body who swore by the 72 hour hangtime rule he had for his deer...well one year it was unusually warm in gun season so hanging his deer wasn't gonna work....so he processed it that night and couldn't believe the taste difference in a good way.

 

This is so far from reality ....

 

You typed that faster than I could.....x2

 

Sheep, goats, and cattle are all in the same family (bovidae) so deer are not more related to them than cattle. Deer are in a separate family (cervidae). The similarities between deer and cattle are the they are both even toed ungulates (cud chewers). Their meat characteristics are very similar

 

Nope...I'm fine with that sentiment though. Many don't agree....till they try it

 

I have butchered many deer within hours of killing them, Ty...I have also had deer aged for 2 weeks in proper conditions prior to butchering and eating them...I do not notice any difference in flavor ...
Its what you do AFTER you kill them that makes a difference (proper gutting and cooling .... but you can believe whatever you want...

 

I will admit what I bolded is probably 99% true, I guess my stance is 100% hanging them is not needed and IMO opinion does nothing...some even have claimed it does bad things to the flavor. Either way the bolded statement is oh so true....hang it or not some people just flat out suck at cooking it.

 

Hang it for 10 days but its all personal beliefs i think, whatever is easiest in the long run i guess

 

Living down South, I don't have the choice of letting one hang. I clean and quarter it the same day I harvest it. I will say that I pack it in ice as soon as I put it in the cooler. I drain the water off daily and pack more ice on it. I do this for a week minimum before I process it. This removes most of the blood and the gamey flavor. I don't mind the gamey taste personally. My kids won't touch it. By bleeding it out, they can't tell the difference.