Hanging Deer on Public Land

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carnaby

carnaby

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I'm going out for my first deer soon and I'm curious about hanging the darn thing once I get it. I've read that I'm supposed to hang it for a week at 40F to age it properly. I doubt it would stay that cold right now in Washington, even in the alpine regions.

Another problem is hanging the deer on public lands. Is it likely to get stolen or eaten by wild animals?

Ideally I'll just take it to the butcher and they'll hang it in their cooler, but short of that, what do you do? :confused:
 
have fun

First of all I hope you are not going out on your own for you first hunt. It can get difficult and draining after a while. Once you get your deer then your real work starts. I usually let it cool off for 1/2 day before I start the cutting and choping. that way ticks and parasites leaves the carcas. As far as handing your animal goes , just make sure you've got the rack off of him. it seems like people like to steal it if you still have it on him....I don't know the area that you are hunting in but where ever you go it is way too warm to leave it outside. good luck.
 
We rarely age the carcase, but Texas just doesn't help. It might be below freezing when we shoot, but by mid-morning it is well above freezing typically. We don't bother aging. We usually just start to work after a cup of coffee.

Cool the meat off quickly and keep it clean. Pat it dry before putting it in ziplock bags and into the cooler. Cut the silver tissue off then as it becomes more difficult later (backstrap). Then just take it to the processor.

I don't use a processor. I have learned to butcher it myself. There are several on-line guides to teach you if you are interested.
 
DO NOT AGE meat unless you have a proper butchers cooler which holds the meat [without hide] and a steady 36-38F and humidity controlled .Hanging in the woods or garage leads to ; stolen, spoilage due to alternating freezing and thawing or temperatures over 40F, off flavors from absorbing oiland gas fumes in a garage, loss by dogs or other animals. My venison is always in the freezer within 12 hours of when taken.Freezing ,as far as tenderizing is the equivalent of 5 days aging. Always dress out the deer immediately ,that is the most important thing !!!! This info from the scientific tests of the USDA.
 
I have no problem with you publicly hanging a deer, as long as he has been fairly represented by counsel, or you legally shoot it first.

as said above, meat should be cleaned and cooled as quickly as possible. If hunting in warmer weather, keep some ice bags in a cooler and chuck a couple of them into the gut cavity while hanging or transporting and try to keep one between the hinds. Keep the carcass out of the sun. you can shade it with a clean tarp but don't wrap it- that interferes with cooling. The hide-on will help keep it clean if the temp is cool but it will also interfere with cooling and needs to be skinned if warm. You can quarter a deer if necessary (and if game laws allow) and pack it into a large cooler with ice as long as it can drain and doesn't soak in water. I have put quartered deer over 200 pounds field dressed into one Polar 120 qt cooler.
DO NOT PACK MEAT IN PLASTIC GARBAGE BAGS
numerous chemicals used may include realeasing agents, pesticides, polyvnyls in addition to the (really bad) pthalenes.
 
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don't hang it. shoot, field dress, then either butcher or get it to the locker.

if you have a walk in cooler, hanging is a grand idea, but doesn't sound like you do, so i wouldn't, and i fer sure wouldn't hang it on public land.

if you are on a multiple day hunt and won't be home for a couple days, get the carcass packed w/ ice if the temps are gonna cycle above freezing and you don't want to butcher it yourself immediately.

it is because of poor butchering and field care that some venison tastes funny. properly handled, i prefer venison over beef by a wide margin.
 
You don't have to hang the deer to age it. I will age just fine in a refrigerator even after its cut up. Or like many above suggest, just cut it up and get it in the freezer. unless you find a monster old buck, there probably isn't much need to age it.
 
If you want to hang it,

Get some cheese cloth. If the temp is 40 or below (farenheit) you'll have no problems. I hang them in my garage here in Ohio where the temp in deer season is rarely above 30.

Put the deer on a gambrel, head down, wrapped in cheese cloth, with the chest cavity propped open. After a couple days (I usually wait 3-5) skin and butcher as normal. A few warnings repeated: DO NOT HANG if the temp is in question. Do not use trash bags for meat, most are treated with pesticides.

Butchering is simple once you've done it a time or two. Start at the bottom (head) and work your wayup to te hind legs on the gambrel. Have a clean place to work, ideally right next to the deer. Cut off the "chunks" you're working on and butcher them into the cuts you want. Toss them into salt water. When you've got a pile of meat, take it inside to a clean sink and rinse with clean water. Pat dry and wrap for freezing. It's good to have two people working, you get the meat inside and someone else final rinses and wraps while you continue to butcher.
 
Here's what we do for elk...and they spoil much faster than deer if the hide is on:
We generally shoot them several miles back in the wilderness area. If we have our horses....we just skin it and quarter it and then pack it to the cabin. It then hangs in game bags in a cold shed until we go home...could hang 4 to 5 days.
If we shoot the elk while foot hunting...we gut it and drag it to a shaded area and prop it up on a log with the belly facing the stars. We then spread its rib cage with a stick so that the heat can escape. Then we bring in the horses the next day and go with the process mentioned above.
It is usually below freezing at night and in the 40's during the day where I hunt.

I wouldn't worry about aging the animal. Besides...deer make great jerky. Elk make the best steaks! ;)
 
We rarely age the carcase, but Texas just doesn't help. It might be below freezing when we shoot, but by mid-morning it is well above freezing typically. We don't bother aging. We usually just start to work after a cup of coffee.
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+1
aging is a great idea in a cooler, otherwise just have the meat processed or process it yourself.


Charles
 
More important then aging it is getting the blood out. That's what gives vension that 'gamely' taste. Most areas it's not a good idea to age it outside due to: variations in temp, animals, insects and "lookie what I found, it's mine now." It's more important to get it field dresser quickly and get it cooled down. Propping open the chest cavity with a stick and/or putting a bag of ice in there helps.

We'll hang ours in camp overnight, if the weathers cool enough, to bleed them out and show them off. But then we either butcher them or take 'em to the processor in the morning.

unless you find a monster old buck, there probably isn't much need to age it.
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Yep, cape him out and donate the meat.

Here's my hint: Cut or saw off the lower part of the back legs before you skin him. (Make sure you don't cut too high so that you can still hang it on the grambel). If you wait until after you get him skinned to do this you get a lot more hair in the meat.

Also the golf ball and trailer hitch method of skinning works pretty good also.
 
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