maximum temp to hang deer safely

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nelsonted1

New member
Does anyone know what the warmest temp to safely hang deer. A friend wants me to shoot him a deer for hamburger. He wants to hang the deer for a day or two. Temps here in KY have been in the upper 30s to 50s. I told him he's running the risk of rancid meat. He agrees, luckily. So we're going to wait a week.

When we hunted in MN we, at first, had a meat shop do our meat. We constantly teased them about pouring all the deer waiting in the pile into a giant hopper and grinding all the deer at once. Including the deer that were sitting out in the sun in 60 degree weather. They were instantly insulted "I'll have you know everyone gets the deer they bring in!" Well we got deer sausages so rancid we threw them out on the lawn for the dogs. They laid there all winter- even the dogs wouldn't touch them. After that we did all out own deer.

The first year of doing our own sucked some since we had eight or nine deer in a pile, it was way below freezing so they kept. But we didn't know for sure what we were doing, winding up with an all nighter after the season closed.

We learned our lesson- always clean the deer the day we shot them. I shot five deer one day which still turned out to be a long evening. Also, if the deer were frozen boy it was hard on the hands!

We've never noticed a difference from meat butchered the day we shot them from aged meat. What we did find was spending the time cutting off ALL, every bit of the white stuff, the grissle, made for meat that tasted extraordinarily good. Plus it helped they ate alfalfa, corn, soybeans, oats and the flowers off the nieghbors decks so they had a great diet.

I see deer hanging here in KY that's got to be getting rancid. The same guy above told me his daughtor forgot two deer in her trunk a couple days /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif, he said they really smelled bad!

What do people do in southern states where it's even warmer? They can't possibly hang their carcasses in trees in the sun.
 
We have the same problem up here. Yesterday it was 8 degrees celcius, and the same thing today, useually about -10 or so. I quess I need to wait a week before I go huntin.. If I go out.
 
Coldest I ever deer hunted was -16f. I was sitting in the deer stand watching the sun go down thinking how the sound carries when it's really cold. Then I thought about falling out of the stand at dark. I'd be dead before anyone found me. I carefully climbed out and sat on a hillside until dark.

My uncle hunted all day in a deer stand at -25f. He said his feet were like clubs when he started walking. I much prefer hunting in cold weather than in warm weather. We can just add clothes and finding downed deer quickly isn't nearly as critical.
 
On the warm side I wouldn't want mine aging in temps above 38 - 40 degrees F. In the shade somewhere, and, with frozen gallon milk jugs of water in the body cavity. It does age better slightly above freezing. A butcher shop never freezes the body to age it. The whole deal about aging is to let the muscles lenghten and relax, this makes for tender steaks, ect. Freezing doesn't allow for this to happen as quickly as a carcass kept just above that point.
 
^^^^^^ agreed! never let them hang over 40 degrees if you can help. better luck just gettin it whacked up and in the freezer asap if its above 40 and you dont have access to a cooler. IMO
 
I used to work as a meat cutter and wouldn't want the temp above 40 degrees.

Don't take trim to processer to have ground, get a grinder and do it yourself (no I am not saying that any particular processer is doing anything that they shouldn't, I'm saying that there is only one foolproof way to make sure that the meat on my plate came from my deer).

If you are doing very many deer or helping with very many you probably should invest in some basic tools (2 good knives, bone saw, hand grinder, cutting board and vacuum packer should do it) and start processing your own deer. It gets easier after the first two or three.
 
I cut and wrap my own as well.I have been told that 40 is the magic temp also to get them skinned and cooling asap The weather has been warm round here so I have been quartering and putting the fridge
 
we have cut our own deer, elk and bear for years. we have a butcher shop set up at my uncle's house we keep the walkin cooler at 36 to 38 it is also important to have air movement in the room to remove the moisture from the animal.
We will hang a deer or bear for 7 to 10 days and elk hang for 10 to 14 days to help break down the muscle to make it more tender and a better flavor. If the animal freezes the aging process is stoped. Most of the good steakhouses like black angus advetize aging their meat 21 to 28 days. We have another friend who will hang his deer until it begins to mold then he will wipe the meat down with vinegar then let it hang for another week then cut and wrap the meat, I have had steaks from his deer and it was one of the best I have ever tasted.

So the most important is temp 36-38
air movement
hang time longer the better
trim well(if it looks so so it won't taste any better in the buger or sausage)
and lastly wrap well prefer 2 layers

hope this helps
Randy
 
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