Hanging a deer with temperature fluctuations?

[Pydpiper]

Got my deer hung in the shop since Saturday evening, kept it between 0 and 4 degrees, I wanted it hung for a week but today is supposed to get to 11 degrees same tomorrow, is that too warm? should I butcher it early?
Not sure what to do here..

[wabi]

I'd butcher it before it warms up. 11C (52F) is too warm for it to hang.

[BOB VANDRISH]

If you haven't skinned it yet,my experience has been that you should be OK for a while yet,even with the temperature going as high as 11 C.
We had one season in PA where a deer was left hanging at 18C plus,before I brought it back here,and I did not butcher it for another week.
If the conditions are just above freezing,I have always hung mine for nearly two weeks before doing them.
The key is leaving the hide on to prevent drying out and spoilage.
Check the cavity for odour-it will have some,but you can also detect the start of spoilage that way too.
Some people claim that they should be done as soon as possible,as hide removal will always be easier after they are freshly killed.
We have a technique of stripping the hide where the time delay does not matter.

[Pydpiper]

I would prefer to keep it hung for a bit, but I sure do no want my first deer to spoil. Is there another method of keeping it cool for the next 48 hours until we see 0 again?
It's not skinned yet.

[Ben S.]

Why risk it? Get it done. I've let them hang and I've butchered it the same day. I never really saw a difference. They're great both ways.

[wabi]

I have used bags of ice inside the body cavity and blankets & tarps to wrap the outside when I had to transport a deer in warm weather.
I have found (my personal opinion & taste) it really doesn't matter that much if a deer is aged or not. A really old one might benefit from aging, but most younger deer are just fine without it. Cooking technique has a lot more to do with the palatability of venison than aging.

[jay73]

10 degrees celcius and under for me. I believe these numbers are government reccommendations.


Jay

[Pydpiper]

I will do it today then just to be safe.
My son is determined to help, later in the day (when he gets home from school) is fine then I am sure without the assistance of cooling it.
Maybe I am just procrastinating because I have no idea what I am doing..

[Grizzly Adam]

I'd butcher it before it warms up. 11C (52F) is too warm for it to hang.

Man, I was going to tell him 11 was fine! I was thinking fahrenheit ... celcius didn't cross my mind!

Good thing I read your reply, Wabi!

Pydpiper, the longstanding rule of thumb for hanging is UNDER 40 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT ... better if a little cooler than that. Think refridgerator temperature.

Of course, you will hear stories of deer that were fine when hung at warmer temps than that. No need to doubt them; I'm sure individual experiences vary. Even so, that doesn't change the long-standing rule of thumb ... which is the result of decades and decades of collective hunter experience.

In the end, it's your deer.

I agree with Wabi. I have killed and butchered well over a hundred deer, and I don't think hanging them does anything much but risk spoilage and make them tough to skin and hard to cut up. That's just an opinion, though. Your mileage may vary.

[Normous]

You will OK at that temp. in the short term with the hide on and hanging in a cool shady area. Consider having it deboned during the butchering process for improved taste. I found my venison much better that way.
Also congrats, that's your first one, is it?

[Cossack]

Why? Leaving them hang with hide on just makes them taste stronger.
Ageing, the supposed breadown of issue (slow rotting) only works if the termperature is strictly controlled. Like in a walk-in cooler.
Hunted for years witha meat inspector former butcher. He taught me to skin deer ASAP, let 'set-up' overnight (if not too warm out) and bone the deer without cutting any bones. It works for me. Great venison.

[Pydpiper]

It's my first Norm, yes.
I have a decent "how-to" book here on how to get this thing cut up, thank goodness it has pictures too.. Boo has offered to give me over the phone guidance as I do it as well.
I am in the process of rigging up a tarp and old window a/c to see if I can keep it cool for a bit while I get the rest of the gear together.

[Normous]

To butcher your first yourself too...your the man
If you have a general how guide with photos you will be fine. The how-to butcher deer manual that I learned from was a 16 page booklet printed in the 70's in B&W. It demonstrated how to butcher your deer using primitive sharpened stones. How nice and easy those B&W photos looked. I still have it. Thats how I learned (using a extra sharp knife I might add) to butcher. Take you time. No beer till your done.
Let us know how it goes.

[Grizzly Adam]

Take you time. No beer till you're done.

That's good advice, Enormous!

I can see it now:

Pydpiper: "Son, what part of the deer looks like fingers?"

Son: "Uh, dad ... look at your hand!"

Yeah, better leave the brewskis in the cooler 'till the cuttin's done!

[VixChix]

We hung the last one for a couple of days and butchered ourselves for a change. Felt good to put the meat in the freezer the way we wanted it. Nice to also was able to be fussy about what meat I ground - very fussy.

We've had meat hung longer and shorter, but like others have said, there doesn't seem to be much difference. I think this deer which hung the shortest time, seems to taste the best, but that could also be because we butchered ourselves.

I read several books and articles on how long to hang, and it seems everyone has a different opinion. Personally I`d rather err on the side of sooner, rather than `too late`.

And yeah... hold the beer and watch your fingers! I just had 5 stitches in one from a `slip`