End of a great week!!

[Andy]

I have read ad nauseum about hanging and aging deer and meat. I got a doe a week ago and the temps overnight in my barn were 34 and during the day in the shade were 40, she hung 5 days until it warmed up. Issue of course is skinning the damn things but I always hang and if I can't, I quarter it, wrap and place the hunks in a spare fridge for 1-2 weeks. I also hang pheasant, grouse and woodcock as long as I can. They do make little meat aging units but dang they're like $5,000. I have hung deer in temps up to 50 for 3-4 days without any issue at all. Try it, you'll like it. Of course my barn is north facing and in shade mostly and stays cools with air flow. The longest I've hung a deer was 15 days and it was fantastic, the weather was perfect. This will not be settled on this discussion I promise that. The non-hangers are close minded : )

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Andrew Sacco

I have read ad nauseum about hanging and aging deer and meat. I got a doe a week ago and the temps overnight in my barn were 34 and during the day in the shade were 40, she hung 5 days until it warmed up. Issue of course is skinning the damn things but I always hang and if I can't, I quarter it, wrap and place the hunks in a spare fridge for 1-2 weeks. I also hang pheasant, grouse and woodcock as long as I can. They do make little meat aging units but dang they're like $5,000. I have hung deer in temps up to 50 for 3-4 days without any issue at all. Try it, you'll like it. Of course my barn is north facing and in shade mostly and stays cools with air flow. The longest I've hung a deer was 15 days and it was fantastic, the weather was perfect. This will not be settled on this discussion I promise that. The non-hangers are close minded : )

I killed a rather decent 8 point buck the first day of the season a number of years back in the Poconos , temp that week never got above 15 . The morning I killed it I had it up in a tree behind the cabin within two hours of pulling the trigger and I’d say it was froze solid when I tied it off . Took it down five days later to head back to VA and it was a block of ice so to speak . I needed to use a hammer handle to get the hide off once back in VA . I caped that deer out to do a shoulder mount as well , without a doubt that was the most difficult skin/cape job I’ve ever done out of 370+ deer and ten bear ! Close minded perhaps , but you know not of what you speak until you put yourself in each individuals shoes .

[Andy]

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

I killed a rather decent 8 point buck the first day of the season a number of years back in the Poconos , temp that week never got above 15 . The morning I killed it I had it up in a tree behind the cabin within two hours of pulling the trigger and I’d say it was froze solid when I tied it off . Took it down five days later to head back to VA and it was a block of ice so to speak . I needed to use a hammer handle to get the hide off once back in VA . I caped that deer out to do a shoulder mount as well , without a doubt that was the most difficult skin/cape job I’ve ever done out of 370+ deer and ten bear ! Close minded perhaps , but you know not of what you speak until you put yourself in each individuals shoes .

I would think I wouldn't have to tell you NOT to freeze the damn thing solid Craig.

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Andrew Sacco

I would think I wouldn't have to tell you NOT to freeze the damn thing solid Craig.

You’ll need to talk to the man above on that one I will say that Pocono buck had some of the largest backstraps I’ve ever removed from a carcass.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

You’ll need to talk to the man above on that one I will say that Pocono buck had some of the largest backstraps I’ve ever removed from a carcass.

[Stan Hoover]

Each to his own,

Our deer are generally undressed within 3 hrs of being harvested, and deboned and on ice within 6 hrs.

We’re fortunate to be able to have the nice area to make this happen, our deer don’t hang other than when being skinned, works for me

[Mike of the Mountain]

Ours go to one of the local processors ASAP. Which processor is determined by what they make and what we're in the mood for.