Black Bird
11-11-2014, 03:52 PM
Hi folks,
I have a question about hanging deer. Backstory first:
I have been hanging and butchering deer for the past 8 years. The deer have all been either blacktail or fallow. For the first few years I hung deer outside and my concern was always that it was going to get too warm. For me, the cut off point was 9C. Once it got above that temperature I started to notice that the deer would be in danger of going off so I would butcher it right away. For the past number of years I have been using an old fridge which holds a constant temperature of between 4C-6C. I quarter the deer, put it in smaller game bags, and leave it in the fridge for a week or so. Then, up to my kitchen counter to butcher.
I got lucky this year and got an antlerless draw in Region 3. I Saturday, I harvested my first mule deer. She was huge (well, at least from my reference points of blacktail and fallow)! So, we bagged and hung her in camp for the past few days in Region 3 where it got as cold as about -8C at night. I am now back in Vancouver and the deer is hanging in my backyard. Right now, it is about 7C plus a bit windy and over the next few days it is going to be clear with a temperature between -3C and +5C. I have never had to worry about freezing before. Vancouver just doesn't get that cold. The problem for me is that even if I quarter her I am not sure that I am going to be able to fit her into my deer fridge. She is just too large.
So, I lightly wrapped a tarp around the deer to help it stay just a touch warmer. It is loose, so airflow is not restricted. What I am asking is if that is a good idea or should I not worry about the freezing and just let the game bag do its thing? My concern about the tarp is that I might be trapping in moisture even though I think I am getting enough airflow.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
BB
I have a question about hanging deer. Backstory first:
I have been hanging and butchering deer for the past 8 years. The deer have all been either blacktail or fallow. For the first few years I hung deer outside and my concern was always that it was going to get too warm. For me, the cut off point was 9C. Once it got above that temperature I started to notice that the deer would be in danger of going off so I would butcher it right away. For the past number of years I have been using an old fridge which holds a constant temperature of between 4C-6C. I quarter the deer, put it in smaller game bags, and leave it in the fridge for a week or so. Then, up to my kitchen counter to butcher.
I got lucky this year and got an antlerless draw in Region 3. I Saturday, I harvested my first mule deer. She was huge (well, at least from my reference points of blacktail and fallow)! So, we bagged and hung her in camp for the past few days in Region 3 where it got as cold as about -8C at night. I am now back in Vancouver and the deer is hanging in my backyard. Right now, it is about 7C plus a bit windy and over the next few days it is going to be clear with a temperature between -3C and +5C. I have never had to worry about freezing before. Vancouver just doesn't get that cold. The problem for me is that even if I quarter her I am not sure that I am going to be able to fit her into my deer fridge. She is just too large.
So, I lightly wrapped a tarp around the deer to help it stay just a touch warmer. It is loose, so airflow is not restricted. What I am asking is if that is a good idea or should I not worry about the freezing and just let the game bag do its thing? My concern about the tarp is that I might be trapping in moisture even though I think I am getting enough airflow.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
BB