Deer down, storing tips needed :)

[NitwiT]

will post story later when I have time. Just returned from kamloops, took a buck wednesday night, gutted him then. he's been hanging in a shed till this afternoon, hide on, cleaned out. Brought him home, have a friend to help me butcher it coming on sunday. What's the best way to store it? I have a cool dry garage I want to hang it in. Should I hang it and skin it? leave skin on? skin it and cheesecloth it? Do nothing?

All advice is appreciated as always

[buk1830]

take the skin off now, let the wind dry it after you skin it.then butcher it.

[Mr. Dean]

The 'window' for storage is 33F-38F.
I'd get rid of that hide ASAP (like last Wed evening).
Cheese cloth.

OR;
Empty out the fridge, quarter up the animal and put it in there...

[twoSevenO]

that's kind of a long time to leave the hide on it .... why wouldn't you just skin it after gutting?

skin it, then cheese cloth, then tarp if you have to transport it....

[RayHill]

I would have taken the hide off right away and then hung it just to cool down then cut it up for the freezer. It's hard to skin it after the meat cools down.

[peashooter]

first off congrats, second these are the things that you ask before you risk spoiling one of these precious gifts. get the hide off, get it in a cooler or at the very least break it up into quarters and hit it with a fan.

[NitwiT]

I had advice from a lodge owner in the area, he figured to leave the hide on to make transport easier.

Tonight should be nice and cool, ill hang the deer in the garage, and skin it. Fridge space is not an option, will fans be enough to store the meat for a day? or do I really need to have it butchered like first thing tomorrow.

[stubbs]

duh get it off nitwit

[frase]

I would do my best to get it in the fridge - just try to make room. Start by taking off the backstraps, filets, and then deboning the hind quarters. It really doesn't take that much room. Perhaps freeze some of the stuff thats in your fridge, take out some of the veggies??, whatever you have to do to make some room.

[BlackBear]

Personally, I can't imagine hanging a deer more than overnight in a relatively cooled garage. When I got my buck this year, I was concerned that I wasn't moving fast enough. I had it from field to butcher in 8 hours. In my opinion, it's necessary to have a thorough plan before leaving the house to hunt.

In any case, in the field, I often use an old bed sheet rather than cheese cloth. It seems to breathe well and it keeps the flies off. It's also more durable than cheese cloth. After gutting the deer, I spread out the bed sheet then place the deer on it; skin it then wrap it in the bed sheet. Once I get it home, I take the bed sheet off then hang it and wash it thoroughly.

[kyleklassen]

fan,fan ,fan

[NitwiT]

process update, skin is off, deer is hanging in the garage, nice and cool, fans set up. When should I go about trimming off the back fat? Does it matter?

Thanks for all the advice!

[Mr. Dean]

You're ignoring SOUND advice. Unless you get that thing DOWN to the temps I told ya earlier, it'll sour. A fan, in a garage, in Surrey, tonight, won't cut it. I bet the internal temp on the carcass is somewhere in the vicinity of 50F right now AND it ain't any colder outside. GET BUSY! NOW!!!

Good luck.

[born2hunt]

I would have taken the hide off right away and then hung it just to cool down then cut it up for the freezer. It's hard to skin it after the meat cools down.

hey congrats on your buck ,, but first and foremost being prepared is huge in any hunt not only for your trip but in preparation for the possible animals you may aquire along the way, I hate to sound like a dick but rather than risk the loss of your meat maybe you should have known what to do with it before you pulled the trigger ? you can only hope that its going to taste the way it should have if it was dealt with properly from the start.

[Deer Sausage]

that fur holds a lot of heat...take it off right away...i will hang a buck in the garage if its cold enough...but even cool is not cold enough...4 C is the zone...if its warmer ill cut it that night...warm weather means spoilage...flies..all kinds of problems...unless its a really big buck or late season itll be just fine cut hot...you can age it on the way out of the freezer too...just thaw the packs in the fridge and give it an extra day before you cook it! take good care and enjoy your meat!

[hunter1947]

Get the skin off now and if no flies around you don't have to cheese cloth it.
If weather permitted hang as long as you can before you butcher it up..

[bearheart]

old guy's system. Get heavy cotton bags, sold for elk quarters. They have draw strings. Cost upwards of $20 a pop. persuade agreeable wife ( or other person with sewing skills for you new age guys/gals here, remember, I'm an ol guy)to duplicate same with old cotton sheets. Go hunting, bag tasty beasty. Gut, skin immediately, do above on tarp to keep meat clean. Leave patch of fur/ sex parts on etc. Put in bags. get bags in truck. Drive like hell next morning (unless it's November in Fort Nelson , then you've got some time:-D) to nearest town. Get ice, put in garbage bags( thoughtfully purchased before you left home, they are cheaper at Costco's , than at a Speedy mart on the edge of Spuzzum) so water from melting ice doesn't get on meat.Pack icebags around meat (above and below). Buy more coffee, start driving south, looking in rear view mirror from time to time to admire lovely rack:-D:-D. Notify game bag sewer,to contact butcher or cooler locker owner of your eta.Get more coffee, drive like hell. Voila! great meat, works very well even with early season moose in velvet shot on warm day in September.Bags are reusable, last years (15 so far), wash at laundromat not at home!!!

[swampthing]

And remember, you dont need to hang meat. Shoot, cut ,wrap, freezer, if possible of course. I think the guy who made up the hang it for a week was a butcher who was busy for a week and thats the best story he could come up with.

[NitwiT]

alright, well after apparently screwing it all up :S, I did my best to make right. After my last post last night, I proceeded to quarter the deer and get it packed away. backstraps tenderloins and assorted pieces are in the fridge, front and rear quarters are stored in three coolers with as much ice as I can fit.

Hope it all turns out well, and learned tons for the next time around.

Cheers

[muledeercrazy]

alright, well after apparently screwing it all up :S, I did my best to make right. After my last post last night, I proceeded to quarter the deer and get it packed away. backstraps tenderloins and assorted pieces are in the fridge, front and rear quarters are stored in three coolers with as much ice as I can fit.

Hope it all turns out well, and learned tons for the next time around.

Cheers


nice work. thats what its all about. I hope i never stop learning! a good piece of equip is a meat thermometer. In cold enough temps the meat will cool down quickly and removing the hide isnt as critical, unless you want it off before it all freezes! hanging the meat does help, imo. it just isnt even worth considering if the temp is to high. enjoy you meat

[forthunter]

gratz on the deer when u gunna post some pics

[Bowzone_Mikey]

First and foremost Congrats on the Harvest ....

secondly ... I have to wonder why everybody tells you to get this down to 4 degrees and keep it there ....I think thats what some old guy told them ... and they never questioned why ....

Flesh has great latent temperature qualities .... and holds it heat/coolness quiet well
the key is to get it down as quickly as possible after killing after that its not near as critical

the point of hanging for a week or 3 is at those temps the Bacterial process that "ages" the meat or breaks it down to tenderize it ... if you have it at 10 degrees that will fine as long as you got it cool right away after after killing the deer
but remember at 10 degrees the process can be completed in 2 days to get the same result as a weeks worth of hanging in 4 degrees

[pnbrock]

never ever leave hide on ,hide is off right after pics .its your dinner take all precautions.btw glad you had success.

[fishonbc1]

duh get it off nitwit

Everyone is an example to me, some to admire and mentor me and some to learn how not to act. The people on this website have taught me so much.
It is soo important to cool your meat ASAP - IMO planning is the most important part of hunting - Congrats

[butcher]

Bowzone Mikey is about the only one making any sense. Once your deer is initially cool you can leave the hide on as long as you like. Bone souring will occur only within the first few hours and it's real easy to avoid with deer. In Europe they hang 'em with the hide on until it's time to cut and wrap. I have butchered literally HUNDREDS of deer and moose and only seen a few go bone sour and that was because guys did some really really dumb things with them post kill.

[Dieseldog6]

never ever leave hide on ,hide is off right after pics .its your dinner take all precautions.btw glad you had success.

I think this is a very subjective choice. My preference is to remove the hide asap, but I don't think it's always critical. I've read a lot of posts about this and asked every hunter I know. My finding is that, as already noted, initial cooling is what is most important. Once cooled, keeping a good temp is obviously important. However, I wonder how much effect the amount of fat under the hide has?

I've taken a nice Blackie doe on Galiano Island in early November and I left the hide on because I forgot my game sack and I needed to keep her easier to transport in my wife's mini van (had just sold my truck). I also had to wait about 6 hours for the next ferry, but luckily there was a nice breeze all day. Right before getting to the ferry terminal I picked up a bag of ice and packed it into the cavity before wrapping it in a tarp. It kept nicely cool and when I got home I hung it overnight untill I could debone and wrap it all. No need to further hang the mild, tender doe meat.

[butcher]

The fat doesn't make much difference at all. Once you can rip the guts out and get cool air inside the body cavity you're golden.(assuming the weather isn't too hot) The initial bone sour will occur in the most massive areas of muscle; the inside of the hind legs of a deer right around the hip joints. Getting the carcass off the ground will also help as there will be air flow all around the it and body heat can dissipate more quickly.

Stuff I have seen go bad early is usually covered in a tarp or blanket or covered with gear in the back of a truck and never allowed to cool initially. Some guys would even bring them to my shop with the guts still in the critter and the critter wrapped in a tarp.(trying to keep their truck clean)

[Mr. Dean]

[quote=butcher;766127]... Once your deer is initially cool you can leave the hide on as long as you like. quote]

My responses to this person was made, in mind, that the critter HASN'T been cooled out and has been 'hanging around' (in Surrey), for a couple days in mild weather... Removing the hide at this time would encourage further cooling down with aid of device (fridge).

I'm in favour of skinning ASAP mainly because it's filthy as hell (the hide). Once the carcass is hung, I have no use for it. None... And who likes bugs-n-piss (and who knows what else) mixed in with their table-fare?

Not me but I quess it is a personal choice.

[Mr. Dean]

Factual info from: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch4/4-1-2-4e.shtml#a4-2


4.2.1.1 Refrigeration

The primary purpose of refrigeration is to preserve meat products by slowing down the chemical and enzymatic changes which occur in tissues after slaughter ***and by slowing down or stopping multiplication of microorganisms which might give rise to spoilage or food poisoning.*** By definition in the regulations "refrigerate" means to lower the temperature of a meat product to, and to maintain the temperature at, 4°C or lower, but does not include to freeze.

[gibblewabble]

I would add the initial cooling is the most important, I have in the past gutted the animal and then found the nearest creek to immerse the carcass in with the skin on for some time to bring down the temp. (September hunt). When you do this prop open the gut cavity after you take it out and let it dry well (cheese clothe works great for mopping it up), meat tasted great. If I cant hang it in a cooler and it is over 10 degrees outside I butcher the next day and let it sit in the fridge for a couple days when thawing.

[sawmill]

A couple of seasons ago I tried the "leave the hide on" method,the weather was perfect,-2 at night +3 or 4 daily.I skinned and butchered it a week later and it was real nice not to have to trim all that dried crust off.

[16ga]

How did it all turn out?

[kyleklassen]

the crust is the best part.

[Caveman]

A couple of seasons ago I tried the "leave the hide on" method,the weather was perfect,-2 at night +3 or 4 daily.I skinned and butchered it a week later and it was real nice not to have to trim all that dried crust off.


Aha! A converted!! It works fine doesn't it. Even in warmer weather it works fine!

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/scan0002-3.jpg

This was for 6 days in upwards of 20degrees through the day and as low as about 0 or -2 over night. He tasted great with no issues. Smudge during the day to keep the bugs at bay, hide on.