How long to hang your elk?

[Salmonmoocher12]

I killed a bull in oregon on Friday morning, just got home last night and im headed to my buddy's house today on sunday to hang in his locker.  I have always started the butchering in the past 2-3 days after the kill but they were never in a locker before . I was planning to let hang all week and process the meat on Saturday. So they would be 8 days hanging  2 days outside and will be the last 6 days in the cooler. Is this too long?  Does it make the meat taste different?   Any help would be great I just don't want to regret it. If need to butcher it sooner I need to change some work schedule to get to it during the week. Any imputed is greatly appreciated.

[Magnum_Willys]

5 to 8 days for me but have a buddy who does at least 25 days and his is always more tender.   Skin gets dark but he trims it off.

[PolarBear]

Wild game are not like beef, they do not benefit as much from hanging.  I hang mine long enough to drain and cool off (usually overnight to one day depending on the temperature) then cut.

[zwickeyman]

In good hanging weather I like to hang 1 week before butchering and that's for Elk and Deer. I just hung my buck for 8 days but thats just because of where and when I shot him. Weather was OK and it turned out very good

[Sakko300wsm]

No reason to hang wild game

[trophyhunt]

Let it hang for a week, won’t hurt it at all.

[PolarBear]

No reason to hang wild game

[Curly]

It won't hurt it.

[duckmen1]

Long enough to debone cut and wrap. Everyone loves any game we've processed ourself. Sometimes stuff from certain butchers have a stronger taste and I know it's because of aging or handling practices they use and not on us. Cause I've never had a gamie piece of meat we've butchered and tenderness isn't noticed much of a difference.

[h2ofowlr]

I let mine hang for about a day before I start butchering it up.  If you don't have cold storage or temps in the 30's it will sour on you if hanging to long.

[Eric M]

I let mine hang for about a day before I start butchering it up.  If you don't have cold storage or temps in the 30's it will sour on you if hanging to long.

Temperature needs to be at or below 40.

[BULLBLASTER]

I put a processed buck in the freezer today at 4 pm that I killed at 230 pm yesterday. It never hung but was in a refrigerator overnight.

[MtnMuley]

I put a processed buck in the freezer today at 4 pm that I killed at 230 pm yesterday. It never hung but was in a refrigerator overnight.

Oh, it's gonna be terrible. You totally did it wrong......

[BULLBLASTER]

I put a processed buck in the freezer today at 4 pm that I killed at 230 pm yesterday. It never hung but was in a refrigerator overnight.

Oh, it's gonna be terrible. You totally did it wrong......

 I can’t do anything right!

[carpsniperg2]

I put a processed buck in the freezer today at 4 pm that I killed at 230 pm yesterday. It never hung but was in a refrigerator overnight.

Oh, it's gonna be terrible. You totally did it wrong......

 I can’t do anything right!

It's a creedmoor thing

[WSU]

I don’t make a point to hang them but don’t mind if they do. I just put the last of the elk I shot last Saturday in the freezer. My wife shot a buck Wednesday and we had it frozen then next day. I’ve never noticed the difference.

[Jpmiller]

I was a big proponent of hanging until I shot a whitetail Sept 1st and it was in the nineties by the time I got it cleaned and back to the house. Took it right inside and butchered and then straight into the freezer. Tasted as good and as tender as any whitetail I had ever had before.

I think I'd still hang them if I had the opportunity to but not certain if it does as much as I originally thought. I did have some real tough elk once that after six months or so in the freezer seemed to tenderize a bit. Not sure what that was about

[ctwiggs1]

Let it drip dry... Then start cutting!

[Karl Blanchard]

We live on wild game 100%. Besides restaurants I haven't bought a package of beef in 15+ years.  I've butchered them same day and I've strung em up for 16 days and everything i between.  Not a fan of the loss associated with hanging.  Everything gets processed asap now.  Keep the freezer properly rotated and they freezer age just fine.

[Stein]

Aging continues in the freezer, just real slow.  At a year I could tell the difference on a tough antelope.


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[onmygame]

Long enough to debone cut and wrap. Everyone loves any game we've processed ourself. Sometimes stuff from certain butchers have a stronger taste and I know it's because of aging or handling practices they use and not on us. Cause I've never had a gamie piece of meat we've butchered and tenderness isn't noticed much of a difference.

If the meat you're getting from certain butchers tends to have an off taste, it is likely because they process several animals at a time, and you are getting other folks game meat mixed in with yours.

Who knows how well the other animals were treated from the moment they were down until they got to the butcher.

[The Weazle]

I think I'd still hang them if I had the opportunity to but not certain if it does as much as I originally thought. I did have some real tough elk once that after six months or so in the freezer seemed to tenderize a bit. Not sure what that was about

When you freeze meat, the moisture in it expands and breaks the cells.  That’s what makes it more tender.