How long do you let them hang?

[Ray]

Steak house? I don't eat at steak houses when I can fire up the grill at home.

[jackelope]

My deer last year was frozen solid still on the bone 24 hours after I killed it. I couldn't help it...it was about 6 degrees when we woke up the morning after I killed that buck. I had to leave town so I took it to the butcher still frozen. Not sure how long it stayed frozen after they got it but it tastes great and he was estimated to be 8.5-9.5 years old.
I was freaking out a little because it froze but the butcher shop guys told me not to worry about it.

[Rgrady35]

If it's above freezing, but under 45 degrees. Which it usually is here. I let it hang 72 hrs. to get the rigor out. Then I cut it up within the next couple days.

[grundy53]

My deer last year was frozen solid still on the bone 24 hours after I killed it. I couldn't help it...it was about 6 degrees when we woke up the morning after I killed that buck. I had to leave town so I took it to the butcher still frozen. Not sure how long it stayed frozen after they got it but it tastes great and he was estimated to be 8.5-9.5 years old.
I was freaking out a little because it froze but the butcher shop guys told me not to worry about it.

We were in the same situation with our whitetails this year. we were in Idaho for a week and it was in the single digits for the whole week and our deer were frozen solid. We let them hang until we left and then just halved them and put them in a large fish tote and took them home and cut them up.

[sakoshooter]

Depending on conditions but meat's meat. The longer it hangs(at the right temperature), the more tender it's going to be. I've spoken to quite a few butchers over the years and they all say the same thing. Hang at the right temp till they have to be cut. Usually about a week. Most of them hang their deer/elk/beef at 38 degrees. If it's warm, I'll get my deer to a cooler. 5 - 7 days works good for me.
My dad cut his deer up the same day, sometimes while they were still warm for as far back as I can remember. Toughest venison I ever ate. I grew up eating tough venison and never knew any better till I moved away. I've never had a bad deer since I started letting them age. Even a few of my really old bucks ate good.
Let em hang. Cold but not frozen. If they freeze, they can't age. Meat breaks down as it ages and that's how it gets tender.
I also leave the hide on to protect the meat. More sound advice from a butcher and verified by a couple others. I was told that if you skin it and hang it, the outside of the meat dried out and will need to be trimmed off. Leave the hide on and save all that trimming and eat that meat.

[jeepasaurusrex]

Leave the hide on? 

The faster you can get the hide off the better.

[Hangfire]

I have only had one strong deer since I started butchering my own. That deer was the one we left the hide on, as recommended by my father-in-law.  I have had  strong deer that were taken to butcher. My wife and I have butchered probably 30 deer, 10 elk and about the same number of pronghorn. We gut immediately, skin all animals the same day as killed. Wipe down carcass with a light vinegar solution.  We let hang as long as the temperature permitts. I had use of walk in coolers for nearly 25 years, that time was 7-10 days. We are very slow and meticulous with cutting up out meat. I will bring a quarter in and we trim off all fat remaining after the trimming at skinning time. All gristle, bones, blood shot are removed. We will freeze all hamburger meat until the season is over. ( I still haven't ground my 2010 deer) The cut up meat is double wrapped, one layer of plastic wrap with no air bubbles and then a layer of locker paper.  The ground meat is wrapped the same. We do not add fat or other meat to our venison except the breakfast sausage. I take 21 pounds of the choicest meat for grinding and grind with 4 pounds of pork jowl meat I buy from Eggers. I grind the two together, mix  together with the breakfast seasoning for 25 pounds of breakfast sausage from Eggers or Smokey ridge and about 5-6 table spoons of rubbed sage. .  I then regrind and package. Best breakfast sausage have ever eaten with almost no fat at cooking.

[bearhunter99]

Never thought I'd see so many people against the hanging time.  Plain and simple, dry aged choice steaks cost 2-3 times more.  I have always gutted immediately, stripped the hide off as soon as possible and hung for 5-7 days.  On the other hand, the deer my wife and daughter have shot I have not aged quite as long because they were all younger deer and didn't need it as much.  About 15 yrs ago I shot an old old buck that was in regression and let it hang until there was a little mold at someone's recommendation and it was probably the most tender steak I have ever eaten.  Haven't done it since because the whole mold thing is a little unsettling to me!  Never noticed a whole lot of difference in the gaminess of the meat.  I have never eaten a gamy mule deer but I always get the meat cooled down ASAP by getting the guts out and hide off and I always make sure to get the scent glands off they can touch any of the meat.

[sakoshooter]

I only skin my deer if it's warm or going to get warm out. That hasn't happened for a few years at our elevation. Matter of fact, it's only gotten above freezing a couple of times and that's only by a couple degrees in the last 5 or 6 years. With the temps I'm talking about(5 - 25)degrees, I see no reason to remove the meat's best protection(skin) since when gutted and propped open with a stick or two and plenty of wind blowing, the deer has usually cooled off before I would have started skinning anyway.
But then again, since we haven't taken one out whole in 6 or 7 years. Only boned or at least quartered. Even quartered, I leave the hide on. So does my ex butcher hunting partner. Form fitting protection for the meat.
Most warm blooded game animals are 98.6 degrees just like us. If the outside temps are cooler than that which they ususally are by quite a bit, the meat will start cooling immediately after gutting. Especially if there's any wind. Common sense needs to prevail here also. A deer hung on the sunny side of camp is not going to cool as fast as one hung on the shady side. When I do hang a whole deer, I open the neck up to remove the windpipe. This opens up the deer quite a bit and like i said, prop it open with a couple sticks.
The Meat Shop in Tacoma and the by Mayfield Lake both told me to leave the hide on a deer(elk are bigger)unless it's warm out. Otherwise the meat that gets exposed dries out enough after a week of aging that it has to be trimmed off or it'll be like jerky. I've heeded this advice for many years and eat delicious tender venison most years.
I will say this: Skinning a big, cold, stiff and fat muley after he's hung for a week is work and cold on my hands, LOL.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Most warm blooded game animals are 98.6 degrees just like us

Actually deer and Elk are a little warmer than us, 101-102,

[JLS]

You can read anything you want, but all I know, is my meat ALWAYS tastes great ! and I will continue treating it the same way, and teach my children my methods, You can do whatever you want with yours.
[/quote]

I don't recall ever telling you how to take care of yours.

[JLS]

I don't leave the hide on, because I trim away all of the fascia (silverskin) anyway.  If I let the outside dry it makes this process easier FOR ME with neglible waste.  I do removed the tenderloins ASAP so they don't dry out.  As long as your meat cools fast enough, I doubt there is a right or wrong answer with this one.

[sakoshooter]

I don't leave the hide on, because I trim away all of the fascia (silverskin) anyway.  If I let the outside dry it makes this process easier FOR ME with neglible waste.  I do removed the tenderloins ASAP so they don't dry out.  As long as your meat cools fast enough, I doubt there is a right or wrong answer with this one.

I take the tenderloins out asap also. Otherwise they dry out to much.