How cool do you need it to hang a deer

[bear]

Let's say I just shot a doe... got her gutted and heading home to skin and hang. How cool does it need to be outside before I need to throw her on ice? Will get her to the processor tomorrow---

It's 55 outside now and supposed to be mid to upper 40's tonight

[Bowtech38]

I would ice her up.

[stickerpatch59]

I always ice mine no matter what.

[Fordtough68]

Depends, on your taste really. Do you like the taste of maggots?? Lol....just kidding,..well, kinda. Highest I will go overnight is in the mid to high 30's in an extreme circumstance. Ice is too cheap to take a chance on spoiling the meat. If you have a garage fridge just throw it all in there and you can leave it for a week or two to "hang".

[Drycreek3189]

If it's skinned and it's gonna be in the forties, your meat won't spoil. If it's not skinned, seeing as how the temps are just starting to drop, it may hold enough heat to sour the hams and straps. Are you a gambling man ?

[Kurdawg]

Technically speaking the meat needs to be below 40 degrees for bacteria not to grow. Now it will take several hours for the internal temp to get to that temp, but also the meat is protected by the outside fat, tissues, etc. But the colder the better. I'd ice it down now. IF it was going to get in the 30's or below freezing you can hang it. My brother shot a deer several years ago, great shot but was about 20 yards off where he thought she was stand vs where she was. Found her next day after 27 degree night meat was still great.

[tkuehn5410]

I'd stop at a twice the ice place and throw a bag in cavity just for good measure. My general procedure is 45 and below, you are good.

[BolilloLoco]

45

[Razrbk89]

If you hang and skin it it will be fine at 45 or less and probably wouldn't hurt it at 50. We hang a lot of our deer overnight up here.

Guys saying to leave them hanging below freezing have probably never tried to butcher a meat sickle. Do yourself a favor and don't let them hang if it's gonna freeze hard overnight and stay cold the next few days. HUGE pain in the butt.

[laredoarcher]

Yer good.

[MySRT8U]

Am I the only one that wants to know where the heck in Texas it's in the 40's at?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Kurdawg]

If you hang and skin it it will be fine at 45 or less and probably wouldn't hurt it at 50. We hang a lot of our deer overnight up here.

Guys saying to leave them hanging below freezing have probably never tried to butcher a meat sickle. Do yourself a favor and don't let them hang if it's gonna freeze hard overnight and stay cold the next few days. HUGE pain in the butt.

Really? I used to be a butcher and found it was way easier to cut meat if it was slightly frozen. Dosent move around, muscles seperate easier. Now I've never tried to quater a frozen deer that could be a different story.

[Top Of Texas]

Bacteria starts growing at 40 degrees.

I've found that hanging makes it taste "gamey". Momma and kids, and guests, don't like gamey. Daddy wants to hunt, so it's to Daddy's advantage to aim for not gamey. Therefore, ICE - asap!

What KurDawg said about internal cooling is spot on.

[kornsqueezer]

Pack in ice, it will keep the wild taste from getting in the meat. Wild taste=spoiled meat.

[Razrbk89]

Really? I used to be a butcher and found it was way easier to cut meat if it was slightly frozen. Dosent move around, muscles seperate easier. Now I've never tried to quater a frozen deer that could be a different story.

We had a couple hung in the barn two years ago on a night it got down to 15 or so. I like to never got the back straps cut out the next day. It was cold for several days and the meat was almost unworkable. Killed my hands!

That'll be my last experience with it!