For venison follow the same general guidelines as those used to age beef. Either "dry ageing" the entire animal, or "in the bag ageing" the individual cuts in the refrigirator.

How to Age Beef
If you are personally aging a beef carcass, remember some important considerations about aging. The beef carcass or side should be aged in sanitary surroundings. Also, the aging area should be free of products such as kerosene, gasoline, paint, onions, and fish, since the carcass will absorb these undesirable odors. Because meat is a perishable product, it can spoil at temperatures of 40 to 60 degrees F. Therefore, maintain the temperature at 30 to 35 degrees F while the beef carcass is being aged. Sawdust should not be used on floors because it will contribute to air contamination. Carcasses and wholesale cuts should be properly spaced to allow complete circulation of air around the product. Freezing the carcass temporarily stops the aging process and should be avoided.
Recently interest has increased in short-time (12 hours) aging at 60 to 66 degrees F to speed up the aging process. The carcass is then placed in a 32 to 34 degrees F cooler to chill and complete the aging process. This procedure benefits cow beef more than steer or heifer beef, because cow beef is usually less tender. Apparently, carcasses with a thin fat covering would benefit more than fatter carcasses. However, the effect of this short-time, high-temperature aging on bacterial growth on and in the carcass is not understood fully.
Also remember that fat protects the meat from dehydration. Therefore, if you are aging a beef carcass with very little fat, you can expect a higher weight loss during the aging process than would occur normally with a fatter carcass. Maintaining the aging cooler at 85 percent relative humidity will keep weight losses down during prolonged aging. Carcasses with little external fat are more likely to pickup undesirable cooler odors and should thus be aged no more than five days.
Because of the drying process that takes place during aging, molds often grow on the carcass. If this occurs, merely trim off the mold (and accompanying fat or lean) at the time of processing and discard it. Do not use this trimmed-off portion in ground beef.
Some believe that it is possible to age beef in the refrigerator in the unfrozen, retail cut form. Research concerning the effectiveness of this practice is lacking. However, if you try aging beef in the refrigerator, eat it before an off-odor or off-color develops.



Dry vs. 'In The Bag'
The previous discussion has centered on aging carcasses and wholesale cuts (e.g., ribs and loins) in a cooler of some type. This process is referred to as "dry" aging. If you have an animal slaughtered at a plant or buy a side of beef, aging would likely take place in this manner.
Currently, about 90 percent of the beef shipped from the point of slaughter is shipped as boxed beef. Boxed beef is wholesale cuts packaged into vacuum packages (bags) and placed into a box for shipping. The retailer stores boxed beef under refrigeration until meat is needed for display and sale. The bag is opened and the meat cut into retail cuts. During the period meat is in the bag, it does actually age and is referred to as "aging in the bag."
There is considerable debate in the industry as to which process results in the most desirable flavor. Most people agree that dry aging results in a unique flavor. However, persons not familiar with dry aged beef often describe it as slightly "musty" in flavor when eaten for the first time. One study (J. Food Sci., 50:1544) observed that dry aging resulted in a more intense beef flavor compared with aging "in the bag." However, overall eating satisfaction was higher in cooked steaks aged "in the bag" because of fewer off-odors and off-flavors. It is known that the predominant microorganisms present after dry aging are the pseudomonads whereas the lactobacilli are the most prevalent in beef aged in the bag. It is also well-known that less shrinkage occurs with beef aged in the bag as compared with dry aging.