hanging deer
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 386
hanging deer
I have meat, where the deer was dropped, gutted, and immediately sent to the butcher. It was never hung, or drained.
There is so much blood in the meat, it puts off my wife and kids.
But I can't hang a deer on public land where I hunt, which is 3 hours from home.
and I can't hang a deer in the middle of the city I live in.
What do you city slickers do ?
There is so much blood in the meat, it puts off my wife and kids.
But I can't hang a deer on public land where I hunt, which is 3 hours from home.
and I can't hang a deer in the middle of the city I live in.
What do you city slickers do ?
#4
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 41
Most butchers have a walk-in cooler so if this one does, ask him to let it hang a few days. If he doesn't, find one that does. My ex and I had a butcher shop and we let them hang atleast a day. Some hunters specified how many days and we tried to do what they asked.
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
Get one or two large ice chest, quarter the deer and cover the meat with ice, drain the blood out the bottom for about a week keeping the meat covered with ice the duration. Some people I know sprinkle the meat with salt before covering with ice with the idea it will help draw out the blood. Easy to keep clean and works like a top.
#7
I am not really sure you wil get any big amount of blood out of the deer by hanging it. Once you have shoot the deer and the heart stop there is not much more going to come out that will make that much of a difference. I have a fridge I hang my deer in and there is no more then a 1/2 cup in the bottom and that was over 4 days. I archery hunt only so maybe with and arrow the deer has more time to bleed out a little more then a gun shoot that drops the deer in the spot. Just my op.
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Moravia NY USA
Posts: 2,164
busanic is right - the blood stoops draining from the muscles as soon as the heart stops, hanging or not. There are several ways to soak it out however - both before freezing or after thawing. Soaking in milk is a good one.
#9
Personally I dond't "hang" it at all. A properly dressed animal will have all of the blood and fluids removed from it anyway other than what I think is supposed to be in the meat anyway. The flavor of meat is the dependant on the blood to a point. (I know it sounds kind of sick, but ask a chef about it.) I alsmost always soak the meat overnight in a big sink of cold water with a little salt. Many times the important cuts (to me) inner loins and backstraps) are frozen that night without a lot of soaking. Soaking the rest helps me the next day to clean as much of the fat and yucky stuff membrane off of what is left as I prepare it for the grinder or to put up a rump roast or two.Another reason I'm not real big on hanging is bugs. I don't have a walk in freezer/cooler and I have not done enough research on aging meat to be comfortable with the process. It's on my "to do" list. So far I am very happy with the results and we use venison here for a lot! It is a primary source of our meat, though not the only one.
#10
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 585
I always hang my deer with a 5 gallon bucket underneath it. Usually there is not enough blood to cover the bottom of the bucket. So if you are having issues with your deer there might have been some other issues with processing or butchering.
Is there an ordinance that says you can't hang deer in town. My folks live right on US 40 in Indiana and have a neighbor that processes deer. It is not uncommon for him to have 15 to 20 deer at a time hanging from his trees right down town. He uses the trees instead of the coolers if the weather is right.
Is there an ordinance that says you can't hang deer in town. My folks live right on US 40 in Indiana and have a neighbor that processes deer. It is not uncommon for him to have 15 to 20 deer at a time hanging from his trees right down town. He uses the trees instead of the coolers if the weather is right.