The great Debate. Does Wild Game benefit from hanging and aging like beef does or not

[rbranstner]

OK I have gotten into many debates over this subject and I kind of want to put it to rest if possible. There have been a lot of wild game posts lately as the hunting seasons are getting over and everyone seems to have their own thinking on weather wild game (lets say venison and elk for this discussion) benefits from hanging and aging or if it doesn't help at all because the meat/fat fibers don't break down in wild game like they do in say beef. I know people who insist that you must hang your wild game for X amount of days to age it then cut it up and I know people who insist that the wild game has no benefit at all from hanging so you should cut the meat up right away. I was going to do some research on this but though with all the knowledge on this site maybe someone would have some hard proven scientific facts to back one or the other theories. Feel free to state your opinions and what your personal preferences are but in the end I am hoping to find some actual scientific facts to back one or the other.

And also so everyone is on the same page lets assume that when you are hanging your deer you are hanging it in temps that you would see in a fridge so we know the meat would be cold and not spoil from warm weather.

I am going to do some searching and see what I can find.

I have always been taught that venison doesn't not benefit from again because the fibers do not break down like beef so we hang, skin and quarter all of our deer the same night they are shot and we get them into the fridge to cool down as soon as possible and then cut it up as soon as we have time which is usually within a day or so. But I don't have any scientific facts to back this up.

I am looking forward to seeing every ones responses.

[Meat Hunter]

Yes, venison does benefit from aging, but only if done with the proper temps, and those being above freezing and below 40 degrees. At those temps, bacteria is kept at bay and allows the enzymes to do their work. Venison is very similar to that of beef in that they both contain the same enzymes like lactic acid.

Some say that aging is nothing more than a controlled rot, not true. Hanging a deer outside when the nighttime temps are 30 and say time temps are in the 60's is a controlled ROT

A deer like anything that dies, will go into rigor mortis withing the first 24 hours or so. A carcass must be allowed to go thru this process before butchering. Cutting up an animal while in rigor will give you what is called shortening of the muscles, (where the muscles are in a contracted state) and you will end up with a tough cut.

I can vouch for this as there have been times when the temps have not been favorable and I had to process during the onset of rigor. A noticeable difference.

I like to hang my deer for a min of 2 days but given the proper temps, (which we haven't had in a very long time) I would prefer to go 3-4.


Most hunters are in fact just hunters for a week or two out of the year and don't give much thought to anything else outside that time frame. They know what they know because that is how they were taught.

Example.
My uncle never hung his deer so I won't either.

Or, my dad always hung his deer for a week minimum, (no matter what the outside temps are).
50 degrees all week long??? No wonder some say they don't like the taste of venison LOL

The only reason to hang a deer is to drain the blood. (Well, soon after dieing, the blood in ANY animal is going to coagulate and a good amount of it is going to stay in the tissue. Ever keep the liver? Notice that even after an hour, the blood has started to gel up?

What is all boils down to is this. Animals are animals, whether it be domestic or wild and all share the same basic makeup. I can promise you, given the ideal processing situation and the ability to keep a constant temp while hanging will absolutely result in a superior cut of meat from a wild animal. That's why most seasoned hunters and experienced outdoor writers say over and over again, "Proper care for and handling from the field to the table is essential"

[Richtee]

Pretty much on the button I think there, Meat Hunter

[Gunslinger]

A deer like anything that dies, will go into rigor mortis withing the first 24 hours or so. A carcass must be allowed to go thru this process before butchering. Cutting up an animal while in rigor will give you what is called shortening of the muscles, (where the muscles are in a contracted state) and you will end up with a tough cut.

I love it when someone else does the typing for me.
MH knows of what he (I) speak.

[Texas-Hunter]

Since I do not have a walk in cooler to hang and age mine and we know how cold and frigid it is here in Texas to hang one outside. I quarter mine up and place in a ice chest cover with ice and drain off the bloody water each day. Then I replenish the ice as needed to keep the meat covered.

Now my question is does this do the same thing?? I say yes to an extent.. I have done it both ways, process the deer as soon as I get home and freeze and wet age if you will in the cooler for 3-4 days.. I can see and taste the difference in the quality of the meat..

I know bleeding out wild hogs like this does wonders..

[Mark R]

Since I do not have a walk in cooler to hang and age mine and we know how cold and frigid it is here in Texas to hang one outside. I quarter mine up and place in a ice chest cover with ice and drain off the bloody water each day. Then I replenish the ice as needed to keep the meat covered.

Now my question is does this do the same thing?? I say yes to an extent.. I have done it both ways, process the deer as soon as I get home and freeze and wet age if you will in the cooler for 3-4 days.. I can see and taste the difference in the quality of the meat..

I know bleeding out wild hogs like this does wonders..

That is what we do with both deer and hogs (not in the same cooler).
Kinda hard to find a below 40° day or night here. (Florida)

[Texas-Hunter]

That is what we do with both deer and hogs (not in the same cooler).
Kinda hard to find a below 40° day or night here. (Florida)

I have a processor up the road from me that I know very well, but he still gets $20 a day for cooler space to hang your deer... No thanks,

I wouldnt pay that much in ice even tho it is nice I have a 1200 pound machine here at my office..

[Jimh]

I'm with Todd we let our deer hang weather permitting if its warm we use to hang them in a root seller, but now its a well insulated garage. One thing that is the norm around here anyway, is that pork is killed and butchered the same day the hog is never aged.

[Meat Hunter]

Since I do not have a walk in cooler to hang and age mine and we know how cold and frigid it is here in Texas to hang one outside. I quarter mine up and place in a ice chest cover with ice and drain off the bloody water each day. Then I replenish the ice as needed to keep the meat covered.

Now my question is does this do the same thing?? I say yes to an extent.. I have done it both ways, process the deer as soon as I get home and freeze and wet age if you will in the cooler for 3-4 days.. I can see and taste the difference in the quality of the meat..

I know bleeding out wild hogs like this does wonders..

I hear ya brother. Lived in El Paso for a number of years. No such thing as ideal hangin temps lol.

We would hunt over in Llano Tx, off the Slayter ranch. They brought in a reefer just for the hunt to cool the game down. Hogs we would shoot on the ranch and immediately dress and hang in a tree until transport arrived to take back to camp.

I never did the ice bath thing, but I have been in a pinch before where I had to quarter up and stick the pieces in the fridge. (Wife was NONE TO HAPPY )

As far as doing the same thing as hanging? I say doing that is better than not hanging or hanging under less than optimal temps. Something to ponder here. If a situation presents itself where you have to put pieces in ice filled cooler, instead of having the meat come in direct contact with the ice and the water, would it be better to wrap the pieces in large bags and set them in the ice? Just thinking out loud on this one but I would think the meat would become "watered down" for lack of a better description...

And what do you mean you don't have a walk in cooler. Your in the HVAC business ain't ya? Surely you can McGuyver something together

[Mark R]

I'm with Todd we let our deer hang weather permitting if its warm we use to hang them in a root seller, but now its a well insulated garage. One thing that is the norm around here anyway, is that pork is killed and butchered the same day the hog is never aged.

No we don't "hang" pigs, we rough butcher them and into a cooler covered well with ice. No aging pork thank you!

[Texas-Hunter]

And what do you mean you don't have a walk in cooler. Your in the HVAC business ain't ya? Surely you can McGuyver something together

Oh I could build something but it would not be cost effective for me to have and then where would I keep it.. I don't think I would want it in my back yrad living here in the city.

No we don't "hang" pigs, we rough butcher them and into a cooler covered well with ice. No aging pork thank you!

I ice bath the pigs for 2-3 days to bleed out, It makes for a much better product..

[Richtee]

Meat was hung-aged in day..even pork....I have many friends black and white with familys from before america born....they all slaughter and hang pigs and hang in late fall when temps cold outdoors...

Indeed ALX...I recall my grandfather hanging pork a couple days after slaughter. But we're talking december in MI in an unheated garage. Meat is meat- and there are certain physical processes that it goes thru, regardless of type. See Meat hunter's post.

[Mark R]

I ice bath the pigs for 2-3 days to bleed out, It makes for a much better product..

Yea in the cooler for a day or two, maybe three. But not aged like beef or venison, when we had the walk in space we would hang deer for at least three days, not the same as a cooler. But the cooler still helps with venison.

[Slanted88]

When I first got to England in 78'...At the Town Market they had Pheasant/Sheep/Pig out front hanging from hooks in front of the store...There were no issue's at that time to me. Mr. Pig was quite a eat!

[Mark R]

When I first got to England in 1878...At the Town Market they had Pheasant/Sheep/Pig out front hanging from hooks in front of the store...There were no issue's at that time to me. Mr. Pig was quite a eat!

But the flies were bad!