# I screwed up big time...



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Well I've been hanging and butchering my own deer for the past four or so years and have never had this happen before. This is the first year I've gotten two tags and filled them both. Came home Saturday and washed out both of their insides. Only had one deer hanger so I hung up the bigger one and just left the other one to lay. Huuuuge mistake. Took me a few hours on Sunday, but I got the mama all butchered and good to go, than I hung up the button buck. Started skinning and thought, "boy, he's still pretty wet" but didn't think anything of it. Skun out easy and started on working off the backstraps. "What is that smell" I thought Kinda reminded me of rotting duck. Looked at the meat itself...was a mixture of pale yellow and red. Held a chunk next to the meat from the first deer and saw a huuuge difference. The doe I had already butchered was nice dark red, the button buck looked way way lighter, yellower, and it stunk totally different. Basically almost dry-heaved when I realized the whole friggin deer was the same way. First time I've ever tossed a deer. I couldn't believe it. So basically guys and gals, hang your deer right away and get that moisture out. I think maybe it had somthing to do with the temp too, but I"m not sure....boy am I ******... :******: I hate wasting animals I harvest, makes me sick to my stomach... uke:


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Did you have the deer inside or out to hang?? I find it hard to believe that the deer would spoil and be rancid that quick. Especially if you left it outside overnight.


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## fishless (Aug 2, 2005)

Yea that sounds way to fast for a deer to go bad, if it was kept at the same temp as the other one and one was good and one was rotten something else might be wrong. If you suspect your animal was sick call the game and fish and let them look at it


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## Scott Schuchard (Nov 23, 2002)

We had that happen to use a few years back and the smell is enough to gag a magot, we found that if you stick a bag or two of ice in it it will keep a lot better even if it is just over night with the fur still on it, it can heat up and stay warm.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

The one that I threw out I didn't hang because I only had one hanger, it wasn't until I got it it up and started going at it that I found out. The first deer had been hangin for a day and I had worked on it after that...but the other had been on the floor and wet...I spose it does seem a little soon for it to go bad, but somthing was wrong. Maybe I will give the Game and Fish a call, I better go rescue that carcass before the garbage picks it up.


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## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

Sorry to hear that, it really bites!

As a rule of thumb, the first stop I make after loading a deer in my truck is to a store to buy ice.

In September, tagged a doe and by the time I dressed/dragged her out, it was in the 70's. I stopped at Safeway, grabbed ice. I put 2 baggs of ice in her, turned on the A/C and drove an hour home. I then skinned/de-boned the meat and put the meat in the large disposable aluminum lasagna trays. I put 2 more bags of ice in a cooler and stacked the trays on top of the ice. I covered the meat with foil and put one more bag of ice on top.

I think it helped to cool the meat quickly and to allow the meat to drain some. The next day I cut up and packaged the meat.

This was probably the best venison that I've ever had.


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## Trapper62 (Mar 3, 2003)

Have had a similar experience! Here is my take on it!

Once you put water on the meat of an animal, any animal, the water will enhance bacteria growth unless frozen or dried. Your hanging deer had a place for the water to go to get away from the meat, it also had air flow completely around it to allow for better cool down = good deer.

Your deer on the floor got washed the same way as hanging deer than layed on the floor. The water than pooled up inside the cavity on the floor side. When your deer layed on the floor and cooled the heat rose, some of this heat being retained in the water as well as the portion on the floor side cannot cool until the meat above it is cooled to a lower temperature. Warm water and heat (humid environment) enhances bacteria growth at a faster rate than cool water/low temp. More bacteria = faster rate of spoilage = bad deer.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Sorry to hear that.

Better put up some more hangers in your garage for next season. I have the ability to hang 4 deer at once in my garage (2 stall garage). Here is a quick and easy way..maybe not the best way but it works:

My ceiling is insulated and drywalled so no open rafters.

I hung a 4 foot section of 2 x 4 perpendicular to the rafter studs. Drilled three 4 inch screws into each end and in the center (12 screws per 2 x 4), connecting the boards to the rafters through the drywall. then I drilled the two biggest eye hooks I could find at menards into each 2x4' (about 2 feet apart centered on the 2x4). Then I have S Hooks hanging from each eye hook. then I back my pickup up into the garage and put a length of rope through the tendon of the back leg of the deer. then I make a loop out of the rope, lift the deer up, hook the rope onto the S Hooks and drive away. The deer hangs and I can do all my butchering there, get at the backstraps, etc, and the last thing hanging is the two hindquarters! Works for me. I know everyone has a different way and I actually learned from my uncle (who has a butcher shop) to hang the deer head up. Anyone know whether that matters?


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

Quite a few years ago I decided that I was never, ever, going to try and skin a frozen deer again. Now I get the hide off the deer as soon as possible. If the weather is as it was this weekend (40-45 degrees), and your deer is not hung in a well ventilated area, it could easily begin to spoil with the hide and all that fat holding in the heat. I agree with the water thing, it's a must to let all the water drain, as it will enhance spoilage. I have gone so far as to have a small utility trailer with a hoist, so I can hang a deer and remove the hide in the field. We almost always harvest multiple deer, skin and bag them as soon as possible. If the weather is anything close to questionable, we put bags of ice in the cavities. The quality of deer meat is made or broken with the effort you put into taking care of it. Sometimes learning the hard way is necessary, but you'll know better next year. Burl


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Thanks for all the helpful advice. It was a hard lesson to learn, but at least now I know it wont happen again! Next year I'll either stick with one deer or else go out multiple weekends. Again, your help is greatly appreciated.
-Tyler


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Water will spread bacteria if not wiped dry after cleaning.

Beef is often hung for a long time. A few years ago the Department of Agriculture had published guidelines for hanging meat. Some beef is hung for 21 days.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but it went something like this.

70 degrees 2 days
60 degrees 3 days
50 degrees 5days
45 degrees 10 days
40 degrees 15 days
38 degrees 20 days

Careful field cleaning will allow deer to hang for at least a week. I don't hang my venison as long as I did in the past. I let it hang four of five days, but back in the 1970's I let it hang up to ten days. The biggest problem is stomach contents touching the meat as you field dress.


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

About "Danimal" turning on the A/C...do people like buckle the deer in their cars with them? I guess my family has always owned at least one truck. And other people I see strap their deer on the roof of their suburbans or whatever. Things that make you go...hmm...You don't necessarily have to hang your deer overnight either. It works just as good to hang them for a few hours, then skin the deer and take the meat out and put it in the refrigerator. I've done it both ways.


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## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

R.C.

I have an SUV and it is much easier to put the deer in the back instead of on top. Although I never thought of seatbelting it in... :lol:

Never mind the fact that most of MD is liberal and suburbia, I don't think the libs/peta's would appreciate seeing the deer on top of my suv. I know a person who got a deer a few years back. It was December and he painted the nose red. That went over reallllllly well will everyone who saw it in the back of his pick up truck.

I get bad enough looks just wearing camo in some areas.


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

I'm really liking that Rudolph painted nose idea... :rollin:


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## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

I agree with the others that the water was probably your biggest contributing factor in the spoilage. You said the meat was a lot lighter and yellow and stunk. The yellow and stinking obviously are signs of it going bad but one thing to remember (not sure how many young deer you have shot) is that the meat of the young deer will be a lot lighter, real pale color compared to the old doe.

We always skin ours ASAP. Wash as little as possible, let dry or pat dry with paper towels if taking too long. Then wrap an old bed sheet (obviously this is the sheets only purpose) to prevent the meat from drying out too much.

If you don't have enough eveners/hangers, skin out the smallest one first, hang by one leg (a logging chain wrapped around the rafter works great).

Chalk it up as a lesson learned and keep us posted on what the G&F says.


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