re: Cleaning a deer

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Water is not doing you any favors

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So do you think it sitting in ice water allows more blood or less to stay in the meat? Are you saying it is the placebo effect and it's all in my mind and that the blood that drains out of the meat has no affect on flavor?

A member of my family has a walk-in cooler near one of our leases. If we kill one there, we'll gut it and hand if for up to 3 weeks with the hide on. Tbh, I can't tell the difference in that and one that was processed immediately.

And I don't really want to soak mine for weeks in ice water and have a pinkish white looking piece of meat. I actually kinda like the taste of venison.

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I keep reading that one should max at 14 days.

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5-10 days is what I've been told is optimal. 3 week old deer seems pretty fricking ripened.

Damn straight, my next door neighbor has one. He makes out like a bandit meat wise for letting people use it.

We hunt a mile from the house. We gut the deer in the woods and bring it straight home. It is butchered at home and washed and it goes right in the freezer. Most times some goes right on the grill for lunch!

The difference is not having to deal with slimy wet meat.

If you don't have a walk in cooler, all you need is a regular refrigerator. Quarter the deer up and put it in there for a few days. Muchhhhhhh better than dealing with ice water infused slime balls of back strap.

Dry is also safer. Makes it's own armor vs bacteria.

I will soak boar hogs though. I do those in vinegar/salt ice water for a couple days. Makes it awesome.

frick that

Dry cold>>>>>>>wet cold

I think the reason a lot of people complain about "gamey" venison has to do with ruptured bladders and intestines.

Nothing like seeing a guy dump the bladder off of a rutting buck over his tenderloins and then say "it's okay I'm going to wash it anyway".


In a perfect world all of my venison would hang it 36° for 2 to 3 weeks never being wet.