Aging Wild Game

[Sundance]

Just wondering what others do regarding aging the
meat on deer, elk, etc.

After gutting and hide removal:

I wash the cavity out with a solution of
vinegar and water (1 vinegar to 4 water).
This is a safe and easy way to reduce bacteria
in the cavity without affecting flavor at all.

Dry cavity with clean paper towel.

Cover inside cavity with plastic as well as the whole
carcass.

Hang in 34F for 7 days. One old buck I did for 14 days
and it was delicious.

What say ye???

[iddee]

I cut up a whitetail, put 2 inches ice in cooler, lay meat in, finish filling with ice. Refresh ice for 24 hours, cut, wrap, freeze. Leaves just enough GAMEY taste to make it good.

[Tom G. Laury]

Best I ever had had been hung in cheesecloth for over a week. Turning green. Tender and delicious on the grill.

[Zane]

Sundance,
Thats pretty much like us. My step dad was a butcher as a young man and he liked to hang a deer or elk for a week to 10 days. Here in Missouri its a perfect 30-40 degrees until opening day and then its probably going to be 70 for the season. At least thats how its been lately. I try to keep it cool if I can. Trying to figure a way to route an a/c unit in my cellar but haven't had much time.
Now then when I go to my sisters in Colorado and hunt in December it is usually around -10 to -20 degree's(yes its cold!) and the darn elk freezes solid! so we try to keep a small fire going in the barn for a few days until I have to get back home. Then we'll let it just start getting crystals in the meat and cut it up. It makes it easier to cut out your steaks and roasts, and grinds up better too.
Its good to hang your animal I think. It sure dries it out nice, makes it more tender and firm. Courious how the rest do it!

[dragonfly]

DH hunts exclusively does, so no gamey taste. We just skin/gut, butcher, and vacuum pack to place in the freezer.

[John F]

Mostly I do like dragonfly but usually because I shoot something in a place where I can't just let it hang. For some reason, if I take a carcass home I trigger a weeks worth of record warm temps and if I leave it back where I got it it will freeze solid. If it freezes then the enzymatic reaction stops so there's little sense in hanging.

If possible, I like to hang the whole carcass in less than 40 degrees until it gets past riggors.

For deer we leave the skin on; you loose less meat at butchering. For elk we skin them right away if we can to cool such a large mass.

Oh, and with either I pull the tenderloins when I gut.

[dragonfly]

For some reason, if I take a carcass home I trigger a weeks worth of record warm temps.

That's so true.
Often, it doesn't get cool enough down here during hunting season to let them hang anywhere besides in a refrigerator. It was 80 degrees the opening day of rifle season this year.

[Sundance]

The venison here is grain fed and absolutely incredible
compared to the venison I grew up with in the woods
of Minnesota.

I age is not to get rid of gamy flavor as there is none.
It does improve flavor and definitely improves the tenderness.

I mailed some backstrap medallion steaks to my big brother
last year for a treat. I called him later and he told me they
were unbelievable!! He had dumped cream of mushroom
soup over them and baked them for hours!!!! What a
waste........