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View Full Version : how long to hang an old rutted up buck


hb hunter
11-27-2009, 02:49 PM
so my wife harvested a nice white tailed buck last sunday. the problem is that the buck was rutting hard. his left antler was broke off at the main beam, his but and ribs are covered in bruses and puncture holes i guess from another buck, he has no fat on him at all and the smell is not plesent. we skinned him out within an hour of harvesting him, he thought we were another buck so he ran in close enough to make a clean head shot so no meat is spoiled. i have harvested many deer and on average i let them hang for 3-4 days. this one is in my garage, the heat has been off all week and the day time high in my garage is 4 deg.C on average. how many days do you guys and gals think i should give this old boy?

Donny Bear
11-27-2009, 03:20 PM
No longer! head shot heart stops instantly animal does not bleed out and well trust me it will not get better with time also 4c is cold enough to stop aging and only allow dehydration. JMHO

Dick284
11-27-2009, 03:21 PM
5 days max.
You gain very little hanging game much longer since there is little to no mottling in the meat.

IMO
Rutted up has almost no bearing on the animals taste. Mistakes in field dressing and handling of game results in 95% of the bad tastes associated with game.

sjemac
11-27-2009, 03:22 PM
The one I cut on Tuesday the 24th had been shot on Remembrance day -- also a head shot. The meat was excellent. I leave the hide on though to prevent the loss you get from drying. At 4 degrees you could hang it for a month but a week would do.

PS. They bleed out just fine when you gut them.

hunt_and_fish
11-27-2009, 04:22 PM
I used to be a big proponent of hanging meat. Over the past few years I've had to cut a few animals up right away because of the heat and I just haven't noticed much of a difference in the quality of the meat. The most noticeable difference is the meat is a little bloodier. As far as taste and tenderness go, if there is a difference, it's pretty minor in my experience.

From what I've read, meat should be hung between 2C and 5C so I think you're fine with 4C.

I agree with Dick that the buck being rutted up doesn't effect the taste of the meat at all. Use a separate knife (or clean your one knife really well) to get rid of the stinky areas. Some of the best deer meat I've ever had has been from mature bucks that were in the thick of the rut. Sure, they stink on the outside, but I can't see how that gets to the meat unless we mess up.

AxeMan
11-27-2009, 06:13 PM
the problem is that the buck was rutting hard. his left antler was broke off at the main beam, his but and ribs are covered in bruses and puncture holes i guess from another buck, he has no fat on him at all and the smell is not plesent.

Sounds to me like you might want to consider sausaging this old rutted up old buck. Don't kid yourself, rutted up old bucks that have been running and fighting are full of adrenaline and testosterone and other hormones. They will never be as good as a younger buck or a dry doe. Cook up a piece and try it first before you decide how to cut it up.

I totally disagree with the guys saying rutting has no affect on the meat regardless of the field dressing technique. I have had some okay ones, but I have also had some rank old buggers. Why do you think farmers castrate beef and pork animals for the food chain?

Jrbiggamehunter
11-27-2009, 07:45 PM
5 days max.
You gain very little hanging game much longer since there is little to no mottling in the meat.

IMO
Rutted up has almost no bearing on the animals taste. Mistakes in field dressing and handling of game results in 95% of the bad tastes associated with game.

Have you never eaten a mule deer in the rut. I cant even get my dog to eat the s***.

elkhunter11
11-27-2009, 07:48 PM
Have you never eaten a mule deer in the rut. I cant even get my dog to eat the s***.

So are you telling us that you don't hunt mule deer in the rut?After all,why would you if they aren't edible?

hal53
11-27-2009, 07:49 PM
So are you telling us that you don't hunt mule deer in the rut?After all,why would you if they aren't edible?
X2...so obviously u shot one and from then on quit hunting them????..or...

Jrbiggamehunter
11-27-2009, 07:54 PM
So are you telling us that you don't hunt mule deer in the rut?After all,why would you if they aren't edible?

The Next Mule Buck i shoot i will give the meat away donait it to the food bank there are some places that take your wild game process it and give to the less fortunate. I beleive you can donait it to Birds Of Prey center in coaldale.

elkhunter11
11-27-2009, 07:56 PM
The Next Mule Buck i shoot i will give the meat away donait it to the food bank there are some places that take your wild game process it and give to the less fortunate.

So it's not fit for you to eat,but it's good enough for the less fortunate?:rolleyes:

Jrbiggamehunter
11-27-2009, 08:00 PM
So it's not fit for you to eat,but it's good enough for the less fortunate?:rolleyes:

Must be

hal53
11-27-2009, 08:28 PM
Must be
?????...nice....please don't shoot anymore deer so you can "donait" them to the less fortunate

Dick284
11-27-2009, 08:33 PM
Have you never eaten a mule deer in the rut. I cant even get my dog to eat the s***.


Yup and always.(when I get drawn)

BTW:
How'd we get onto mule deer?
The OP said a WT was harvested.:confused:

hal53
11-27-2009, 08:36 PM
Yup and always.(when I get drawn)

BTW:
How'd we get onto mule deer?
The OP said a WT was harvested.:confused:
Junior is from "southren ab. I guess he hunts mainly mulies

Jrbiggamehunter
11-27-2009, 08:37 PM
?????...nice....please don't shoot anymore deer so you can "donait" them to the less fortunate

What im the only one who donaits it. Why do you think they have places like this. You never Donaited the food bank canned goods around christmas like give it a break.

deanmc
11-27-2009, 08:56 PM
I have heard so many different opinions on this it is hard to know what to do. One of these years i am going to hang one side and butcher the other right away to see the difference.

I have read that some hanging affects tenderness in a positive way only at the proper temperature and humidity. From most articles I have read (one in this years regulations) hanging strong flavored animals will make the flavor stronger not milder.

Would be interested if some of the critics on here could offer helpful advice on the correct way to dress game and hang it instead of just criticizing others.:tongue2:

elkhunter11
11-27-2009, 08:59 PM
What im the only one who donaits it. Why do you think they have places like this. You never Donaited the food bank canned goods around christmas like give it a break.

I don't "donait" anything,but I do donate to the food bank.However,I only donate food that I consider fit for me to eat,not meat that even my dog won't eat.

And I don't trespass or illegally bait big game either.:D

Hellydoc
11-27-2009, 10:22 PM
We personally don't age our wild meat anymore either we just haven't noticed much of a difference. I will let a moose hang for a week sometimes just while getting everything organized for a smooth process.

One important note however if you are going to let this old guy hang is that you have to clean him up really good before letting him hang. You stated that he was pretty beaten up with puncture wounds etc. these need to be trimmed off ASAP and cannot be allowed to stay. Each one of those puncture wounds is a source of infection and has been innoculated with bacteria. They ( the bacteria) will be living in an anaerobic environment, which is where some really nasties like to reside:sick:. Like I said very important, but after he is all trimmed up you are usually safe for 7- 10 days at 4 C if you choose to hang him.

AxeMan
11-27-2009, 11:32 PM
I like to wipe (with a rag) the trimmed up carcass with a mixture of salt water and vinegar as well if it is going to hang for some time. I rarely let a deer hang for more than a week. Four or five days is about perfect. All you need is a bit of time for the meat to firm up a bit so it it easier to cut. If the buck does seem to be a bit gamey you could try some recipes that use cream, milk, or yogurt. That takes some of the gamey taste out.

woody
11-28-2009, 01:08 AM
if a deer is butchered right it will be awesome. give me any rutted up old over the hill mule deer you want and I'll make it taste like beef.

mulecrazy
11-28-2009, 07:35 AM
Definetly many opinions on hanging time. We used to hang a week in the cooler but now 1-2 days is all we do. We haven't found much difference. Deer vary widely, some are great, some not so. I have had mule deer that were swelled right up and chasing does every direction, these can be some good eating deer if prepared properly. One trick to try, is for a few hours prior to cooking, let the meat sit in some buttermilk. It will take the wild taste right out of it, and make it taste like beef. I laugh at the guy saying his dog wont eat it. What a meat head he is. He obviously isn't much of a hunter if he has that opinion. A couple years ago I shot a moose north of lac la biche. It was pretty cold out with lots of snow so I packed the body cavity with snow to help cool it. It stayed in the truck box for 2 days until I got home. Hung it that night and skinned it out. Next morning we cut it up and that was some of the best meat I have ever had. very tender.

Donny Bear
11-28-2009, 09:05 AM
I have heard so many different opinions on this it is hard to know what to do. One of these years i am going to hang one side and butcher the other right away to see the difference.

I have read that some hanging affects tenderness in a positive way only at the proper temperature and humidity. From most articles I have read (one in this years regulations) hanging strong flavored animals will make the flavor stronger not milder.

Would be interested if some of the critics on here could offer helpful advice on the correct way to dress game and hang it instead of just criticizing others.:tongue2:

I offer no critique of others. Both my Grandfathers were meat cutters and My father and in my youth I was. I hang wild game one day because temp and humidity can not be controlled out side of a well designed cooler. My comments on head shots and not bleeding out do not come as a critique when a large animal ie beef is stunned by a small caliber like a 22 the heart continues to beat and the animal bleeds out when properly stuck when a high powered rifle removes the brain the heart stops instantly blood decays faster than the flesh so hanging will not benifit the flavor and while some animals hang well typically smaller game like deer dehydrate in cold weather conditions rather than decompose it is the decomposition that makes the meat tender. DaJimmer shot his rutting buck yesterday I will cut it today and with a nice double lung shot there will be virtualy no blood on the cutting table. The meat will be fully deboned and fat free (don't care for the tallowy taste of deer fat) the meat will be excellent and the rut will have zero effect on flavor and the meat will be tender.

hunt_and_fish
11-28-2009, 10:44 AM
The meat will be fully deboned and fat free (don't care for the tallowy taste of deer fat) the meat will be excellent and the rut will have zero effect on flavor and the meat will be tender.

Well said Donny. I know I seem to write this on here every couple weeks but I can't stress enough how important it is to remove all fat and bone and as much connective tissue as possible. When these are removed, venison (before during or after the rut) is one of my favorite meats.