kill- skin -cut up and age in fridgeator

If you leave all the meat on the carcass, when you skin it, that little bit that drys out isn't going to affect anything. I like to let them hang for awhile after skinning unless it's too warm. Not in the sun. If it's a young deer, it probably doesn't matter much, but it makes them more tender.

Skin off

Chewers of the world unite!

Skinned within hours hang 3-7 days depending on weather.

Skin, quarter, put in ice chest, cover with ice, drain water every other day and add more ice. After a week, butcher .

I hang my skin off when it is cold enough, if not, I skin it ASAP break it down and put it in a cooler with the plug out of it and tilted so the water drains cover in ice and add ice if needed, either way cut it up in about 5 days. As far as the inner loins, I pull them out as soon as the deer is gutted, that is breakfast the next morning after soaking overnight in salt water and lemon juice.

Seems to be about a 50/50 consensus, which I find suprising. Many of the processors around here won't take them if they are skinned unless you have them deboned as well. I appreciate all of the responses. I do have to skin immediately often due to temperature and age in the refrigerator, but I was fortunate to have sub freezing lows and highs not coming out of the 30's for days after I killed my most recent deer. I have no trouble skinning a cold deer as long as it's not frozen and I believe that aged venison is better than not.

Gulo, the salted game bags are intriguing, do you say that improves the flavor and/or tenderness of the meat, or do you just do that to keep the outer layer of meat from drying out?

Hang the deer from something strong and start the skinning by hand. Take a golf ball or a baseball, put it inside the skin and tie a rope around it so the knot keep the ball inside the skin. Take the other end of the rope and tie it to the ball on your truck. Tighten the rope and the weight will do most of the work for you. Pull a little harder and you have a giant skinning machine.

ive done it both ways,if you skin it and want to let it hang,simple an cheap,wrap in saran wrap