What is the absolute best method to age deer and elk. I hang cleaned carcuss for three weeks in our walk in cooler. Three weeks is too long. Two weeks is better for me. Hanging too long and the meat gets tacky on the surface. Ground meat that has been aged for three weeks seems to be mushy also.

What do you prefer?

I am almost convinced that the first hour after a kill is far more important to meat quality than any other procedure. Got to get the body heat out.

Opinions.

I grind burger, cut some stew meat and cut for jerky the day or day after we kill.

As soon as I can get to it after I shoot it I gut it to get the heat out but maybe leave it only a couple of days before I cut it up, when we used to party hunt they would wait until the last Sunday of second season as that’s when everyone had filled their tag by then.

I age for 7 to 10 days weather permitting. I age with the skin on prevent the meat from drying out on the outside. I’d love to have a walk in cooler. Aged venison steaks and roasts are, without a doubt, better quality than those that are not aged.

When the weather is right 30 to 45 I hang skinned does for 4 to 5 days,bucks 7 to 9 days seems to work well.Inside of a shop out of the sun.

there was a butcher who does youtube videos he states after 7 days at 40 degrees in a cooler hide on you get no more tender meat , only stronger flavor because of moisture loss

I don't have the ability to test him right or wrong but it seems fair

I just don't have the facility to do this so I refrigerator age my straps and loins for 7 days in a bag then freeze or eat.

I grind or jerky the rest

I usually go two weeks outside in shade. Little longer doesn’t seem to hurt but I don’t grind much or any burger. I could see how that wouldn’t be the best for burger.

So is he saying that aging doesn’t help at all or that aging more than seven days doesn’t help?

With deer, I don't think it matters.
Gut em, let the heat dissipate and cut n wrap.

Tried it many ways and can't tell the difference.

How I do it as well.

I wouldn't know...mine's still running around out there.

Deer aren't like beef. Cut and package asap.

I let deer and elk hang 5 to 7 days in my walk in cooler

I doubt that you guys claiming that aging venison doesn’t make a difference have actually ever tested your theories. I have. There’s been quite a few seasons where I have been able to kill deer early and had the right temperatures to leave them hanging for a week or more and then killed more deer towards the end of that period and had to process them all at the same time because of rising temperatures (I don’t own a walk in cooler).

The aged venison is always more tender, no exceptions.

I have Lug. Many times, hence"the " I don't think it matters".

I prefer 10-12 days if the temperature will allow ….. I have a buck hanging now that I killed last Sunday we have had perfect hanging temps this past week …. Will process him later this week ….

Well if you're cooking the tenderloins in the crockpot I guess it wouldn't, lol.

I don't have a dog in this fight though. I don't age mine and never to my knowledge had any that was aged. I just had to pick on bucks re: the other post.

Haha!! ^^^^

Lol Yote

.. Charles I don’t have access to a hanging cooler but we ice quartered deer and drain the ice chest till the water runs clear.. that’s usually 7 to 14 days depending on the amount of blood in the meat and outside temperature

.. you can tell the difference

I am with Lugnut on this one. I also think the butcher reference above was trying to say that 7 days is sufficient and there are no benefits beyond that, not that there is no benefits to aging the deer.
I will say that I have found deer only aged 3-5 days was just as good as deer aged 7 days so maybe that time window is pretty narrow
Definitely noticed better steaks off of deer that hung for just a few days in the shade. Weather was usually mid 40s daytime, high 30s to just below freezing at night.