Age Venison in ice chest

[ArcheryNerd]

How many of you guys age your deer in a ice chest. We are doing a hunt in Dec and there aren't any facilities so we will be aging anything in an ice chest.

Alternatively we could just butcher the whole thing straight away


Thoughts?

[hogslayer78]

How many of you guys age your deer in a ice chest. We are doing a hunt in Dec and there aren't any facilities so we will be aging anything in an ice chest.

Alternatively we could just butcher the whole thing straight away


Thoughts?

I always leave my deer for 7 days on ice with the drain open and one end propped up to drain better. No issues

[Turbo6]

I usually do my primal cuts and age in a dedicated fridge in the garage. Only cost $250 brand new and comes in handy other times of the year.

[gtsticker]

Same here


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[Burnadell]

I quarter them and leave them in the walk-in cooler at the ranch I hunt until we leave. Then I put the quarters in a large ice chest, elevated with a cookie cooling rack in the bottom. I place a plastic bag on top of the meat and fill with ice, remove the drain, tilt it in my cargo tray on the way home and leave it outside in the shade for a week or two until I am ready to process. I refill with ice as needed, but my Brute/Bison coolors rarely need much ice added!

[bakin7005]

Kill the deer, gut right there asap, take to camp, skin and quarter, meat in large ice chest with ice then when I get home (or day after) I butcher it up and it goes in the freezer. Been doing this since I've been hunting. We eat 2 deer a year.
I reckon you can call it "aging".

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[Jspradley]

I always leave my deer for 7 days on ice with the drain open and one end propped up to drain better. No issues

This right here

Just make sure you check it daily and replace the ice as needed

[BarW]

Used to age a few days on ice now I just process it the next day.
If its cold at camp I'll hang it over night in cotton game bags. I prefer it this way to aging.

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[Ætheling]

7 to 10 days on ice in a roto. Never does the meat touch sitting water.

[Antlers86]

10-14 days on ice drain open

[jlptexashunter]

How many of you guys age your deer in a ice chest. We are doing a hunt in Dec and there aren't any facilities so we will be aging anything in an ice chest.

Alternatively we could just butcher the whole thing straight away


Thoughts?

Buy an old fridge that works...gut it and you've got a nice place to hang a carcass.

[arrowsmack324]

Depends on if its an old buck or a young doe. Old buck sits for a week young doe I'll process and freeze the same day.

[diamond10x]

You don’t have to age the meat but it definitely makes a difference. I age everything in an ice chest for at least a week. Add ice when needed and leave drain plug open.

If you plan on processing right away, at least wait til after rig has set in or you’ll have some extremely tough meat.

[antonlsu]

Make sure the drain plug doesn't sit open or you may have fly issues.

[bowaddict40]

I only leave mine in until the water dripping out is clean and not bloody.