Thread: Chilling game

How does everyone chill or age their deer? Depending on where i am its either straight to the butcher (don't do this much), In a dedicated fridge on racks boned out or hang for a while in a shaded spot skin on if its nice and cold.

I have been using the fridge lately and seems to be ok, my only worry is lack of airflow, is this an issue?

I think the main thing is to cool it as quick as possible after death, once set and cool your home and hosed really

Bleed it properly and hang in a cool area asap. Don't chill it straight away. Let it set while hanging for at least 8 hrs and then chill it.
I chill mine with skin on preferably, and for a at least a week below 4°.
Body shot animals are way more fickle. Can't be bothered with them for myself. They are for give aways😆

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Yeah I usually get mine hung up in a tree and cooled for a couple of nights. Then its 6 hours in the vehicle before it gets home. One night hung in the shed. Then skinned and into the fridge on racks for a couple of days then packed and frozen.

If its going to hang outside put plenty of pepper over it to discourage the flies and whatever you do don't let it get wet.

Pin bone back legs and backsteak taken off, put in pack and head home , all in fridge overnight, next day skin and bone out back legs, then freeze, back steaks vacuum packed and then leftvwhat fridge 7-10 days before frozen

if hanging a whole carcass a good tip is to freeze 2 litre bottles of water and put them in the chest cavity etc of the hanging animal.

Originally Posted by oneshot

if hanging a whole carcass a good tip is to freeze 2 litre bottles of water and put them in the chest cavity etc of the hanging animal.

That's quite clever!

My big red stag the other week was still hot to touch around the h bone a good six hours after killing. Not good. He was Hung in the shed just that arvo before chilling in our purpose fridge for five days before frozen/taken to butcher.

The other three I shot recently were hung in the shed over night (it's fucking hot in the day time here) then butchered and chilled by about lunch time the following day. Then, see above :-)


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Originally Posted by R93

Bleed it properly and hang in a cool area asap. Don't chill it straight away. Let it set while hanging for at least 8 hrs and then chill it.
I chill mine with skin on preferably, and for a at least a week below 4°.
Body shot animals are way more fickle. Can't be bothered with them for myself. They are for give aways��

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Interesting, front shoulders aside, do you think shooting in the boiler rooms affects the taste of back steaks/rear wheels?

Originally Posted by oneshot

if hanging a whole carcass a good tip is to freeze 2 litre bottles of water and put them in the chest cavity etc of the hanging animal.

Good trick alright, I keep about 10 frozen milk bottles in the freezer that go into the chest cavity or hang around the back legs then just wrap the whole carcass in a queen sheet for a coupla days.

Taking the bottles out when getting an animal leaves enough space in the freezer for the meat, then as the meat is consumed the bottles are replaced- freezers always fill so running economically

Yup even in the summer I do this with frozen bottles of water, as long as the animal is in some good shade and wrapped in mutton cloth its safe for 2-3 days if the ice bottles are replaced when melted.

Good thinking 99

I use 3 litre juice bottles for fishing trips to keep the chilly bins cold. Got a handful at all times in the freezer. If you fill them with salt water they will stay frozen for much longer than fresh.