As soon as you gut the deer you need to get it cooled down as quickly as possible. The ideal temperature for storing meat is between 32-40°F. If the temperature is too warm bacteria will start to grow and cause the meat to spoil. If it’s too cold the meat will freeze and the quality will suffer.
The best way to cool down meat is by hanging it in a cooler. This allows the air to circulate around the meat and helps it to cool down quickly. But how long can you hang a deer in a cooler?
The answer depends on a few factors such as the temperature of the cooler the size of the deer and how long it was hanging before it was gutted.
In general you should hang a deer in a cooler for 24-48 hours. This will give the meat time to cool down and will also help to tenderize it.
If the temperature in the cooler is below 32°F you can hang the deer for a longer period of time. Just be sure that the meat doesn’t freeze as this will damage the quality.
If the temperature in the cooler is above 40°F you will need to hang the deer for a shorter period of time. 24 hours should be sufficient in most cases.
The size of the deer also plays a role in how long it should be hung. A small deer can be hung for 24 hours while a large deer may need to be hung for 48 hours or more.
Finally the amount of time the deer was hanging before it was gutted will also affect how long it needs to be hung in the cooler. If the deer was hanging for a long time before it was gutted it may already be at the ideal temperature. In this case you can just hang it for a few hours to tenderize the meat.
So how long can you hang a deer in a cooler? It depends on a few factors but in general you should hang a deer in a cooler for 24-48 hours.
