Skip to main content

Deer Meat Care in the Heat

Taking care of an early season harvest takes planning. Here's a general guide.

Deer Meat Care in the Heat

Due to the warmer temperatures of the early deer seasons, learning a few new field-dressing and meat-care tips will help deliver quality venison from the field to the freezer. (Photo by Lynn Burkhead)

Meat care after a successful deer hunt actually starts before leaving home, especially in warm weather. Have a plan in place to take care of the meat to optimize quality.

Having two large coolers with ice in them allows you to store a quartered deer. Keep the meat off the ice and suspended above water in the bottom of the cooler.

In the backcountry, use the gutless method to quickly break down your deer. Bone out the meat and spread it out in a shaded area to get it quickly cooling. Hanging it on tree bows or from limbs allows air to circulate from all angles, cooling it quicker. From there, get it into game bags and into cold storage as soon as possible.

Related: Taking Care of Early-Season Venison

Should you have the luxury of getting a whole deer out of the woods, field dress it fast and hit the road. To prevent spoilage on those 100-degree days, the hide should be off the deer within a couple hours. If you can hang the whole deer on the bone for five days in a cold storage locker, in 33 to 42 degrees, this will optimize the aging process and result in tender, tasty meat.

Click to subscribe to Game & Fish Magazine

If you don’t have access to a walk-in cooler, a quartered deer can be aged in a refrigerator. Be sure to stand up the quarters and don’t stack loose meat, as you want to optimize airflow around every cut.

Never transport or age game meat in plastic bags, as it will spoil. If you can’t immediately age the meat, consider cutting, wrapping and freezing it right away. Come time to cook it, remove the package of meat from the freezer, unwrap it and let it thaw in the refrigerator.

Find the best day and time to hunt in your zip code




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Gear

Dryshod Evalusion Hunt Boots Keep Whitetail Hunters on Top of Their Game

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Gear

Lew's Custom Pro Gen 3

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Other

Light up the Salt

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Fishing

Caring for the Catch

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Fishing

Snook on the Hook

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Guns

TriStar Cobra III Field Pump Super Compact .410

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Gear

Federal Premium Freight Train Copper Sabot Slug

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Fishing

Saltwater Setup

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Fishing

Jacks to the Max

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Gear

Beilue's Best from ICAST 2024: Baits & Tackle

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Gear

Beilue's Best from ICAST 2024: Rods

Finesse tactics continue to have impact on new bass gear. Of course, not everything in bass fishing is driven by finesse...
Gear

Beilue's Best from ICAST 2024: Reels

Game & Fish Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Game & Fish App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Game & Fish stories delivered right to your inbox every week.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Game & Fish subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Game & Fish stories delivered right to your inbox every week.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use