Advice on hanging deer in the fur... is it safe?

Is it okay to hang my deer carcasses outside if I leave them in the fur? Dom Holtam offers expert advice...

Q:Is it okay to hang my deer carcasses outside if I leave them in the fur?

DOM HOLTAM replies: If the carcasses are for your own consumption then you can pretty much do what you want. Obviously in warm conditions a carcass can spoil very rapidly and will also be a magnet for flies. In cooler conditions, jacket on, then you would probably be okay.

I know some people who use a fine-meshed fisherman’s keepnet as a fly screen, and others that use a muslin screen.

If the carcasses are to go into the food chain then you must get them straight to the game dealer or into a proper chiller, where you can be sure they are maintained at the right temperature. Legislation dictates large wild game must be cooled to 7°C or cooler, but not frozen.

If I keep an animal myself, I’ll generally pick a younger beast and hang it for only a short period of time. But, in truth, if you want to hang the carcass to mature for any length of time, you’d be better off using a proper larder.