Hello everyone, been shhoting for a while and and about to go on my very first hunting trip with a friend. We are targeting dear and hope to fill our freezers.
I've been doing lots of research but had some questions on a couple of gaps I can't seem to find the answer to. It seems the general consensus is that hung or aged meat is the best way to go. I'll be travelling around 10 hours to my hunting site and will likely break up the animal to store in a cooler for the way home.
Everyone says to hang the meat to cool before eating, sometimes up to a week, and I see guys in cooler weather hang the whole carcass in a tree for a few days before processing. I will likely be hunting in 20-30 degrees Celsius. How long should I be hanging the meat or leaving to 'cool' in weather like this before it starts to spoil? Keeping in mind I will need to break down to transport home. Should i break to whole animal down the get straight in to cooler? Or hang for a bit then break down? What is best practice in the Aussie heat?
I don't have any facility to hang or really age the meat at home apart from maybe a second fridge in the garage ( I live in a small concrete jungle suburban home)
All info is greatly appreciated as it's my first time hunting and I want to make sure I treat the meat with the respect it deserves and it comes out at the best quality within my means.