Hanging deer the wrong way

Let me clarify, cape asap, but do not hang a deer by the neck if you want to mount it, it causes the neck to stretch, and a rope around the neck is a no-no. Hang it by the hocks and cape it asap, then hang your skinned deer whatever way you like.

Deer hanging techniques is primarily a theoretical discussion for most Maryland hunters, right? Unless I know it's going to be below 50 during the day and in the 30s at night, I process my deer immediately with a vacuum sealer and freezer. I get most of my deer in September, November and early December. Sometimes in November and December it's cold enough all day to hang them...but usually it's not. The few times I have hung a deer, I've done it legs up, as recommended by the great British butcher Scott Rea on Youtube. It seems to help with tenderness but it's really hard to tell. More than anything, if a deer has hung in the cold for a few days, it's much easier to process.

We built a cold box at my buddies with a $40 used air conditioner, some 2x4's, scrap R13 I had, some 1/4" plywood he got cheap and a free door. Added an Inkbird temp device and a Johnson controls freeze sensor wired together. The Inkbird closes and starts the compressor when needed and the JC sensor opens when the sensor on the coils freezes below 30. The fan runs all the time and the compressor runs until it freezes the coils and the JC sensor cuts it off until it warms back up 8° and the fans thaws it out while the compressor is off. We ran it as a test Saturday and it was 39° in there and holding.

Archeryrob said:

We built a cold box at my buddies with a $40 used air conditioner, some 2x4's, scrap R13 I had, some 1/4" plywood he got cheap and a free door. Added an Inkbird temp device and a Johnson controls freeze sensor wired together. The Inkbird closes and starts the compressor when needed and the JC sensor opens when the sensor on the coils freezes below 30. The fan runs all the time and the compressor runs until it freezes the coils and the JC sensor cuts it off until it warms back up 8° and the fans thaws it out while the compressor is off. We ran it as a test Saturday and it was 39° in there and holding.

Click to expand...

Brilliant!!!

Archeryrob said:

We built a cold box at my buddies with a $40 used air conditioner, some 2x4's, scrap R13 I had, some 1/4" plywood he got cheap and a free door. Added an Inkbird temp device and a Johnson controls freeze sensor wired together. The Inkbird closes and starts the compressor when needed and the JC sensor opens when the sensor on the coils freezes below 30. The fan runs all the time and the compressor runs until it freezes the coils and the JC sensor cuts it off until it warms back up 8° and the fans thaws it out while the compressor is off. We ran it as a test Saturday and it was 39° in there and holding.

Click to expand...

I use a coolbot and a window unit and it works great

I'm not dismissing the first post here. Venison is very different than cows, pigs, sheep, and other traditionally butchered animals.

I am probably going to write a "How to" on my blog as we got about $60 in control equipment to do the same thing as the coolbot for less.

The inkbird controller is only $23.20 with the box we mounted it in. It ran fine as we used it to close the yellow wire to the compressor. Basically turn the switch and the fan is on. The compressor wire is closed when the Inkbird says it needs to cool, but it would run constantly at the first start and freeze up. That is where the coolbot uses its freeze sensor and the inkbird would not. So ours was freezing up and tripped the GFI from melting out..

So, to prevent the freezing up I added the Johnson Controls A19ABA-40C temperature controller. I stuck the tempature bulb on the front inside coil of the Air conditioner. It had a foam block with a hole to hold the previous thermostat. I just bent the bulb end so it pushed the bulb against the fins and slide it in the foam block to hold it in place. I set the sensor on 28° and temperature difference for about 3/4 of it range (maybe 8°). We fixed it Saturday with the freeze sensor and it ran all day and held steady at 39° without freezing up.

Wiring was done by cutting the yellow compressor start wire. Two wires are run from it to the Freeze sensor where one wire is cut and run through its closed contact. The two wires run to the Inkbird to the cooling terminals.

When power on, which is all the time but nothing happens becuase the air condition is manually off. When turned on, the inkbird calls for the compressor to run and its not cold enough for the freeze sensor to do anything. When the coils hit 28° the freeze sensor opens the two wires disconnecting the compressor. The fan keep running and blowing cold air as it slowly defrosts the coils. When the coils reach 38°, or there about it will close the contacts and allow the compressor to run, if the inkbird is shorted and calling for it to run. If not the compressor will stay off until the inkbird calls for it to run.

Basically a Redneck engineered coolbot for $60 I think with our scrounging we built the entire thing cheaper than what the coolbot costs.

I hope you test the theory in the first post and get back to us on the results.

I'll test it, maybe Thursday. My buddy might have to give the report. I make make both rear legs into hams and cure them. Maybe pepper one dry and leave one wet and sugar glaze it while it smokes. Not sure I'll be able to tell the difference in mine.