How long to keep venison?

[Eric45653]

I have some venison in my freezer and i have no idiea how long i should keep it. I got a Buck in 2004 and gave some away (like a fine cigar), and a doe in 2005. I normally jerk most of it, but im wondering if it has some sort of "freezer life"?

[BandanaMan]

Well.......I'll throw in my two cents worth here..........I read somewhere that beef shouldn't be kept in the freezer no longer then a year.......I thought I read the same about venison last year in one of the bow hunting magazines I get....so of the two deer I shot last year, we have only about eight bundles left consisting of four roasts, three loins, and one package of ribs.

Here's a quote from a website about meat safety:

Freezing

While freezing never improves the flavor of meat, sometimes it's unavoidable. So if you must freeze it:

* Take the meat out of the original package.
* Wrap it in freezer paper. If you don't have any freezer paper on hand, plastic wrap will do. Just make sure the plastic clings tightly to all surfaces of the meat. Then wrap it a second time.
* Store the meat at 0 degrees F. or colder.
* Meat can be kept in your freezer up to 6 months.

Here's the link to that website:

http://www.steaksense.com/about/MeatHandlingBasics.html

[4man]

Here's my view on freezing venison. I got two Caribou 4 years ago and I had it shrink wrapped. I finished eating that Caribou about 2 months ago. During that 4 year period i lost about 3 or 4 small packages of Caribou to freezer burn. (3 0r 4 one pound packages only) You can believe me when I say this, invest in a shrink wrapper and your venison will last a very long time. I now shrink wrap all my Walleye, Birds, and Venison that I harvest.
What I am telling you is no BULL.

Ric

[MallardMan]

Keep venison...heck i just shoot em let em lay there are so many freaking deer around here.

[wvbowhunter]

let them lay. U could do that. I make jerky:p

[HalfBass]

Keep venison...heck i just shoot em let em lay there are so many freaking deer around here.

That's a pretty wasteful attitude, Hunters for the Hungry is a good place to dump those deer.

[bowhunter1023]

Keep venison...heck i just shoot em let em lay there are so many freaking deer around here.

I sure hope that was an attempt at humor...

[deerhunt45]

I sure hope that was an attempt at humor...

Well...I let it go at an attempt at humor myself, although I found nothing funny about it. Perhaps a pot stirrer. I guess we'll see :mischeif:
I allowed the post to remain in the name of free speech and democracy and all that....ok ok...I wanted to see what, if any, comments were made about it :D ;) :shhh:

Back on topic, I will keep good double freezer wrapped venison (or red meat etc.) for 6 to 8 months. Fish I freeze in a block of ice if it doesn't get eaten up fresh :) I don't like to eat anything from the freezer that is much older than that... for some reason :16suspect1: :coco:
If the meat is vacuum sealed I might think differently, but I don't keep that much meat around anymore to worry about it lasting that long! With just the two of us, if I don't have room for it, I give fish and venison away. I won't waste it and over 8 months in the freezer is wasting it...just my .02

[mullskinner]

zip lock freezer bag it leave the bag open then vacum seal it ..
good for 2 years .....:whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:
i just don't like the vacum bag by it'self ....;)

[MallardMan]

I sure hope that was an attempt at humor...

Well I was joking of course...I never would let a deer lay. I usually give my extra deer I dont process to families that will take them.

[mullskinner]

also another option is canning your deer meat .....:)

[bowhunter1023]

also another option is canning your deer meat .....:)

Spoken like a true boondocker :D I love canned deer meat! I use it to make BBQ samiches :shhh: MMMMM So good. Go get you some Amish Honey Habanero BBQ sauce. You'll be warming up the outhouse before the other fellers make it out of the fumes!