I used to let them hang but now butcher them as soon as possible.
Gamey flavor is based on their food source and I suppose poor handling. We live in farm country, so deer shot around me have no gamey taste, up in northern Wisconsin different story when you get into the national forest deer. Much stronger flavor, not bad, just different.
I hunt basically right out my back door, so I have deer hanging 10 minutes after gutting. If temps are right I will age for up to 2 weeks or so. We had this argument for years around our deer camp guys. Old timer said deer doesn't age like beef does. Only way to be sure is to do a test... We've done several actually, the latest was from a 2 1/2 yo buck. We hung it up and let hang for about 24 hours (which is recommended as the least amount of time for the rigor mortis phase to complete. If cut too soon, it will be tough).
Anyway we hung for a day, partially skinned and pulled one loin, vac packed and froze it. The other loin was cover up with the hide to prevent excess drying and we let age for 12 days and processed that loin as well as the rest of the deer. The aged loin was vac packed and froze as well. We got most of the group together for a post season party and I cooked up both loins to med rare and served as blind test. Every single guy picked the aged over "fresh" loin as being more tender and better flavor. Even the stubborn old timer...
We also recently started hanging our deer the correct way. We had always hung by the achilles tendon, but now hook through the pelvic bone. Truly makes a difference in the rear quarter cuts!
https://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/articles/you-ve-been-hanging-your-deer-wrong-for-years
The butcher gives us advice on prep--- Cooling the meat right away, keeping the meat away from any urine/poop/musk, taking off ALL fat and fell are critical to stop gaminess and toughness.
He ages beef but not deer. "The enzymes that reside in deer are different than beef and don't tenderize the muscle fibers with aging."
your butcher is absolutely correct. Any real butcher that knows what he is talking about will tell you a deer isn't a cow anymore then its a barn owl. Only thing the share is 4 legs and the color brown. I always chuckle at guys that are obsessed by trying to make there venison taste like bland beef. Rot it then soak it to take away the rotted (wild) taste and then marinade it with anything that's strong enough to hide the venison taste. I LIKE THE TASTE OF VENISON. I wish there was a way to make a beef t bone or ribeye have that little kick of different taste that venison has. Then you have the type that frys the crap out of venison because they think its a wild animal and has germs or something. Then bitch because there venison is tough. Take a look at that scrubby lady with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and bandaids on her fingers at the butchering plant. The about a month it takes to get to your table that its handled probably 20 times and is beef you should be burning to kill the germs not venison. Then you can come to the internet and get advice on how to butcher from someone that's shot MAYBE 5 deer in there lives or 10 at tops. Like taking cancer advice from a first year med student. I butcher 30 to a 100 deer a year and have not ONCE had someone complain my venison was gamey tasting, wild tasting or tough. I do admit to aging them though. I don't get home till around 10pm so I hang them till about 8am the next day:tango_face_wink:He ages beef but not deer. "The enzymes that reside in deer are different than beef and don't tenderize the muscle fibers with aging."