Thread: Liver handling on hunting trip

Hi all,
I’m after a bit of advice on the handling of liver once removed from a deer.

Took a few days off last week and turned it into a long weekend hunting. Shot my first red deer Friday morning. Gutted, carried out and hung within a couple hours. Put the liver inside the hanging carcass.
Got home Sunday morning and put the liver straight into the fridge.

Just wondering if with offal that’s too long without being cooled down properly/frozen?
Previous times iv taken offal it’s been day hunts and it’s been in the freezer the next day.

Any signs I could look for to show it’s gone bad?

Thanks in advance for any help

At a guess, I’d say cut it open. Any congealed blood internally will go off first and you should smell it and/or see it. If in doubt, just ditch it or get someone fussy to smell it. Other than that, don’t take advice from me, as my beloved reckons that I eat shit that would kill anyone else.

Originally Posted by James--03

Hi all,
I’m after a bit of advice on the handling of liver once removed from a deer.

Took a few days off last week and turned it into a long weekend hunting. Shot my first red deer Friday morning. Gutted, carried out and hung within a couple hours. Put the liver inside the hanging carcass.
Got home Sunday morning and put the liver straight into the fridge.

Just wondering if with offal that’s too long without being cooled down properly/frozen?
Previous times iv taken offal it’s been day hunts and it’s been in the freezer the next day.

Any signs I could look for to show it’s gone bad?

Thanks in advance for any help

smell rules learn to develop that nose - as a rule it would be better to hang liver outside the carcass in a meat bag - cool and dry is the rule -but dont ask me about how to cook liver I dont touch the stuff cant stand it

I usually eat liver in slices not thicker than 20mm or in cubes of about that size as well. So if it is the liver of a big deer, you could easily slice it up in two or three pieces and let it cool faster before packing it away. Doing that you will also be able to get rid of some of the blood inside.

I have seen liver turning real bad in New Caledonia, on a stag I shot at 5 pm, that we brought back home and started gutting at 7/8 pm. It was still so hot , the thing never had a chance to cool down.