A whole deer in the kitchen, from the cuts to the freezer

The tenderloins are the first meat off a hung deer. Michigan State University Extension’s bulletin E0657, “Michigan Venison” (the page is dated November 2, 2015), describes them as the two large muscles inside the body cavity that run along the backbone to the hipbone. Once the deer is hung, it says, they should come off “immediately,” be cleaned and chilled, and then be cooked within 24 hours or frozen. On a deer that was gut shot or poorly field dressed, the bulletin warns, they can be heavily contaminated and may have to be discarded.

That is where the kitchen work starts. What follows draws on MSU Extension, the federal site FoodSafety.gov, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). All of it is guidance or an agency’s own advisory or program condition, named where it appears, and none of it is offered here as Michigan law. The steps before the kitchen are in the field-care guide in this issue.

One number comes first: 160 F. FoodSafety.gov’s chart of safe minimum internal temperatures (last reviewed November 21, 2024) lists “Rabbit and venison,” wild or farm-raised, at 160 F (71 C) and says to check with a food thermometer. MSU Extension bulletin E3233, “Michigan Fresh-Handling, Using and Storing Venison” (October 21, 2015, by Laurie Messing), gives the same minimum, 160 F, as the USDA’s recommendation, and says color and texture are not safe ways to judge whether venison is done.

The other MSU bulletin, E0657, says 165 F and attributes the figure to the Michigan Food Law (P.A. of 2000 as amended). It does not quote the provision or say whom it covers, and no page read for this issue does, so this piece follows the federal chart and E3233, 160 F measured with a thermometer, and reports 165 F as E0657’s figure. Neither number is offered here as a legal requirement.

Cuts, trimming and the DNR’s lead advice

E0657 says only the tenderloin, the round, and loin steaks or chops suit dry-heat cooking such as broiling, frying, roasting or grilling; the shoulder, rump, neck, flank and breast belong to moist heat (pot roasts, stews, soup) or the grinder. For trimming, it says to remove white connective tissue, hair and other foreign matter, to cut away as much fat as possible because some of the gamey flavor is in it, and to discard any meat bruised by bullet, shot or arrow.

The DNR gives a second reason to trim. Its page “Precaution About Lead in Venison” (undated, read October 30, 2026) says deer shot with rifle bullets containing lead can have lead particles in the meat, and that children under seven years old and pregnant women are at the greatest risk. It suggests trimming a generous distance away from the wound channel, discarding meat that is bruised, discolored or contains hair, dirt or bone fragments, and avoiding internal organs.

The 2026 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary (read October 30, 2026) lists recommended steps that apply statewide: trim around wound channels; avoid shooting through large bones such as the front shoulder when using lead bullets, because bullets passing through bone are more likely to fragment; and choose different cuts, since ground venison often contains more lead fragments than other cuts. It also advises against vinegar or wine when cooking game shot with lead ammunition, because acids can increase lead absorption.

Aging is optional, and freezer times are for best quality

E0657 defines aging as holding meat at 32 to 38 F for as long as 10 days so natural enzymes tenderize it. It says that because most Michigan deer are under 2 1/2 years old when hunters kill them, there is “absolutely no reason” to let most hang longer than one day, and that longer hanging may suit a deer known to be 2 1/2 or older.

E0657 says aging above 40 F is not recommended because the meat may spoil, and that meat hung more than a day should stay below 40 F, preferably 35 to 37. On October 25, 2013, MSU Extension’s Jeannine Schweihofer wrote that fall temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit mean hunters must be diligent about following food safety practices, and that meat should be processed as soon as possible because aging venison is not necessary and could increase gamey taste. Read together, the two MSU documents leave a narrow path: aging is optional, it is for a deer known to be 2 1/2 or older, it stays between 32 and 38 F and never goes above 40 F, and for most deer the guidance is prompt processing.

E3233 says fresh raw venison should stay in the refrigerator no longer than three to five days. For the freezer it says to trim fat, package in meal-size portions, wrap tightly, and freeze quickly at 0 F or below. At that temperature it gives, “for best quality,” no longer than three months for ground venison and six to nine months for roasts and steaks. It also says frozen meat is safe as long as it stays frozen but loses quality and flavor over time, so these are quality figures, not safety limits. A 2013 MSU Extension article by Messing gives eight to 12 months for steaks and roasts; this piece uses E3233’s.

Places with their own advice

The DNR’s “Where to donate deer” page (read October 30, 2026) reports a “Do Not Eat” deer advisory still in effect for deer taken within 3 miles of Clark’s Marsh in Oscoda Township in Iosco County, on evidence that deer there were more likely to have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their livers and muscle tissue. The donation program refuses those deer, as the donation guide in this issue explains.

The 2026 Deer Hunting Regulations Summary reports that high levels of dioxin were found in wild game from the Tittabawassee and Saginaw river floodplains downstream of Midland. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) advises not eating the liver from deer harvested in or near the Tittabawassee floodplain downstream of Midland, and limiting muscle meat from deer taken in or near that floodplain or the Saginaw River floodplain.

On epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), the DNR’s 2026 deer hunting preview (read October 30, 2026), discussing the Southern Lower Peninsula, says: “Venison from healthy deer harvested in areas affected by EHD is safe to eat. As with any wildlife, animals that appear sick should not be consumed.”

The CDC on CWD, and the DNR on sick deer

Statewide, the DNR’s wildlife disease page (read October 30, 2026) says: “We do not recommend eating any animal that acted sick prior to harvest.” On chronic wasting disease (CWD), the source is the CDC. Its page dated January 21, 2026, says: “The disease hasn’t been shown to infect people.” Infections in people have never been reported, it says, and “so far, it’s not known if people could get infected with CWD.” Because some studies in monkeys suggest they could, “in theory” CWD could be considered a risk to people.

For hunters in areas with CWD activity, the CDC advises not to eat animals that look sick or act strangely or meat from animals found dead, and to check state wildlife and health department recommendations. Its central line: “Strongly consider having the deer or elk tested for CWD before you eat the meat.” If a commercial processor handles the deer, it suggests asking for individual processing, and if the animal tests positive, not eating meat from it.

That advice is the CDC’s, not the DNR’s. The DNR pages used here give no word on eating venison from a CWD county. The county rules and testing options are in the baiting and CWD guide in this issue. Whether people can be infected remains open, and the CDC says scientists continue to study it, so its page and the DNR’s CWD pages are the two to read again before the next deer comes home.