”The key points when handling venison are: 1) keep it clean; 2) keep it dry; and 3) keep it cold,” says Barbara Ingham, food science specialist with the University of WisconsinExtension. You do not need to further ‘bleed’ a harvested deer, says Ingham. Remove the viscera from the body cavity as soon as possible, especially if the deer was hit in the gut area. This will help cool the carcass more quickly and limit bacterial spreading and growth. Take your time. Be careful not to cut into the intestines, stomach or bladder while removing organs since these commonly contain bacteria (some potentially dangerous). This is also a good time to cut around the entrance and exit holes to remove any dirty or potentially contaminated material. If intestinal contents do happen to spill into the body cavity or the cavity is very bloody, take special care to minimize the spread of potential contamination. You might carefully use a clean cloth or towel to clean up any spill. Rinsing out the cavity with cold water soon after the deer has been killed can help by removing any bacteria that is a part of the spilled material. Spraying the internal cavity of the deer with a simple 50/50 solution of water and vinegar is a great option to help destroy some of the bacteria that may be present. In most cases, leaving the hide on the deer keeps the meat surface clean (prevents bacterial contamination) and prevents the outside of the carcass from drying out. Once you have removed the deer’s internal organs, you should focus on cooling the carcass as soon as possible. “This will slow bacterial growth, improving food safety and improve the quality of your venison meat,” says Ingham. Although this can sometimes be difficult, cooling the carcass quickly is critical to limit bacterial growth, as well as improving the eating quality of your venison. The cooling process should begin within a couple hours of harvesting the deer. Propping open the body cavity, keeping the carcass in the shade and exposing it to air movement are all ways to improve cooling. By suspending the deer from an overhead object, you can greatly speed up the cooling process since the air reaching the carcass will carry away any heat and provide a cooling effect. Be careful to not allow the carcass to freeze within the first six hours after harvest since this can result in the meat becoming tough.