10 days Minimum if cold weather allows.
Not uncommon to go more in later season kills.
I subscribe to the darkened rind theory.

Iv'e decided the type of deer it will be can be determined as I approach it.
A rank deer is strong meat to me.

I honestly believe that people who claim to have eaten "gamey" deer meat, ate meat that didn't have the glands removed when butchering.
I've talked to other guys who butcher their own who have said they never remove glands. Didn't even know what i was talking about.
We got some meat ground at a processor once because I didn't have time to do it. We opened one pack of burger that just smelled nasty....really musky and rank. I talked to one of the guys that butchers there and he said they don't take the time to remove glands and everyone's meat gets mixed together. That's the last time I had a deer butchered elsewhere.
Neck glands, shoulder glands, ham glands all have to go or you will taste them.

I've butchered my own deer for years, and some of them have been old swollen up bucks. I've dry aged and wet aged.....they all taste the same to me. I've gotten to the point I'd take my self butchered homemade deer steak over a beef steak anymore. Never thought I'd say that, but it's true.

Was watching how long before glands came up. One you picture guys could help a lot of self cutters on here.
Stress is a factor too. The domestics that refuse to go into stations many times get ground whole after being chased and field dispatched.

No thanks did tried it once shot a buck that was about ready to top a doe. Smelled bad from the get go and just got worse with age. Heard stories about it and never believed it till I tried it never ever again. It was not the preparation or handling of the meat, I have killed Im guessing over a hundred deer but never a buck that hot again ever.

We eat about 8 a year and I can't tell much difference between the bucks and doe. We are meticulous about cleaning them and usually but the meat on ice for days or hang if temps are good. They all taste good

I have never removed glands and have killed bucks in rut with swelled necks but never had one that tasted off. Can't explain it.

I have never removed glands either, I would be curious as to how to do it.

I bet you remove them if you clean up your meat well. The glands are grey and packed in white and yellow fat and nasty stuff. In the back ham and under the front shoulders

That would make sense, I do take all the fat and most tendon etc off and do bone out cuts that I keep pretty clean.

Shot 3 deer this year a Doe that laid in the corn row and never got up , A rutting buck been running with a doe that I also shot ,
I am not gonna say because I don't eat it but the guys said the old doe that never got up was as good as they have ever got ,but they like the old rutting buck too

Ditto

This year I shot a deer and skinned, gutted, washed, and hung in a walk-in cooler all within 40 minutes of leaving camp. The actual hunt took less than five minutes. I am 73 and had no help other than I used a 4-wheeler to drag her to the skinning shed. Used an electric wench in the shed to lift the deer. The walk-in is adjacent to the shed. At 4:55 I finished a book, left for a two minute walk to a baited stand. Shot a deer in the head, walked back to camp to get an ATV, drove back to the dead deer and drug it back to the skinning shed. When I dropped the guts in our gut ditch and rinsed the wheel barrow, the elapsed time was 40 minutes. Wasn’t much of a hunt.

Never done one that quickly but nearly all are finished in 60-90 minutes from being shot. I shoot mostly doe but even a rutting buck is OK if cleaned and cooled quickly. Deer that are instantly killed, shot in the head, rinsed with cold water and aged for at least a week make quality venison.

Is a fat doe better than a rutting buck? I think so, but efficient processing is the key.

We never specifically removed glands but we remove all fat and most connective tissue from our meat the glands get removed with it

+1

I have killed two bucks that were nearly inedible. One was a small basket racked 6 point, probably around 100 lbs dressed that I killed the first week of Dec and the other an older busted up 7 point I shot with a bow while he was working a scrape.

The meat tasted like an old buck smells-terribly strong. We ground both into burger mixed with a lot of pork.

We prefer does and fawns, but most bucks have been pretty good too. We eat a lot of venison and my wife labels it all so that we know what meat comes from which deer we butcher.

I've always prided myself as a good butcher from my first deer at 14 but i guess this solidifies it.

Nearly every deer we shoot is deboned and in a cooler withing an hour or so of being shot. We are very picky about removing all fat, etc. when we cut it up for wrapping or grinding.

I have shot dozens of deer and prefer mature bucks in November. They have great flavor and are easier to cut up being thinner from the rut. I always hang them 5-8 days if possible. Never had a bad one but have heard people say they have.

These western Blacktail and Mule deer in the rut are only good for dog food. A buddy of mine drought home a Whitetail cornfield 12 point Eastern Kansas Buck to Oregon with the hide still on and it's neck was as big around as a 30 gallon barrel. I laughed at him and told him it was a waste of time to skin. I was wrong it was some of the best Deer meat I have ate.

Mine are always corn or bean fed. That makes a huge difference. We pick them up with a skid steer, and wash them out thoroughly with a hose, immediately after gutting. Hang a day or two and butcher. Wonderful. 3 of us have been killing deer off of my Dad's farm for 41 years. I believe processing from the time of the kill, to the time of the knife is key.

Nice buck Donner! Congrats!