Resources / Care for your venison
Refrigerating raw venison
Keep raw venison at 40°F or below, use it promptly, and freeze what you cannot cook soon. Ground meat needs particular attention.
Reviewed October 6, 2026
Call (615) 604-3887Check the refrigerator, not just its setting
USDA recommends keeping a refrigerator at 40°F or below and checking with an appliance thermometer. A numbered dial alone does not tell you the actual temperature.
Keep raw-meat packages contained so any juices do not reach other food. Refrigeration slows bacterial growth; it does not erase contamination or make previously mishandled meat safe.
Source: USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety; Penn State Extension: Proper Care and Handling of Venison from Field to Table
Use raw venison promptly
Penn State Extension’s venison preservation guidance says fresh venison should be refrigerated and used within two or three days. USDA’s jerky guidance separately says to use or freeze ground beef and poultry within two days; it is not a venison-specific storage table.
As a conservative household plan, cook or freeze raw ground venison within one to two days. Freeze portions you will not use promptly instead of waiting until the end of their useful refrigerated life. Follow any shorter product-specific instruction.
Source: Penn State Extension: Canning and Freezing Venison; USDA FSIS: Jerky and Food Safety; USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety
Do not guess after a temperature problem
USDA says to discard food that has been warmer than 40°F for more than two hours following a freezer or temperature interruption. If you do not know how long the meat was warm, do not use a taste test to decide safety.
A storage limit assumes the meat was handled safely beforehand. It is not a guarantee for a harvest left warm or contaminated before reaching your refrigerator.
Checklist
- Use an appliance thermometer.
- Keep raw meat at 40°F or below.
- Cook or freeze ground venison within one to two days.
- Do not rely on refrigeration to rescue mishandled meat.