Meat can be eaten for quite a while past when most people would discard it, if cooked properly. The guide lines Tarus listed are basicly what I was taoght and use in the field. I would add that before you throw tour kill away because it smells different than your used to remember wild game have a different smell than the beef, chicken, and pork you buy in the store, and game killed instantly will have a slightly different smell than one that has struggled or ran a distance before it dies. Even fresh domestic meats smell different that what you will find in most stores.