Wife Starts Eating The Whole Deer Her Husband’s Friend Abandoned In Their Freezer 2 Years Ago

We all know that moment when a temporary favor slowly morphs into a permanent inconvenience. For one woman, that favor took the shape of an entire vacuum-sealed deer taking up residence in her deep freezer. What started as a neighborly gesture for a friend who lacked storage space has turned into a multi-year standoff over abandoned venison.

Despite monthly visits and polite reminders, the friend repeatedly refuses to take his ribs, chops, and steaks home, leaving the couple to act as a free meat locker for nearly three years. As the meat approaches the end of its freezing lifespan, she finally decided to stop asking and start cooking, much to her husband’s dismay.

Her husband insists the meat isn’t theirs to touch, but she views it as rightfully hers after years of free storage. Curious how the internet judged this culinary conflict? Read on—the original post tells it all.

Wife Starts Eating The Whole Deer Her Husband’s Friend Abandoned In Their Freezer 2 Years Ago

AITA for eating meat from our deep freezer?

The arrangement started innocently enough, just a simple favor between friends to salvage a successful hunting trip.

My husband’s friend stored a whole deer in our deep freezer. By this I mean, he has different cuts of meat, adding up to a whole deer. He has ribs,...

A temporary storage solution had quietly evolved into a permanent meat museum, testing the limits of neighborly patience.

Every time he comes to our house, which is once a month or so, I ask him if he wants to take some meat home with him, and he says...

A few times I’ve taken out some of the meat and made myself a meal out of it. My husband says I shouldn’t do that, but I argue, it’s basically...

AITA for eating the meat in our freezer that my husband’s friend stored in there?

When a friend abandons an entire deer in your freezer for three years, the line between a gracious favor and taking advantage becomes incredibly blurry. When it comes to the psychological limits of favors, clinical professionals emphasize that enforcing boundaries is essential to prevent resentment. Establishing healthy boundaries isn’t about rigid rules, but rather creating an atmosphere where everyone’s space and resources are respected.

The friend’s continuous refusal to reclaim his deer points to a classic dynamic of presumptive boundary crossing, where repeated inaction forces the host to bear the logistical burden indefinitely. It is easy to see why the wife feels justified in claiming the meat as an unspoken storage fee.

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Furthermore, there is a literal ticking clock on this frozen venison. While deep freezing stops bacterial growth, it doesn’t freeze time on taste. The USDA clearly advises that for best quality, frozen steaks and roasts should be consumed within 9 to 12 months. At two to three years, the meat is well past its prime, risking severe freezer burn and oxidized flavors.

Before firing up the grill again, the original poster should communicate one final, firm deadline for the friend to retrieve his harvest. If the date passes with no action, claiming the abandoned property is a perfectly logical resolution.

Community Opinions

Reddit came in hot—nearly unanimous in support of the wife, with a handful urging more direct communication before firing up the grill.

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u/Infinite_Escape9683
"Hey Ralph, we actually need some of that freezer space back. Please take at least 10 pounds of it with you next time you come over. Thanks so much!"

u/CarpenterMom NTA. At this point it’s abandoned property. I would give him a last warning that if it isn’t collected, it will be eaten. Then you’re totally in the clear...

u/LPMarie13
If I left anything at another person’s home for over a year, I would expect it to become the property of the household.
Bon appétit

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u/Hopeful_Mopeful Are you sure it’s deer? This thing happened to a couple when their friend kept “meat” in a freezer at their place and it turned out he was using...

u/TheMrsH1124 My mother in law used to do this. One day she texted me she was dropping off three turkeys in my brand new freezer. I could use them if...

u/Single_Many597
Have you tried having a direct conversation with the person

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u/war_damn_dudrow Fully aware I’ll probably get downvoted for this but it is what it is. I worked at a deer processor. I honestly wouldn’t eat two year old meat. I...

u/Brief-Small NTA Anything "stored" at someone else's house for multiple years is no longer yours unless that was the initial agreement. Your husband had a valid argument for maybe the...

u/FluffyBunnyRemi NTA. What's the point of hunting and nabbing an entire deer if you don't eat it? Besides, it's going to go bad soon anyways, even if it's packed well...

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u/iamwhoiamreally NTA. After 6 months I would have started using that, and after over 2 years it would have already been gone. That's ridiculous and you keep reminding him which...

u/brandndal
Consider any meat you eat as rent for letting him store the meat in your freezer.

u/SeraphofFlame ESH. He for leaving a bunch of stuff in your freezer with clearly no intention to retrieve it. You for failing the extremely basic "have a conversation about it"...

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u/Sistersoldia NTA. After a year I start to worry about the meat quality plus he should have shot a new deer anyway. No reason for it to sit this long...

u/caitejane310 The friend is probably even assuming that you'll eat at least some of it. I'm having a hard time understanding why he hasn't wanted any of it in 2...

u/ReadontheCrapper NTA - I agree with the recommendation to tell him the meat needs to go or your family will eat it. Anything already eaten could realistically be considered payment...

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And a few reminded everyone that after three years, eating the meat was essentially a public service to prevent food waste.

Do you think the wife was justified in claiming the abandoned meat, or did she cross a line by eating it without a final warning? And how would you handle a friend who turned your freezer into their personal long-term storage unit? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

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