How quickly should a deer be skinned?

[Old Ironsights]

Lots of You Tube vids of that with folks using everything from a Quad to a Tractor...

[Gee_Wizz01]

I was taught to cut the throat as soon as the deer falls to ensure it bleeds out properly and then gut withing the next 30 minutes. I then do every thing pretty much the same as Old Ironsights described above. I too was taught to "disassemble" with a knife and have never used a bone saw for anything other than cutting off the antlers. I have never aged venison, and have never had any gamey vension. I have found that what a deer eats can really effect the smell and taste of venison, ie if a deer has been eating cedar brush the meat will stink and taste very strong. The smell is very nasty and strong and is very evident during gutting. If I detect the cedar stench during gutting, everything goes into smoked sausage. My grandfather always stressed getting the deer bled out, gutted and cooled as quickly as possible. I treat small to medium hogs the same way.

G

[flounderman]

most people throw the best part of the deer away. the ribs, cut up enough to fit a crock pot, some brown sugar, ketsup, onion, salt and pepper and cook it a few hours. again, it is better to shoot the deer in the neck so as not to spoil any meat. I have never believed in wasteing any edible meat. there should not be anything thrown away but empty bones. I have seen the bones boiled and the broth canned for soup base. I was raised not to waste game. if you kill it, eat it. if you are not going to eat it, don't kill it. if the governor of alaska and hopefully the next president, can gut a moose, I would think gutting a deer wouldn't be too much to expect a hunter to be able to do.

[TDC]

I did help to butcher a deer twice. We used a 1957 agriculture book as a guide. In the book, it showed a method of skinning that involves tying the deer to a tree and using a pickup truck to pull the hide right off! I kid you not ! Has anyone tried that ?

Yep...... We do that all the time and it works and it's quick. Cut off the second joint of all the animals legs. Slice up the skin on the legs like you were going to make a rug. Peel down the neck skin and make a ball out of it. Wrap a rope tightly around the ball and slowly pull away the skin and just watch the hide peel off. Works well for elk too. It's extremely fast. Doesn't leave any damaging knife cuts to the skin.

I was raised on a large ranch in the heart of some of the best Blacktail and Mule deer habitat in the state. Before the B&C boundries were changed defining Mule deer and Blacktail ranges many years ago in Oregon, our ranch had produced three of the top ten Blacktails listed in the Boone & Crockett Book. I've seen and eaten a lot of deer in my lifetime, and for me at least, I've reached the following conclusions.

Browse and food types are a major factor in venison taste and texture. For me, deer that are harvested close to alfalfa fields are the tastiest. Next is those that are taken in oak groves that have an abundance of acorns. Last are those who live their lives in Buckbrush and Sagebrush thickets. Sadly, the spindliest horn growth seems to occur in the best food source areas and the best horns tend to occur in areas where their meat doesn't taste as good.

In the west - where much of the season tends to be very warm - skin them and bag them quickly. Hang them in a cool place for at least a day or two. And I've gotta disagree with a couple of earlier posts.... gut them immediately!! Especially get their bladder removed and that area well rinsed after gutting.

Another problem people don't tend to think about is commercial butchering. Many butchers weight the animal you bring in, then combine all the deer with others to be butchered and split up the meat. You have no idea how the other animals were prepared or taken care of. Sausage makers are notorious for doing this. Always insist your animal be cut up separately and never combined with someone elses disaster. It's best to learn to cut and wrap your own......

[leadeye]

We haul it back whole to the garage, gut it then take it in to the check station. Skin and start butchering as soon as we get back. Never had bad meat issues.

[Mk42gunner]

Over the years I've helped put several truckloads of deer in the freezer.

1. Like JIMinPHX said stay away from the scent glands.

2. Depending on the temperature, skinning needs to be done right now to a week later.

3. Does and button bucks always seem more tender to me.

4. Thoroghly chilled meat cuts so much better it is not funny, professional butchers wear gloves for a reason.

Robert

[Old Ironsights]

most people throw the best part of the deer away. the ribs, cut up enough to fit a crock pot, some brown sugar, ketsup, onion, salt and pepper and cook it a few hours. again, it is better to shoot the deer in the neck so as not to spoil any meat. I have never believed in wasteing any edible meat. there should not be anything thrown away but empty bones. I have seen the bones boiled and the broth canned for soup base. I was raised not to waste game. if you kill it, eat it. if you are not going to eat it, don't kill it. if the governor of alaska and hopefully the next president, can gut a moose, I would think gutting a deer wouldn't be too much to expect a hunter to be able to do.

Well, since I have yet to be able to cook Indiana Whitetail ribs without them tasting like tallow, untill someone shows me how to do it, I'm still likely to just strip the surface muscles for jerkey and dispose of the rest of the cage...

[Leadforbrains]

I hunt where it runs from blistering hot to warm during most of the rifle season. The deer is taken to the meat processor immediately after it hits the ground. I skin and gut it right there and it goes into the walkin cooler.

[JIMinPHX]

I too was taught to "disassemble" with a knife and have never used a bone saw for anything other than cutting off the antlers.

You need a bone saw to get the antlers off???
Every time I've ever tried to use an antler as a handle to grab a deer & drag it, the antlers popped right off in my hands before I got 50 yards, usually sooner.

[MT Gianni]

Well, since I have yet to be able to cook Indiana Whitetail ribs without them tasting like tallow, untill someone shows me how to do it, I'm still likely to just strip the surface muscles for jerkey and dispose of the rest of the cage...

I have boiled whitetail ribs for hours to get the tallow out. It takes a ton of patience for our fat river bottom deer. My wife has convnced me it is not worth the effort for deer. Elk and Moose are another story.
When my son was 4 we went into a restaurant and he procalimed loud enough for all to hear " Dad, Do you think they got Moose ribs?" No guesses as to what he had eaten the night before and how well it went over. Thankfully in Montana it didn't even draw much of a stare.

[superior]

I ate deer ribs at a bar-be que once...They were the best I ever had! I've had a hankerin' for some ever since. At first I didn't know they were deer ribs (even though they were very long).

[44mag1]

some people think "gamey" is bad. I like the taste of wild game. I have had some nasty tasting bull elk once.

[Suo Gan]

I think that the hide should come off pretty quick. It is surprising how much heat will be trapped in a deer even if it is cold out if the hide is left on. Handle the glands on the legs with care, even use a different knife for this chore. Use a different pair of disposible gloves (or wash your hands) in the different phases of the process (gutting, skinning, quartering, etc.) I also bone out the meat as I think that it tastes better when the meat has not been frozen along with them. In the end it will always be dry, and taste like a rusted frying pan, unless you shoot them in a cornfield I guess. Happy eating!

[Gee_Wizz01]

You need a bone saw to get the antlers off???
Every time I've ever tried to use an antler as a handle to grab a deer & drag it, the antlers popped right off in my hands before I got 50 yards, usually sooner.

I've never had the antlers come off like that. I just saw the whole top of the scull off with the antlers as it makes it easier to mount the rack. You must be getting some really big deer.

As to the ribs, I cut the meat out between the ribs and use it for jerky. Nothing goes to waste on a deer. I dont like the organ meat, so we give it to the dogs. Blood shot meat get rinsed and ground up for dog food. My wife hates to watch the dogs walking around with deer legs in their mouths.

G

[dale2242]

My wife and I have killed MANY bucks since we have been married---47 yrs.-- and people comment that our venison does not have a "Gamey" taste. In my opinion, cleaning and cooling as soon as possible is very important. Try to get your deer gutted where it falls. We take ours home and get it skinned as soon as possible, meaning an hour or less. I hang by the back legs, skin, split the rib cage and pelvis. I have heard some people say to never put water on meat, but have you ever watched a pro kill beef? I take the water hose and an old wash cloth and clean the deer as clean as possible inside and out. I think the cool water helps get the body heat out in a hurry. The next step is very important. Dry the deer inside and out as dry as possible with old bath towels. Cooling and cleaning as soon as possible are the key to good meat.---dale

[chaos]

I think 99% of what makes a deer taste "Gamey" comes from thier diet. Deer that eat sage brush or a full on diet of Acorns will taste more gamey than those that mainly munch on winter weat or corn.

Same way with Beef. The best tasting ones are fed out. Grocery store beef come from BIG feed lots where tehy are all fed out as to make a consistant tasting product so city folk customers dont bitch about it.

I've cleaned them every which way, bled them out, skinned from the head, from the tail, done a whitch doctor dance, etc, etc....... Cant tell a darn bit of difference.

Sure, If you are a KNOT head and dont take care of the meat properly it will cause problems.

I field dress them right where they fall, Immediately. Skin them within an hour . Butcher them and into the freezer as fast as possible anymore.

Chaos

[redbear705]

I agree...gut asap! no sense leaving decomposing guts in the deer to skink it up.

On that note clean out the bladder and anus area....and I mean that there should be a wide open channel through there....get the pooper out No butcher wants that on his table...as he has to clean up the whole area if his table knives get contaminated.

My brother and I used to butcher deer for christmas money and we had one guy that would not clean it out even after being told and given a demonstation that we would no longer do his deer for him...Well one season he came in and was crying about not being able to find a butcher that did processing as good as we did and my brother says to him 'did you clean out the poop chute? and the customer said that he did, but of course he didnt so my brother and I cleaned out the poop chute and packaged it up and marked it 'Special Cut Steak' and packed it in with his order....we no longer had that problem to deal with

If you gut shot it(none of you guys do that do you? ) make sure it gets hosed out right away! This also goes for a really nasty bloody mess...get it washed out to cut down on the bacteria. With that being said dried blood on the inside of the body cavity will harden up the meat surfaces and help keep the bugs out if the temp is not to warm.

I find that the bones are bad for the flavor of the meat. I even debone the roasts.

As far as skinning right away I check the weather and if its gonna be below 30 f I will just hang it up to cool and the hide will keep the meat cold for several days if it is not hanging in the sun.

[Old Ironsights]

On removing the lower GI... Beleve it or not, that weird looking t-handle device called "Butt Out" really works quite well IF you use a little bit heavier/longer string or zip tie than what comes with it.

[Tom W.]

I'll generally throw the deer into the back of the truck and head for the processor, unless it's really hot, then I'll gut, skin and quarter the deer and throw it into the cooler, Ice it down and then head to the processor.
The people I use are just 8 miles from where I hunt, and I don't hunt umpteen miles into the woods where the owls always hoot..

[sheepdog]

I dont know for a fact but I think shot placement has alot to do with it also and how long they ran before they stopped kicking. I have shot deer that ran several hundred yards and some that dropped on the spot. The ones that drop ussally have a better tasting meat, all the extra stress of running before they give up works there muscles out where as a head/neck shot deer just goes limp.

This isn't opinion its fact. In high end sports its known sprinting or other all out burst activities use up the sugar thats in the muscles for that burst. Its quickly replaced with lactic acid which causes the muscles to start cramping.

So think about which meat sounds tastier: The one with sugar in it or the one with acid?