How quickly should a deer be skinned?

[superior]

I've had venison that tasted really gamey...almost stinky....and then I've had some that made my toungue slap my brains out....Loved it! Could the difference be in the way the meat was handled after it was shot? How long after being shot should a deer be skinned? How long should it be hanged. How soon should it be butchered and frozen? I know it depends on the ambient temperature, but I would appreciate some tips. I've been a varmint hunter all of my life and have yet to shoot my first big game animal. I just want to make sure that my meat is tasty...the way it SHOULD be ! I WILL get a deer this year, and with a cast boolit to boot!:coffeecom

[j23]

You are correct on two of your assumptions...

1. The way the deer is processed is 90% of how it will taste on the table.

2. Ambiant temps call the shots.

I have killed, butchered, and eaten many, many of West Virginia's deer (along with Ohio, and Pennsylvania's) and here is how I handle it.

If the temprature is ABOVE 45 degrees, not just for like two hours on a sunny afternoon, but the average temps... then take the deer inside your meat shed, garage, kitchen or what have you, and skin it up, butcher it and put it in the freezer (except for the liver, kidneys, heart and backstrap... the organs are for eating that night or the next day for lunch.. the backstrap will be served for the next day's dinner!!!)

If the temps are between 33 and 45 degrees, skin it and leave it hang for about 24-48, even 72 hours, then butcher. The warm (but not too warm) temps will 'age' the meat, and the bacteria growing on it will soften the tissues (think, yogurt.)

If it is under freezing (again, mean average temps for the day, not just 'a dip' one night... then leave the skin on and let it hang for a few days to a week. Bear in mind however that skinning it after it has 'frozen' (the meat will get some frost on it, but dont worry, it doesnt freeze per se, like in a freezer...) is a little tougher, though less messy. The meat is really good this way if you are blessed with a cold winter. The meat again, ages, though slower and more controlled, because of the low temps.

That is what me and mine have always done. Good luck and let us know how you fair this year. If you need any butchering help along the way, give me a shout.

[outdoorfan]

Here in Minnesota the temps during mid-November are usually running in the 20's thru 40's. I used to let the deer age for awhile. I had at least a couple of them that turned out a bit gamey. Now I usually have the meat deboned and in the cooler within 24 hours of the kill. So far I really like doing it this way, and I haven't had a gamey deer in years. But there are other factors too, like what the deer have been eating, etc.

[Down South]

This time of year here, as fast as you can.:kidding:

One thing that seems to help in the warmer climates is to at least quarter the deer and put it in a large ice chest. Cover the meat with ice and water and let it soak. Drain the bloody water off a couple times a day and keep this up for at least a couple days. It even works better if you can butcher the meat then soak it in ice water. This seems to help get rid of the gamey taste some deer acquire.
Handling of the deer while skinning is very important too. There are glands that need to be removed while cleaning the deer too.

[MT Gianni]

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2606548/Board/52/page/9/fpart/all/gonew/1#UNREAD

Here is a long interesting post.

[flounderman]

here in north carolina, the weather is usually warm, to hot. I try to get the deer cooled out and bagged and put in a refridgerator I keep for this purpose. it needs to age a few days. I soaked the meat from some rutting bucks in water that froze a skin of ice and changed it several times for maybe a week. these deer would have been strong if they had not been soaked out and they came out without any, objectional taste. if it is a rutting buck, it needs to age hanging, if it is cold enough, otherwise cooled out in a refridgerator, then soaked out. keep it clean and wash your hands while working with it so you don't transfer what you are handling from the hide to the meat. if you can shoot the deer in the neck, instead of the body, you will have a better deer to start with. theres no need to cut the head half off after the deer is dead. it bled out the holes you put in it. you will just get more hair on the meat. keep it as clean as you can. if you can get it home in a reasonable amount of time, I wait to gut it when I get it home. it stays cleaner. keep it clean, age it, soak the strong smelling deer, or you can soak all of them. if it is cold enough, age them with the hide on. once the meat is frozen, you can't age it, but the meat will benefit from proper aging.

[dk17hmr]

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.

We ussally get after them right away during bow season. It is warmer and I skin them out the day I shoot them. Ill let them hang over night and have them cut up and in the freezer or on the grill the next morning.

My shop/meat shack isnt heated so if its cold cold where they will freeze and stay frozen I get a couple buddies over we fire up the grill get a case of beer and get to work. That is ussally during muzzleloader season. Rifle season the deer get shot and hang until we come home from camp so at least a week maybe two.

The deer we shoot/pick up (roadkill) here at the house feed on corn and soy beans all summer so its about like eating beef, they are cut up into steaks and chops. The deer we shoot at camp have a bit harder life living in the swamps eating whatever they can find, they ussally get ground up and made into sausage.

I have heard soaking them in milk before you cook them takes out any gamey taste they might have.

[RugerFan]

In south georgia, its fairly warm through deer season. I don't have the luxury of hanging anything. I keep very large 120 qt cooler in the back of my pick up. Any deer or hog we kill gets gutted on the spot and put in the cooler. Then we're off to the nearest quickee-mart for lots of ice. The critter will be chilled to the bone within an hour or two of death. It then gets butchered within 24 hours. Meat is always tastey and never "gamey." Unlike flounderman, I have never had a rutting buck taste any different.

[JIMinPHX]

First off, stay away from those scent glands on the rear legs, where they urinate on themselves. Those things can taint meat in a hearbeat. After that, I've seen different guys do things differently. I know some people who swear by always getting the skin off ASAP & even go as far as packing the carcass with snow as soon as it's gutted. I know some guys that hang the deer for a week or two in a cool barn & others who freeze it as soon as they can get it cut up. Some Portuguese guys showed me a neat trick for skinning them. Just make 1 small cut in the skin above one of the front hooves & stick an air gun in there. If you blow them up like a balloon before you gut them, then the skin just peels right off. From what I've read here, it sounds like J23 is probably the guy that I would be listening to for better details.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive tried it over the years about every which way. Ive never found that aged venision is any better then when you cut it up imediately. Unlike marbled meat venison doesnt have a lot of fat that needs to break down. Anymore i skin and butcher as soon as is possible.

[725]

Just the way I do it:
Field dress ASAP. Leave the heart in the body cavity to keep it clean during transport from the field. Prop the rib cage open with a stout stick at field dressing to expedite cooling. ASAP, like back at the truck, I pack the body cavity with a bag or two of ice. Transport, hang and skin directly. If it's cold out, I let it hang for awhile. If it's above 40 dergees, I quarter and place in the shop fridge. I cut the lower rear legs off as soon as practicle and keep any contamination from them from tainting the meat. Wash your hands and tools at each of the various stages. The skinned carcas or quarters can then be butchered at my leisure. Unless there are body fluids involved or dirt/debris, I try and keep the meat away from water. If it needs to get rinsed off, rinse it off and pat it dry. Otherwise, if I do a good job of it, and the meat sections are free of hair/dirt/etc., I butcher it, wrap, vacum seal it, and freeze it. Sometimes, I can it with mild spices and put it away on the shelf. Lately, I've been canning more & more. Melts in your mouth, easy to use, and doesn't depend on electricity/refridgeration to keep. More work up front, but nice benefits later.

[largom]

I skin my deer within an hour of it being killed.Hams, shoulders, back-straps, etc. are removed, washed, and put in freezer.
I de-bone and cut the meat up after hunting season is over. I am verry fussy about my meat. I remove all sinew, membrain, and large blood vessels before the meat is cut into steaks or cubed for canning or grinding. I have never had gamey[?] meat.
Larry

[Boz330]

I had the importance of gutting right away proved to me one year when my buddy's daughter shot a doe at last light and we didn't locate it till morning. The deer was field dressed and we skinned it when we got it back to camp. While skinning it, it had an odd smell but the temps were cold enough that it shouldn't have spoiled. I took some of the meat and cooked it and it didn't taste spoiled, but it didn't taste good either. I tried soaking the meat in salt water and that helped it tremendously. Lesson learned gut as soon as posible.
I know a lot of hunter that don't do that they let the butcher shop take care of it.
We usually try to hose the deer out and then pack it with bags of ice if the temps are too warm. Normally we hunt extended weekends so then I butcher during the week at my shop when I get back. For me business is typically slow that time of year anyway.

Bob

[waksupi]

Since I tan the hides, I hang them by the neck, and skin them immediately. Skinning from the head down, leaves all the meat on the carcass, not the hide. Only need to cut around the neck and legs, then pull the hide without using a knife. Leaves a perfect tanning hide.

I usually let mine hang for 4-7 days, not to age it, but that is how my schedule usually runs.

If you have gamey tasting meat, you most likely have a, gut shot it, b, not removed the sinew and connective tissue, and c, cut it up with a saw, dragging the marrow through the meat. You do NOT cut up a deer with the bone in.

[dk17hmr]

I know a lot of hunter that don't do that they let the butcher shop take care of it.

I know some guys that love hunting but dont/cant gut their own. I didnt know a Butcher would do it. I dont have a problem with that job but my brother does, he can get about half way through and then starts throwing up in his mouth, thats about the time I take over. He took a frontal shot on a buck one year and it took use a bit of time to find him because lack of blood trailing. When we found the deer he had blown up a bit, Zac stuck the knife in and up came his lunch. Oh memories.

[6pt-sika]

In the past I used to gut in the woods , skin at the house and immediatelt take it to the processor .

Now I bring them to the house on the ATV ungutted .
Hang them up .

If I have time to do it all I skin first and then gut . Followed by a cavity rinsing . Then I cut the backstraps and tenderloin off and bag . The rest of the meat is cut from the bone and bagged to go to the freezer .

If I don't have time to cut them up that day I leave the hide on and just gut and rinse and usually cut up the following day .

Temperature is not as big an issue with me as some . And it is not always cold here either . However if I can keep them in the shade and keep the flies away I have no problems .

[Junior1942]

Doug, I'm like your brother. I can't stand the smell of guts.

[Old Ironsights]

I gut where it falls (or thereabouts) unless I need to drag it through a swamp.

Early fall Bowhunts are too warm, so it's "Tag, Gut, Check, Skin, Quarter". I usually only keep the flank/flats off of the ribcage anyway so I'm only chilling the hams & shoulders (Straps & loins are for dinner/breakfast)

November gun season usually stays between 30 & 50, so I will take more time in cutting it up.

Never used a bone saw yet.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5724.jpg

I also exclusively debone & disasemble. Don't care to futz over "traditional" cuts, just make a few good steaks, a couple of roasts and the rest becomes whole tissue Jerkey & Sausage.

[MT Gianni]

Great points. I always use one knife to gut and another to start the skinning process.

[superior]

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 ?

[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......:drinks:

[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.:-D

[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. :redneck:

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? :mrgreen:

[Jeffery8mm]

I guess I am the ODD man out. I havent gutted a deer in ten years! I dont eat the ribs so why bother?? It is too hot here is MS to age them and the ribs of a 90 lbs doe dont have much to offer. I hunt about 15 minutes from my house so I usually have it skinned and on ice within an hour. I debone it on the skinning rack. If you bebone the hindqaurters while the deer is hanging [head down] then you dont have to fool the the "end" problems.
Jeff

[MT Gianni]

Jeffery you are tossing the tenderloins which are under the spine. It is the tenderest part of the animal.

[blaser.306]

Sounds to me like there is alot of southern folk that could use a trip up north to ( FROZEN ) Canada . The average deer taken around my hunting area is 4x4 - 5x5 and body weight around the 225 -250 mark after gutting and they still freez solid after a couple of hours . I have found the best thing to do is get the " jacket " off of them as quick as possible and let the meat cool at it's own rate . I have a fussy wife as far as wild game goes and she will still eat what I bring home . I have found that during prossesing the thing to watch for is external fat and sinew that lend themselves to a willd / ransid taste .

[snaggdit]

My wife never liked venison. I had always had it processed. Well last year I decided to try to butcher my own deer. I got 2 young does around 120lbs each. Wisconsin is pushing taking does. Fine by me. I prefer young does. I will take an old, tough, gamey buck with a nice rack but they don't eat as well.

It was between 30-45 degrees outside and I hung them in the shed. They were gutted right away and the cavity hosed out and dried then hung with the skin on. I aged them for three days. I didn't have a clue on what I was doing with regards to butchering so I went online and got me an education. Can't remember the site I ended up on, but it gave excellent pics of how to do each quarter. I was anal about removing fat and sinew. It took about 10 hours to do both deer, but by the time I was done I am sure I could do one in under 4 hours now.

I made steaks of all the good lean cuts. Anything that ended up small pieces I made into sausage or canned. I had gotten canned venison from friends before so when mine came out of the pressure cooker I thought something was wrong. Where was the 1/2 to 1 inch of white fat on the top? I had a few small drops, that was all. Deboned everything with a knife and never used a saw. I don't do innards, and the ribs seemed like too little return for the effort. A buddy has sled dogs so the remainder didn't get wasted.

I took some of the loin and I cooked it up for the wife and she loved it! She has since eaten lots of it and has agreed that it was always the wild taste she disliked and now it is absent. My son cooks it up all the time when he is hungry. From now on I will be processing my own deer!

I, too have noticed if I get a deer from down south (farm country) it tastes better than one from up north (scrub oaks and pines) where they have to forage hard for thier food. Getting rid of as much fat and sinew as possible makes a huge difference as well. It takes a lot more time and I'm sure if the butchers took the time they wouldn't make any money. If you have never processed your own deer, I recommend it. You will notice the difference at the dinner table. I made the site I found into a word doc (so I can refresh my memory this year). If anyone wants a copy, PM me.

[Four Fingers of Death]

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 ?

Some guys skin roos and deer that way here. Find a nice fist sized rock that has no real sharp points, Wrap part of the hide around it then tie your tow rope around it. Anchor the beast to s stump or tree and the rope to the truck, drive off carefully. Not a one man job, needs to be watched as it happens or you might just tear part of it off.

[Jeffery8mm]

Jeffery you are tossing the tenderloins which are under the spine. It is the tenderest part of the animal.


Actually you can get to the 2 "inside loins without ripping the guts out. Just take a little time and patience. We call the 2 larger loins along the backbone the backstraps and the 2 smaller inside ones the inner tenderloins. I dont waste them!

[50calshooter]

cape the deer to get a soft ball rolled up in the hide tie a good rope to it and pull with a truck the only way to skin a deer or goat.

[PatMarlin]

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.


In this October issue of Petersons Hunting magazine the largest B&C entries out of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia for Black Tail are from my county- Trinity, including the all time high and the highest in the past 10 years.

The bucks stop here ...:mrgreen:

[Ivantherussian03]

Good thread....it depends on who you I suppose to some extent. The hide can stay on until you get home. But if you have a deer bag might as well get it off. If you tan them skins they need to come off and be taken care of.

We take of care of moose meat within a day or two, 4 days tops. I do wonder what some aging would do. The temperture should be your main guide, as others here pointed out.

[Bloodman14]

Snaggdit, I would love a copy of your file "How to dress a Deer"! How do I PM you?
Or anyone else, for that matter!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Just click on the username and the options will come up.

[Lloyd Smale]

i agree with some of the others on the ribs. Ive boiled them for hours and even drained the water and started again and even after that they leave a tallow taste in my mouth. Anymore i just bone off the meat and use it for hamburger

[Dragon 31]

Here in Southern Indiana the weather can be between 20 to 80 and often changes between the time you pull the trigger till you get it out of the field. If killed in the morning the deer is in the freezer by 2:00 PM. Killed in the evening he waits till the next morning. The thing that I learned 50+ years ago in Canada was always wash all wild fish and game in vinager and let sit for 30 minutes then rinse with baking soda, then plain H2O. One is an acid the other a base. It cleans the meat of blood and kills any "wild" flavor. My job is to drag her deer out, get it home, gut it, skin it, and cut it off the bone. She does the rest inside since she know exactly how she wants it packaged and put in the freezer. We have done it so many times that from hanging to freezing is about 2 hours. Try the vinager and baking soda routinge you may like it.

[clintsfolly]

after boning out i take all the bones and put them in a turkey roaster add a pint of water set the temp a 350. 4-5hr later start pulling bones the push all the meat to one end then block that end up most of the fat will drain out to be removed. add your fav barbecue sauce simmer for a hr. put on buns and ENJOY!!!!! all form scrap that you may just dump in the trash Clint :drinks: :castmine:

[dsmjon]

For those of you near universities, check to see if they have a wildlife program. I know when I went through NCSU's F&W program, we would have periodic times during the season where we'd set up stations and help dress the animals. The university was after sex, growth, overall specie health information, and in return for their time the hunters got a gutted and partially butchered animal.