Deer Skinning Basics: Tools, Hanging and Hide Removal

Outdoor Life offers a practical guide to skinning a deer, covering tools, hanging methods and hide removal. It says there is no single right way to do it.

Key points

• Tools: A sharp knife is the only requirement. Helpful extras include a hitch hoist, loppers and an electric cable hoist.
• Hanging: Skinning a hanging deer is easier, and the meat stays cleaner. Head-down hanging makes butchering easier, while head-up makes pulling the hide over the shoulders easier. A buck headed for a mount should not hang by the neck.
• Weather: Skin fast in hot weather to cool the meat. In cold weather, skin while the deer is still warm.
• Technique: Keep the blade facing away from the meat and avoid cutting hair. On a warm deer the hide pulls off like a sweatshirt.
• Washing: Do not rinse the meat after skinning, because the article says rinsing encourages bacteria. Matzenbacher of the National Deer Association avoids touching the tarsal glands.

Quick take

The author notes that every hunter does it slightly differently and that skinning gets easy with practice. Cheyne Matzenbacher says ten minutes is already a long time.

Read the full story at Outdoor Life.