The process of skinning a deer is very easy if you
have the proper tools and know where to make the initial cuts. Allowing for the
deer to cool will make it harder for the skin to come off As soon as possible
skin the deer so the skin comes off easier. You can have it done professionally
if you wish but following these simple steps you can save some money.
Tools
Knife
(for making cuts)
Bone
Saw (for cutting bones)
Meat
hook (to hang deer up)
Propane
Torch (burning hair off meat)
Rope
(to hang deer)
Steel
(to sharpen knife)
Step
1
Make slits in back leg tendons and hang deer from
hooks in air. This will make everything easier so you will not have to bend
over the deer and makes it a lot nicer to pull the hide off later.
One of the biggest pains is trying to pick hair off the sticky meat. To make this easier just take a propane torch and slightly brush the meat with the flame and you can watch the hair burn
Step
2
Saw
off all four legs using a hand saw at the knuckle of the knees. There is no
meat from the knee to the hoof, so they can be disposed of properly. Don’t not
use a knife to cut through the knee cap it can be done but it will cause the
knife to be dulled and you will have to sharpen it before you move on to the
next steps.
Step
3
Taking
your knife make a complete belly cut from cavity to neck or over the breast
bone. With more cuts in the hide it makes the pulling process a whole lot
easier.
Step
4
Using
your knife again cut down front legs to the brisket cut. This allows the skin
to be pulled off a whole lot easier because it won’t be in a tube shape
anymore.
Step
5
Cut
tail off so fur doesn’t get caught in rear area. This can be done with a knife,
saw, or some type of snips. I prefer not using a knife unless you enjoy having
to sharpen them all the time.
Step
6
Gripping the fur by the back knee start to pull
down. The fur should rip off the meat until you reach the tail. It will have
skin and fat on the back that is fine just as long as you don’t get large
chunks of meat with it.
Pull front leg skin down around the shoulder. Let it
hang around the shoulder so it will come off with the rest of the skin. Or it
can be cut off but that creates a lot of little peace best to keep it in one
peace.
Step
8
Pull skin from rear of deer to head using your
weight to pull the skin down. You may have to take your knife and cut some of
the connective tissue on the way down the animal. Be careful to not slice or
puncture the skin. If you do the skin will not pull cleanly and you will have
to cut the skin and restart from that point.
Step
9
By
using a saw cut the head off at the neck area allowing for neck roast to be
harvested. Just dispose of the head with the legs. The skin will come off
around the wound hole that is if the technique is done right.
One of the biggest pains is trying to pick hair off the sticky meat. To make this easier just take a propane torch and slightly brush the meat with the flame and you can watch the hair burn
http://thepreparedchristian.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-process-deer-part-1-skinning.html
Step
11
The
finished product is a whole peace of deer hided. The hide can be either stored
in a cool area or can be immediately traded. If you don’t wish to trade it, it
can be disposed of along with the head and the bones. If you plan on getting the
deer mounted make sure you take extremely good care of the hide. Try not to get
it muddy or bloody. If this does happen take some shampoo or soap and try to
scrub the deer down to work the blood and mud out. Now there you have it.
Skinning is relatively easily to master but does
take some time. There are multiple ways to skin a deer carcass this is a
collective group process so it is a mixture of options. You can modify skinning
techniques to fit you or the equipment you have around you. Remember most
people cut themselves when skinning a deer so beware of the knife it is sharp
and it can cut you.
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