mule deer hunting basics

How To Gut A Deer In The Field – Skinning

How To Gut A Deer In The Field

If you choose to process deer yourself, you’ll find you have more control over the cuts of meat you get. It’s easier than you think, and faster than waiting for the local processor. As with field dressing, how you process the meat will impact how good it tastes.

Find a fairly private place; a garage is good. You’ll need to be able to hang the deer.

There are three basic steps involved in processing deer:

1. Skinning
2. Quartering the carcass
3. Final butchering and packaging

Skinning the Deer

To skin the deer you will need to hang it from its hind quarters with a gambrel and pulley system. Before hoisting the deer, lay it on the ground and make a cut through the skin, starting on the inside thigh and going down toward the ankle. Once you’ve made that cut, go below the ankle and cut through the hide all the way around the lower leg. Don’t cut through the long Achilles tendon. Now you are ready to pull and cut the skin away to expose the tendon coming off the ankle and heading to the hoof. Free the skin, pulling it back toward the deer’s body. Repeat on this process on the other side.

Put your gambrel between the leg bone and the tendon. Hoist the deer high enough so that the head isn’t touching the ground. You will end up pulling the skin down from the tail toward the head, and you need to make some “release cuts” so it comes off easy. Continue your field-dressing cut as far up the neck as possible. At the base of the head, make another cut across and around the neck. How To Gut A Deer In The Field

Make a cut through the hide from the front ankle down the inside of the leg till you meet up with your field dressing cut. This can be done with a knife, working through the ankle joints then bending the leg back to break it free.

Now you’re ready to skin the deer. When skinning, pull the hide off as much as possible avoiding using the knife except to free it up where it gets caught. Start with the hind legs. Grab the hide with one hand and pull downward. Do both legs until you get to the rump. At the rump, grab the tail and cut along the underside of the tail where it meets the rump, cutting through the bone but not all the way through the tail. Pull the tail downward and the skin from the rump should start pulling away. Once you have the hide pulled off the rump and the leg hide and rump hide are now one big piece, use both hands and pull down toward the neck. Most of the hide will come free. How To Gut A Deer In The Field

At the shoulder, pull the hide inside out over the leg, freeing with the knife as you go along. Repeat on other from leg. Pull the remaining hide off the neck. Working a knife through all the meat and soft tissue, run a cut through the neck as close to the skull as possible. Once you have reached bone you can remove the head one of three ways:

1. Use the loppers to cut through the neck bone
2. Use a bone saw to saw through the neck bone
3. Cut into the joint as much as possible with a knife, then twist the neck around until it breaks. You can then cut the ligaments off the joint and it will fall free.

Make sure all hair is off the deer and dry out the insides with paper towels. If the inside was contaminated by a gut shot or you nicked the bladder or stomach during field dressing, pour some apple cider vinegar in the body cavity, wipe it around with a wet paper towel. Finally, wipe with dry towels. This will reduce bacteria the gamey flavor. How To Gut A Deer In The Field

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