They are very easy to skin if still a little warm. If you let them hang overnight, skinning becomes much harder. If you get one through the lungs, gutting is not that big a deal.If you gut shoot a deer, it is very messy. One other thing, use a sharp knife. Guys stab themselves every year (sometimes fatally) trying to hack through a deer with a dull edged knife. If you are not sure about removing the urine sack, let someone else show you or wait until you have access to water (no need to ruin any hard earned meat). Good Luck and keep us posted.