I know some ppl suggest letting it hang with the skin on and I couldn't disagree more. I have never been able to taste the difference between one that hung for a couple days and one that was butchered right away. I have always been told that the best thing to do is to cool the meat down as soon as possible. So when i get it home the first thing i do is spray the carcass clean with cold water, then skin it. When they are still a little warm you can almost peel them like a banana and the skin comes off nice a clean. Once they get cold and frozen, skinning them is long, difficult and tedeious. But that's just my 2 cents.

As for essential supplies most of the basics have been covered. If you can afford it I would strongly suggest investing in an electric grinder and a vacuum sealer. They will pay for themselves in a year of butchering your own and not going to the butcher. Plus they make everything so much neater and more convienent.