skinning deer
 

Just wondering if anybody has a way to skin a deer without getting the hair all over the meat or how to get the hair off before i meat the deer out? Any answer would be much appreciated.

RE: skinning deer
 

Yea I posted it back on the gut or not gut post and wrinkled a few skirts.

Hang the deer by the neck or horns. It helps if you have a tractor with a loader so that you can easily move them to hose them off but it's not a must. Just hang from a strong support. Make a ring around the neck and zipper it down to where you gut it or if you didn't then zipper it all the way down. Pull the skin down far enough to where you can put a rock in on the fur side and tie a string on the skin side using the rock as an anchor point. The knot should tighten up around under the rock good. Take the other end and tie it to a bumper and pull away. You may want someone else there to help if it gets hung up in a spot.

That should work either the skin or the bumper gives.

RE: skinning deer
 

jagertiger:

You do not need tractors, end-loaders, cranes, or a vehicle with a strong bumper to skin a deer.

Just hang the deer with a "block 'n tackle" so that the rear feet are off the ground. Make your initial cuts and pull away as shown in the following link. As depicted is as I used to do it until I found a meat processor whom has an automatic hide remover and does it all for the same price.

Once I got some hide loosened, the hanging weight of the hide allowed me to use a medium sharp skinning blade. I would just drag the blade between the hide and the carcass and the weight of the hide pulled the hide loose very easy.

You will get some hair, but no worry. Just wash the meat down with clean water. Pat the excess water off with clean rags.


http://www.braintan.com/articles/Skinning.html

RE: skinning deer
 

Most hair that people get on the deer comes from using the knife the wrong way. Don't cut through from the outside of the hide. Lift it, get a starter hole and then slide the knife along under the skin cutting from the flesh side towards the outside. That way you're not cutting hairs and will not have them flying all over the place. Once you get it working right you'll see it's much cleaner. Once you get the deer gutted, if you're gutting it, and get whichever end you're working from loose, most of the rest is done with hands and an occasional knife blade to keep it moving.

RE: skinning deer
 

I have to agree with davidmil and c903 here! Skinning is the easiest part of processing. As long as you dont leave em hanging until their frozen solid! I also use a saw and cut off the legs just above the gambrel (for the hind legs) so once I start theres no hair above the deer. Instead of washing it off (which works well as long as you pat it dry) I use a hair remover that I got from a meat market I used to work at. They come in all shapes in sizes. Mine is the round one (like a coil with lots of tiny teath) and they work like a lint remover would. Just brush the deer down when finished and it picks up any remaining hair. If you have any ma & pops meat markets around they should be able to get one for ya.