RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

i was taught to hang them head down and did so for a number of years. but then i joined a club that hung them head up and found out that was easier. so i did that for a number of years. but now i don't even hang mine because i have private land that is close to home. all i do is gut and spray off the deer with a water hose on the tailgate of my truck. then i take it to one of the 2 deer coolers that is close to my house.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

We always hang them head down .

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

We always hang our deer head down. We have hoses and buckets and everyone uses the same system at our club. I have never even tried the other way.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

head down, cut behind the tendons on the hind quarter, run it up as I gut it (unless I have already dressed it), skin it, let it hang 7-10 days if weather permits, then quarter and butcher. I will confess I have cut off a backstrap or two over the years before the rest of the deer was aged. I prefer to gut them as I am hanging them if I am close to home, because I just stick a big bucket under it as I gut and run it up and it all just drops right in, no fuss, no muss.

The Tazman

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Personally, I have an easier time cleaning the deer when I hang it head up. I think it allows everything to fall to the ground instead of gathering in the ribcage area. Then I re-hang them head down to drain.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head down, hanging with back legs spread apart.

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Hunting the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head down, but I take the tenderloins out immediately, before that delicious cut of meat can be dried out. If you let them dry out you will miss the best cut of meat on a deer.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Go tres when I clean a deer hanging head down I start at the anus and euretha break it free and tie it off, then cut down all the way through the sternum and down to the neck. Everything starts to slide right out and makes it far easier to finish cutting the anus and euretha out because it is being pulled straight down, then you just cut the diaphraim and anything else holding on. Last but not least of course you pull up the wind pipe and cut it! Voila everything in a bucket. It may be hard to visualize, but once you have gutted one this way you will never go back, unless it is going to take to long time after the kill to get them hung and you wind up dressing it in the field.

The Tazman

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

i alway will hang them head up for 1-2 days to drain the blood and this also tenderizes the meat...as far as stretching out the cape for a shoulder mount that really doesn't effect it at all for as every deer that i have seen that has gotten the mount was hung head up and the mounts turn out just fine..the big no-no is to hang the buck with a rope around the neck, that really messes the cape up.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head down

The deer is already dead why kill it again?<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>