Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I saw this topic started but I can't find it anymore.
I hang em head up to skin them out,(the old hook the hide to the truck trick) then turn them head down if I need to let them hang for any lenght of time.
I was taught to leave them head down to keep the fluids from collecting in the hams.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head up - to Drain, clean, hose out, or store (weather permiting) for any length of time.

Head down - to skin and process.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

head down.

Hope they don't delete this topic again!

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

hang em head down cause they will bleed out much better.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I was always taught to hang them head down.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I have always hung my deer head up directly after harvesting, this allows me to gut them, and clean the chest cavity out VERY easily, after that, I take them to our garage, lay a tarp on the floor, and hang them head down, that makes it a lot easier to skin, and split the hind quarters and ribs. I let them hang a couple of days if it is cold out. Then I quarter them and put them in the freezer for a week. After that, I take them out and cut them up on the bandsaw.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

If you are going to shoulder mount the deer, don't hang them head up, as this stretches the skin on the neck. The taxidermist then has to "unstretch" the hide to make it fit on a form.

Pablo

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

hang 'em head down, much easier to work with

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

WE ALWAYS HANG OUR DEER HEAD DOWN WHEN SKINNING AND LEFTING FLUID DRAIN. JUST THE WAY I WAS TOUGHT AND WILL TEACH MY KIDS.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Head up - to Drain, clean, hose out, or store (weather permiting) for any length of time.

Head down - to skin and process.
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The deer should not be hosed out inside, if you are leaving it hang a few days,....... inless, you gut shot it!

If it is left with the natural emzimes, which you wash away if you hose it out, it will form a glossy dry &quot;skin&quot;, that will keep the meat from drying out, and also is un-appealing to flys, if it is warm enough for them.

Hang them head down so the body fluids drain out better! If you hang them head up, those fluids all drain into the hind quarters, where your best meat is.

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>

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Up or down ????????
I'm going to try hanging a deer by both left legs and see if thats works better than hanging it up by both right legs. Or should I try a right hind leg and a left fore leg oh no I might have that backwards. What difference does it make. HANG THEM HOWEVER YOU WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Hang head down inside for better drainage,away from hind quarters.If you hang it outside,hang headup,hair goes down,in case of rain.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

i hang mine head down, cut the slots on the back legs cut around the tail, cut a long slit all the way down the center of the stomach to the neck, and you can pull the hide right off the deer. starting from the rear end and pull the hide down straight down the back..

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head Down

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I'll join the other few folks here that find it much easier to hang them head up! You need more useless equipment to hang them from the hind legs.

I've done it both ways and have yet to notice a difference in the taste of the meat. Venison is venison...as long it's properly cared for, and whick way you hang it has nothing to do with &quot;PROPER CARE&quot;

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I guess I'm a little confused. I usually hang my deer head up cause I don't want any stray fluids collecting in the windpipe area, which is a bacteria magnet anyway. How does hanging them head down make them drain better? (I'm not being sarcastic, I really want to know) I think they are a little easier to skin when hanging head down although I tend to get a little more hair on the meat that way.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

We hang ours head-down. They bleed out better head down, but the guts fall right out it you hang it head up because the ribs aren't there to be in the way. Either way...it doesn't matter.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I don't think it makes much difference. I think that the direction they hang has more to do with what you're used to in terms of the skinning and butchering. I can't imagine anybody hanging them until they have been field dressed,...... unless they are being hanged in a particular way specifically for the dressing and skinning and butchering. Once they're prepared for &quot;aging&quot; and they have been properly prepared for hanging long tem, the direction they point is of little consequence. Temperature is the important consideration then.

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RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Field dress on the spot,bring it to camp and hang head down.Proceed to drink gallons of beer and wine with backstraps.A good day of hunting!!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Walk silently and listen hard.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head down in GA. I'm not against head up I guess. I'm just used to head down. Whatever you like ultimately.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

head down, we also field dress our deer where they fall, everyone I know guts their deer in the field, I'm surprised at how many hang to gut. If the weather is to warm to hang them I even skin them on the ground.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

If you want it mounted it makes it a lot easier on the taxidermist if you hang it head up. Otherwise I hang it head down.
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RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I've talked to three different taxidermists who all said to hang them head down to keep the cape from stretching. Just my $.02.

Pablo

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

My taxidermist also says NEVER HANG A DEER BY THE HEAD THAT YOU WANT TO GET MOUNTED!!!

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

Head down.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

There is one thing I have noticed in the head up folks, they all leave the head on. One reason I hang mine head down is when I skin them I pull the skin as far down over the head as I can get it and then cut the head off. With the head off, the entire body will drain down through the neck and there is nothing left of the wind pipe. I doubt if it really makes a huge difference head up or down, but why do you leave the head on? Especially if you are going to age it for 7-10 days.

The Tazman

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I started this post about a week aog and it was deleted. I still can't figure out why. I am glad it got re-posted. I hang my deer head down and with the heat down here we have to clean them right away. I do keep them in a cooler of ice for a couple days letting the blood drain from the meat as the ice melts. I just keep draining the water and adding ice.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I hang mine head up. Fluids drain out nice if you open up the hole. If I was going to do the butchering, It would hang from the back legs. I would never hang a trophy from the neck or horns. Too many things could go wrong.

RE: Hanging deer head up or down?
 

I always field dress my deer when I get to them. Then at camp I hang them head down spread out with a gambrel . I've done them both ways and to me this is easier.