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Old August 23, 2005, 10:46 PM   #1
siotwo
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Hang by head or hinds (w/graphic pic)

How do you like to clean your deer. Hanging by head or by hind legs? Here we are cleaning Steve's first deer.


Last edited by siotwo; August 24, 2005 at 08:34 AM.
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Old August 24, 2005, 03:33 AM   #2
Twycross
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I hang by the hind legs. BTW, you might want to throw a little "graphic pic" warning into the title. Not that you have grossed me out or anything, but others with weaker stomachs might want to know in advance. Nice deer!
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Old August 24, 2005, 03:42 AM   #3
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Hind legs - good for drainning blood and fluids through that cut you make in the throat. From the neck pools it all in the body, eh?

Congrats on the first of many!
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Old August 24, 2005, 06:23 AM   #4
Bowtier
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Yup, hind legs here too. I think it make them easier to skin that way. By the way tell Steve congrat's on the first deer.
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Old August 24, 2005, 07:30 AM   #5
mete
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Make yourself a gambrel and hang it from the hind legs. The gambrel spreads the legs apart making things easier.
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Old August 24, 2005, 02:16 PM   #6
Quickdraw Limpsalot
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Hang 'em from the neck and skin 'em with the truck.
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Old August 24, 2005, 03:40 PM   #7
fisherman66
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I've typically hung deer by the neck as in the photo, but when I have a gambrel I'll hang 'em by the ham end legs. It seems easier to skin from the neck down.
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Old August 24, 2005, 04:15 PM   #8
Charles S
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I do both, but I think I prefer to hang the deer with the head hanging down.

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Old August 24, 2005, 09:38 PM   #9
siotwo
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I've cleaned em both ways and I don't even mind a complete quartering-up on the ground either, especially when I'm by myself. Its easier than a swinging/spinning deer.

I've heard of the golfball and truck tecnique, but never tried it.

Unless I'm caping for a mount it seems easier to hang by the neck. If you haven't field dressed/gutted the deer you can split the belly while hanging and guts and blood roll right out. On little Does this works pretty well when the gambrel is too wide for the hind legs. Just watch out for bloody boots.
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Old August 25, 2005, 03:43 AM   #10
3 weelin geezer
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Looks like a side of beef with a head to me. If it grosses you out, then what do you do with what you shoot? Just leave it there for the wild dogs/pigs/buzzards?
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Old August 25, 2005, 06:20 AM   #11
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I have always hung deer for skinning with the head up. I field dress them when on the ground.

Twycross thinks:BTW, you might want to throw a little "graphic pic" warning into the title. Not that you have grossed me out or anything, but others with weaker stomachs might want to know in advance. Nice deer!

Hey, its a hunting forum, I HOPE most of the guys here have seen this sight many times. )
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Old August 27, 2005, 11:32 PM   #12
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Hang 'em high

An old butcher explained to me that cows are always butchered head down because the valves in the veins allow the blood to drain back toward the heart (and thus out of most of the body) when the critter is head down. Yes, veins do have anti-backflow valves.

Makes sense to me. I hang a deer that way when I can to butcher it.

As to field dressing them, that oughta be done at the site of the kill--don't haul all those guts back to camp! Just more to haul, then you have to get rid of 'em besides. You field dress a deer with its head uphill or up on a stump, so's the innards roll out as you release 'em. (Why do you suppose it's called FIELD dressing??)

So: Briefly: Field dress with head up, in the field. Butcher with head down, in camp.
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Old August 28, 2005, 06:27 AM   #13
chemist308
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Head up if you don't care to keep a head mount.

Head down and cape it if you want a head mount.
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Old August 28, 2005, 09:10 AM   #14
whiskey
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I like to hang by the head. I have done it both ways and I do like to hang the deer whole and skin before gutting of the weather and time permit. I will not chance spoiling meat to do this or risk breaking my back to get a big heavy undressed deer out of the woods, but if the 4 wheeler is close and the weather is cool, you can gain a lot by hanging the deer befor emaking any cuts.

The point of hanging the deer whole is to keep things clean. Hang by the head whole and skin the deer. If you use a truck and golf ball, this takes less than 10 mins. If you do it the hard way, then maybe 20 mins for a good skinner with a good knife. I have almost no hair onthe deer if I can hang it whole and skin it. I also don't have dirt and leaves on the inside of the deer if I don't have to field dress it at the kill site and then drag it through the woods.

I also "bleed" my meat in a cooler with ice untill the melted ice runs clear. 3-7 days on ice will get the blood out of the meat and leave a much better tasting piece of meat. I learned this on wild hogs and it greatly improves the meat flavor. Some folks use salt and vinager added to the cooler to increase the bleeding, but I have not found it necessary.

If the deer is field dressed on the ground and you don't skin with a truck then a good gambrel is probably the better way. I use a cable type gambrel that snares the legs and holds them even after you cut them free. This beats the hell out of hold the ham with one hand and cutting it loose with the other.
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Old September 22, 2005, 02:01 PM   #15
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I gut mine right when I get em, I try and do it on a hill or something and just open the deer up and rip out all the goodies. Far as hanging. If it's going to be cold ie. no higher than 40 and colder at night I'll hang it by the back legs and let the meat tenderize for a few days. It allows the colagen to break down in the meat and allows for a better tasting deer. When I butcher I hang the same way by the rear legs and skin it. Then cut the head off and saw right down the middle and get to work making steaks,chops and all the other favorites.
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Old September 23, 2005, 09:55 AM   #16
FrontSight
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I always have hung from the hind with a gambrel, but this year I bought the E-Z Skinner, hoping to be able to try it out, the video that comes with it looks awesome, takes like 3 minutes - look it up on cabelas...
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Old September 23, 2005, 10:02 AM   #17
Evader1
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Hey scrap I have the do all buck buster. Niffty little toy but have yet to use it. Looks like a fun time though and has that 3 min video also. Says you can gut and skin a deer all in one with this thing. Check it out.....http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...889&hasJS=true
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Old September 23, 2005, 10:18 AM   #18
FrontSight
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Cool, I was looking at that tool, can you let me know how it works out?

I can't find the actual E-Z Skinner I was talking about, tho - it's a big metal clamp that you attach to the hide, and then chain the deer or elk to a tree or other stationary object, and then chain the clamp to a vehicle and drive away slowly so that the skin comes right off, piece of cake...
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Old September 23, 2005, 10:47 AM   #19
Evader1
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Well Archery opens next Sat so I'm hoping to get a deer and use this thing. Has everything to open the deer and even crack the brisket open and the pelvic bone too. If not, I got my trusty Glock Knife that's seen more action on deer than any other blade I own. I looked in Cabelas but didn't see what you were talking about though
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Old September 23, 2005, 12:40 PM   #20
FrontSight
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Yeah, I know, I dunno what is up, I can't even find it on google...gonna look at it tonight and see if it has a website and if so I'll post.
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Old September 24, 2005, 10:50 PM   #21
Toney
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By the head most of the time or on the ground
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Old October 17, 2005, 12:21 PM   #22
Evader1
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Hey Scrap,
Finally got to use that Buck Buster tool on a Doe Sat night. It ripped right through. It was the fastest and easiest I've ever gutted a deer. Was able to run right up the middle, crack her sternum open and break the pelvic bone and all her insides came out nice and neat. Don't know what anyone else uses, but I love that tool!
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Old October 17, 2005, 01:10 PM   #23
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The question reminds me of an old story. Two hunters were encountered in the woods dragging their freshly killed deer back to camp by its tail. When advised that it might be easier to pull by the antlers, as the hair laid towards the tail and it would then not cause drag if they pulled the other way. The hunters responded "but then we'd be pulling it away from our camp".


With this deer, the fact that the circulatory system was open, blood would follow gravity and it made little difference "Heads or Tails".
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Old October 17, 2005, 02:09 PM   #24
AJ Peacock
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We always hung them from the hind quarters. Many times, we would field dress and have to leave it in the woods while we went to get the horses (might be overnight). If some coyotes etc. found it, we wouldn't lose the hind quarters, as they were hanging higher.

We were also taught to shoot our deer at the base of the ear (neck shot), kinda makes it hard to hang it by the head when you can cut the head off with a knife and never touch bone!

Been doing it that way forever and it always looks kind of odd when I see someone hang a deer from the head.

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Old October 17, 2005, 05:31 PM   #25
Joven
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We always hang 'em by the head. If you dont want the tenderoins you can quarter them while they are hanging and never gut the animal. Then throw away the carcass, guts and all.
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