I was reading a post on here about leaving the skin on. I have allway's took the hid off, then let hang to AGE. If you are going to put it into hamgurger then I can see to get it skinned and start gringing. I want to get as much as steaks as I can and worrie about hamb. later. Ok how many leave it on and how many take the hid off???
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SKINNING or NOT
SKINNING or NOT
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Our groups that I have hunted with have always left the hide on. I was talking to a local hunter and their group always cut the legs off[4] to get rid of the tarsal glands and for easier transporting and skin the deer while they are still warm. Claims the hudes pull off like a glove. He says their meat has never had an off flavour. If and when I get my next deer I am going to give it a try. We have never found much difference about hanging times but if the meat is cold enough and good air movement I don't see a problem with a week of hanging.
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Grizzly Adam
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- Location: Decatur County, Indiana
I hunt on my own farm (live right here too), and can pretty much engineer my hunting opportunities for convenience ... most of my deer are boned out and in the fridge within an hour of the shot.
I keep the meat in stainless steel pans covered with Saran-Wrap until I am ready to can or freeze it ... there's no need to get to it immediately once it's boned and refridgerated.
Hanging carcasses is very impractical here. For one thing, you can't often do it without a refridgerated cooler, because the weather is too warm ... and even then, you're just asking for bear trouble. There's no advantage in it for me.
I don't think hanging with the skin on does a thing for deer anyway. I've had lots of friends who used to do that, and after eating deer meat with me, they don't do it any more!
I think quick kills, quick butchering and quick cooling contribute more to flavorful game meat than long hanging.
Just an opinion, though ... worth no more than you think it is!
I keep the meat in stainless steel pans covered with Saran-Wrap until I am ready to can or freeze it ... there's no need to get to it immediately once it's boned and refridgerated.
Hanging carcasses is very impractical here. For one thing, you can't often do it without a refridgerated cooler, because the weather is too warm ... and even then, you're just asking for bear trouble. There's no advantage in it for me.
I don't think hanging with the skin on does a thing for deer anyway. I've had lots of friends who used to do that, and after eating deer meat with me, they don't do it any more!
I think quick kills, quick butchering and quick cooling contribute more to flavorful game meat than long hanging.
Just an opinion, though ... worth no more than you think it is!
Last edited by Grizzly Adam on Tue Dec 04, 2007 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Grizz
if you're going to hang and age it for awhile then definately leave the hide on. i promise the meat will taste better and you won't get that outer layer of crusty skin. a friend of mine asked me to help him butcher 3 does he had shot and they were hanging for about 4 days. that outer layer of hard crust kept me real busy filleting in addition to the processing. (they hung without the hide). it was a a lot more work than was needed.
"Be on the alert,stand firm in the faith,act like men, be strong."
is that process what created the crusty layer i was talking about ?bstout wrote:I can't get my deer cut up, vacuumed packed and in the freezer fast enough!
The process known as autolysis is why. This is the destruction of a cell after its death by the action of its own enzymes, which break down its structural molecules.
Try waiting a few days before taking the skin off a fish.
The same basic truths are involved.
"Be on the alert,stand firm in the faith,act like men, be strong."
Doesn't matter if you skin it right away, but if you hang it head-up the meat will be ruined! 
Just throwing in some humor to reinforce a point, about every person you ask will give a slightly different opinion.
I can't see where it has any effect on taste. Personally, I skin ASAP if I'm processing my own. Easier to skin while they're still warm.
I've left a few late in the evening in the processor's cooler un-skinned, and it didn't make any difference in the quality of the meat as far as I can tell. The processor usually skins them as soon as he has time and lets them hang in the walk-in until it their turn to be butchered.
Deer are easier to skin while they're still warm, but much easier to butcher after they're cooled. If conditions permit I like to skin them right away then let them hang & cool (just above freezing temps are ideal IMHO) overnight before butchering.
I've always been of the opinion any game should be prosessed as quickly as possible. When I hunt small game (squirrel, rabbit, etc.) I skin & gut it as soon as I can. Usually right where it fell. Put the carcass in a clean cotton bag to protect it from dirt, then cool it ASAP.
Just another opinion, but I've never had to throw one away because it didn't taste good!
Just throwing in some humor to reinforce a point, about every person you ask will give a slightly different opinion.
I can't see where it has any effect on taste. Personally, I skin ASAP if I'm processing my own. Easier to skin while they're still warm.
I've left a few late in the evening in the processor's cooler un-skinned, and it didn't make any difference in the quality of the meat as far as I can tell. The processor usually skins them as soon as he has time and lets them hang in the walk-in until it their turn to be butchered.
Deer are easier to skin while they're still warm, but much easier to butcher after they're cooled. If conditions permit I like to skin them right away then let them hang & cool (just above freezing temps are ideal IMHO) overnight before butchering.
I've always been of the opinion any game should be prosessed as quickly as possible. When I hunt small game (squirrel, rabbit, etc.) I skin & gut it as soon as I can. Usually right where it fell. Put the carcass in a clean cotton bag to protect it from dirt, then cool it ASAP.
Just another opinion, but I've never had to throw one away because it didn't taste good!
wabi
I like that quote!bstout wrote:....If a person must kill time...they should work it to death.
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Skinning or not
I agree with wabi and the procedure he follows.
If unable to remove animal form kill site and must leave until morning to bring out, then skinning is deferred. Skinning hot is much easier and butchering after cooling is much easier.
I have skinned, butchered deer immediately after the kill as well as left skin on and butchered days later, temperatures permitting, and have not discarded meat nor found flavour affected. All game that I hunt are processed to the point of allowing to cool and maintain cleanliness as the main priority.
In the case of moose, I skin and section the carcass into 6 pieces immdiately after kill. Wrap in bed sheeting to keep clean during transportation in tarp lined canoe or argo to camp site. Unwrap and hang on a meat pole to cool. Cover meat pole with tent tarp style cover to protect from rain and leaf and needle debris, and wrap in cheese cloth for transport in a tarp lined conveyance for butchering. This has been very successful in handling of meat for taste as well as for cleaniless and has allowed carcass processing esatablishment doors to remain open upon hunter recognition.
As you can tell after this rendition, game /meat handling has been a high priority with me. I feel this is an area that hunters should be very conscious of, as meat processing people continue to have many horror stories to relate concerning the handling of game. Such reports are quickly spread to give wild game an unacceptable ticket for food fare.
I have written this for the benefit of "Hunting Acceptance" within our society and trust that it is accepted with this goal in mind and not as a tyrant.
bbbwb
If unable to remove animal form kill site and must leave until morning to bring out, then skinning is deferred. Skinning hot is much easier and butchering after cooling is much easier.
I have skinned, butchered deer immediately after the kill as well as left skin on and butchered days later, temperatures permitting, and have not discarded meat nor found flavour affected. All game that I hunt are processed to the point of allowing to cool and maintain cleanliness as the main priority.
In the case of moose, I skin and section the carcass into 6 pieces immdiately after kill. Wrap in bed sheeting to keep clean during transportation in tarp lined canoe or argo to camp site. Unwrap and hang on a meat pole to cool. Cover meat pole with tent tarp style cover to protect from rain and leaf and needle debris, and wrap in cheese cloth for transport in a tarp lined conveyance for butchering. This has been very successful in handling of meat for taste as well as for cleaniless and has allowed carcass processing esatablishment doors to remain open upon hunter recognition.
As you can tell after this rendition, game /meat handling has been a high priority with me. I feel this is an area that hunters should be very conscious of, as meat processing people continue to have many horror stories to relate concerning the handling of game. Such reports are quickly spread to give wild game an unacceptable ticket for food fare.
I have written this for the benefit of "Hunting Acceptance" within our society and trust that it is accepted with this goal in mind and not as a tyrant.
bbbwb
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Norlander
Hi everybody. I’m new to the forum, although I’ve been following it for a few months.
I agree with Grizz. I don’t believe hanging, with or without the hide on, is necessary.
I took my first crossbow deer (Excalibur Vixen) on October 7. The temperature was much too warn to leave it hanging so we had the hide off within 2-3 hours of when the buck was shot. It was cut up and in the freezer within 24 hours.
I lucked out and took another buck on October 30 and it was also processed within a short time of being shot. Both provided the best venison I’ve tasted and anybody who has sampled it agrees.
I think getting the hide off as soon as possible decreases the gamey flavour. The bonus is that it’s easier to skin them when they are freshly killed.
A couple of deer taken during the rifle season hung with the hide on for several days before processing and IMO the meat isn’t quite as nice as the ones that were processed right away.
Jerry
I agree with Grizz. I don’t believe hanging, with or without the hide on, is necessary.
I took my first crossbow deer (Excalibur Vixen) on October 7. The temperature was much too warn to leave it hanging so we had the hide off within 2-3 hours of when the buck was shot. It was cut up and in the freezer within 24 hours.
I lucked out and took another buck on October 30 and it was also processed within a short time of being shot. Both provided the best venison I’ve tasted and anybody who has sampled it agrees.
I think getting the hide off as soon as possible decreases the gamey flavour. The bonus is that it’s easier to skin them when they are freshly killed.
A couple of deer taken during the rifle season hung with the hide on for several days before processing and IMO the meat isn’t quite as nice as the ones that were processed right away.
Jerry
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crazyfarmer
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we process deer and it all just depends on what you want to do... normally we skin them and quarter them out. Then hang the pieces on hooks and let hang overnight to drain in the cooler. Meats easier to cut when its a little firm.
we have let them hang overnight with the hide on before but I dont see any difference, except its harder to skin by hand. However we use clamps and pull the hide off like a rabbit so it doesnt matter if its fresh or hung overnight.
I dont think its a right or wrong way, just as long as you dont let the deer hang in the hot weather
we have let them hang overnight with the hide on before but I dont see any difference, except its harder to skin by hand. However we use clamps and pull the hide off like a rabbit so it doesnt matter if its fresh or hung overnight.
I dont think its a right or wrong way, just as long as you dont let the deer hang in the hot weather
Same as Grizz and bstout for me. The sooner I can get it packaged and in the freezer the better. The day of recovery I will have it quartered and on ice at the very least within a few hours of the shot. For an early morning kill I try to have nothing but packages in the freezer at bedtime.
Being close to the hunting area has some advantages.
DuckHunt
Being close to the hunting area has some advantages.
DuckHunt
I get the deer cut up as quickly as possible and once it is quartered, I leave it in the cooler in ice water to bleed out. I drain it twice a day and put more ice in once per day. I keep doing that until the water comes out light pink. An older guy at my church who used to be a butcher told me to do it that way.