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Steeleco
01-08-2004, 11:09 PM
I have a question that probably has as many answers as "which is the right bullet?" but I'm curious to know how fast do you guy/gals gut and skin you game that you have taken for meat? I was always told to deal with it ASAP which is the practice I've followed. The reason I ask is most of the pictures in this site and CGN show animals long after the kill still with skin on. Does it really make a differance to the taste? thanks steeleco

SAVAGE
01-08-2004, 11:23 PM
Depends on the situation, hows that for an answer... . :lol:

I gut & clean the game as much as possible before skidding it out to my vehicle, but leave the hide on, would rather drag it "hair down" than with the hide off. Cooling it quickly is of key importance to me, so even with the hide on I split the brisket & spread the chest cavity to aid in cooling. When there is snow available I have been known to fill the cavity with snow to help in cooling off the meat. Once the game is to my vechicle I usually skin it out, but if the trip out of bush is going to be really muddy or dusty I sometimes leave the hide on untill I get home.

SAVAGE
01-09-2004, 01:09 AM
In the scenario where I am hunting in a group & the group is staying in the bush to hunt further, afer the first game is harvested, the game is skinned to aid cooling & hung at least 10' off the ground to reduce the risk of bear problems. :?
My preference is to get the meat home & hanging immediately, then go back out to hunt without the concern over bears in camp. :?
Each scenario is different, but since I place a high value on the game I harvest & the meat it provides for my family & friends, I do whatever it takes to harvest the game and treat the meat to minimize waste & spoilage. :)

Did you have a particular situation in mind when you asked such a loaded question? :?

If you do, spit it out, we are all ears. :wink:

Foxer
01-09-2004, 03:41 AM
The key, as mentioned, is "as soon as possible" - always. I'll leave the skin on to get it out of the bush - but as soon as circumstances allow GET THE SKIN OFF. You MUST cool the meat as quicky as possible to get the best taste. That also means get the chest open - a good stick will work fine as a 'rib spreader'. If snow is available - give the beast a rub down. A little water on the inside (and outside if supplies permit) is also a good idea - and if you have a bit of vinigar to mix in with it, so much the better. (vinigar, besides being a disinfectant which keeps flies and bacteria away, also evaporates at a lower temperature than water. That helps cool the animal even faster).

There are those who will tell you "leave the skin on for the drive home or the meat will dry out". Yeah - if it's 40 below that might be a concern and it might be cold enough not to worry - but the fact is if you get the skin off it will tend to get a 'glaze' going the first nite which will protect the animal. Put it in a game bag, then cover with a tarp for the road trip, and you'll have a perfect animal at the end.

Getting the meat to cool is one of the most important steps to getting the best taste - and the meat in some parts is quite thick and takes a hell of a lot longer to cool than many people think.

Steeleco
01-09-2004, 09:40 AM
You guys sound like you had a teacher that came from the same school as mine. :wink: :wink: I just wonder what the taste differance is between our way and the animals in some of those pictures?

bone-collector
01-09-2004, 09:50 AM
simple, if a animal is not cooled asap bone sour can set in and will ruin a entire deer or moose in lat than 24hrs

dizzydan
01-09-2004, 09:57 AM
ASAP it is easy to take off (skin) when fresh.DAN>>> :)

coaster
01-09-2004, 10:26 AM
Foxer and I must have gone to the same school when it comes to care of game meat. It depends on the weather . I carry lots of game bags with me. The vinegar wipe down on the meat works far better than pepper to keep the flies away. If the temp. is -10 or so I leave the skin on.

Steeleco
01-09-2004, 11:10 AM
OK I've learned something new. The vinegar trick sound's like a pretty good idea. Is it used at full strenght or diluted with water for a slightly weaker concentration?

Steeleco
01-09-2004, 11:22 AM
Hi Savage. I'm just being a curious type. I've always wondered why there seems to be so many different opinions on this subject. So far I've seen nothing in the post's that I would dissagree with.

I'm now upping the game to cutting my own meat. Due to the lack of game cutters in the lower mainland because of fears of CWD I just wanted to prepare myself with as much info as I can get.

Come October around here nothing short of a moose is being taken by the few cutters that are still in the field. So I have set up a shop to cut my own. What's the worst that can happen? 100lbs of ground!!!!!! thanks all for you inputs I now know I'm on the right track.

Foxer
01-09-2004, 12:13 PM
A 15 - 20 percent vinigar solution is quite adequate. The vinigar kills the germs and smell that attract bugs and ruin meat (especially give a good cleaning to the severed neck area - if that becomes contaminated it can spread thru the veins and arteries sometimes much faster than the meat itself, causing the animal to be ruined. Only a real concern in warmer weather of course.) And - because it dries faster it helps suck the heat out of the animal quickly and get the ball rolling. Then the water continues that process. (also - if you tried to haul up enough vinigar to actually wipe down a whole animal people would look at you funny :) )

a clean rag and a bucket of water/vinigar can also help get more of the hairs off the meat - start on the inside first so you don't get leftover hairs there - and then rinse the outside. Hair contains oils which can affect the meat slightly. rinsing the outside only is of little value, as the meat is so thick in some parts it will still resist cooling. Get it from both directions.

Hanging the animal a little higher off the ground not only keeps it away from bears better, it also moves it into the breeze. It's a good idea to make use of that in concert with a water rub down and shade when the temps are a little higher to cool as fast as possible. Sometimes you can throw your cheezecloth on after, and then wet that down a bit when the animal starts to dry. The wicking action does a lot to keep the animal cool. (but you still had to have done it properly on the inside first, wetting the cloth won't cool an animal, just keep the animal cool after the process has started).

QnsCowboy
01-09-2004, 12:31 PM
Everybody has already said it....but I too am a big advocate for winping down with vinegar and water......

I have never had an animal sour, but I have also taken the bark off the next day...But obviously it would be best once your game is hung to have the hide off...

Craig

303Fan
01-10-2004, 07:31 AM
Steeleco if your not sure about cutting your own meat the best place to get it cut is Sumas meats in Abby reasonably priced at .45 cents a lb comes wrapped in heavy brown freezer paper and the sausage he makes is to die for.Id,e hate to see you make ground out of a good kill. :(

Steeleco
01-10-2004, 10:21 AM
Hey 303fan. I happen to know Kirk quite well I've had not just a few animals done by him and his gang. I'm wery happy with the meat never had more than a tiny bit on hair on a moose, makes AWSOME sausage too. Trouble is he's never got any hooks in October cause of the moose reg's in the province at that time. I think it's time for me to trysome cutting of my own (smaal stuff). besides my wife would be asking how come I put some much time and money into my shop and not paint her living roomthis past summer!!!!!!!!!!

coaster
01-10-2004, 10:41 AM
I have been cutting my own game for many years, If you are serious about I would suggest you buy a good bandsaw. The one I have is made by Busy Bee, it has a meat grinder attached, stainless steel table. It was not too expensive, around $100. After hanging I bone the meat and put into the freezer untill it gets firm, it sure makes it easy.

willyqbc
01-10-2004, 12:31 PM
Here's a horror story for you. A guy we had in moose camp one year (friend of a friend) took a small bull. He was from out of town and happened to forget some gear in camp. As I was heading down his way to hunt whitetails I volunteered to drop it off for him. Now keep in mind it was approx. 3 weeks after moose camp that I ended up on his doorstep, bout 10-15 degrees out. I walk up to the house and see the moose he shot hanging in his carport with the hide still on. It absolutely reeked! Turns out he was out of town on another trip so I dropped off his gear and left. Would have liked to give him a peice of my mind though....what a waste.
Myself, once a critter is down it gets to the nearest cooler as soon as humanly possible....no matter what. I'm going to be eating that meat for the year and there is nothing that will stop me from ensuring it is the best it can possibly be. The people I hunt with understand, as I do, that it may cost us a day or more hunting time, but when the critter is down we are going to town, no matter where we are. Only exception to this is when we have been in camp where it is cold enough to ensure quick cooling.

Just my opinion
Chris

MADTRAPPER
01-10-2004, 02:39 PM
Clean ASAP and keep it cool. I saw again this year where someone dumped their moose because they never looked after it properly and yellow nylon loops still attached to each quarter. These people should never be allowed to hunt. :evil:

Thunderstix
01-10-2004, 03:47 PM
I have always been a big believer in "getting the hide off quickly" and have at every opportunity done so in the bush (unless there were obvious cleanliness concerns) (at least with moose and elk). With the deer around here, the need is not so great as they are not as thick as moose. I actually hang them whole..as I do bear...with no adverse affects.

moosehunter
01-11-2004, 11:30 PM
I get to skinning her as soon as shes drunk enough to let me! Just kidding. Ive heard of some people leaving the hide on throughout the hanging process then skinning to cut and wrap. They tell me it keeps the meat from getting that crusty glaze. Im sure not going to try it until I see it done with 100 percent success.

Foxer
01-12-2004, 12:15 AM
The crusty glaze is your friend!!!! Seek the crusty glaze, for it is a sign of goodness and happiness!! And tasty meat!!

Seriously - you wanna know what to do with game when you shoot it - go talk to a good experienced game butcher. You can learn a lot from those guys. A lot of the 'traditions' we have are based on problems that we don't encounter any more in the modern world, with it's freezers handily close by and so on. Like hanging the meat head up or head down - there was a time that was important for very good reasons. Now - not as much. (i still do mine down tho - habit.)

I spent a few hours this last year talking to one of the best, Mr Armstrong out of Delta. The guy helped straighten me out on some of the things i do right, and wrong. And some things we do don't matter a darn, but we do 'em because that's the way we learned it and that's what we're used to.

But the one thing he told me again and again, - GET THE MEAT COLD ASAP. So, however you do it, do that.

swamper
01-30-2004, 10:41 AM
like most of you I too am a great fan of getting the hide off as soon as humanly possible. It always stays on for the drag out of the bush but comes off as soon as I get home. That being said, I know a couple of guys in Quesnel that won't even go deer hunting until the last part of November when the mulie rut is in full swing. Anyone who has shot a deer at this time of year knows how tangy the meat can be. They swear by the method of hanging the deer in a cold place with the hide on for up to 3 weeks. Then they skin and butcher. They say they have never had a rank deer using this method. Another fell told me that he was hunting with a native fellow who would hand the deer by the neck with the hide on for 1 week and then hang it by the back feet for another week or two before skinning. Once again claims that there is no gamey taste to the deer. Three years ago I shot a really big mulie the last weekend of the season. I shinned this deer and hung it in my shed for 30 days. The temperature was such that at the end it was starting to freeze a little. This deer had very little gamey taste to it.
Over the past 20 years I have butchered/cut all of my own game. The process is not all that hard. I found a pair of video tapes called "Get Cutting and Cooking" One tape dealt with a front quarter and the other did the back quarter. The first time we cut one we set a TV up in the shop and followed the directions. After a couple of times it became quite easy. As I always bone out all my meat I don't have to worry about a band saw. I have read that leaving the bone in will cause the meat to deteriorate more quickly in the freezer, not to mention the extra space it takes in the freezer. By cutting my own meat I have saved quite a bit of money, and have the satisfaction of saying I did this myself.

Thunderstix
01-30-2004, 11:40 AM
I cut my own meat as well. I have a video that shows the entire process. The meat-cutter in it keeps referring to cutting his wife....he has issues :lol:

luckynuts
01-30-2004, 03:38 PM
It's a simple operation really. Drop animal walk up coupe de grace in head to make sure, trophy or not! Do your best to put it on it's back that's when rope comes in handy especially if it's a moose. Clean it spread briskett with ? stick, bird house ( used one year :lol: ) head back to camp to get help. Come back cut animal in half load in trailer head back to camp. Hang halves skin out. salzal in to quarters, cut out any blood shot. re-hang leave enough space between quarters to air out. wash down with water/vinegar solution cover with tarp. Hang for 2 days then stick in cooler on back of trailer turn on genset to provide steady 40' temp hang for 30 days then cut and wrap :D Mind you this is an annual moose hunt. Deer would be the same if weren't close to home otherwise skin it back at home. Oh yeah never slid your quarters with skin on under yur quad un tarped and drive out for home 8 hrs away. met a guy in Prince george at gas station let's just say his truck smelled.

W




W

BCKID
04-07-2004, 05:14 PM
I have been giving my deer meat a vinagar rub for years. Good to hear I have company. I have never had a bad piece of meat since I started. As for skinning I like to leave the hide on untill I get back to camp, if it's to late I will wait until the next day. Even after a AM hunt. I think the vinagar is the key. I wipe the whole carcass down after skinning. Starting with the inside of course. BCKID :?

YukonJack
04-07-2004, 07:01 PM
(insert best Homer imitation here)..."...MMMMM Crusty Glaze..."

GoatGuy
04-07-2004, 07:30 PM
I've always skinned animals out asap. Left a couple moose overnight, always turns out fine-as long as it's cold enough and it ain't gut shot.

Don't skin in Saskatchewan, your hands would freeze and the carcass would be stiff in the 20 minutes it takes you to skin 'em out. Not much for hangin' poles out there either :lol:

It's funny you guys mention those do it yourself video's. Have you ever seen the video where they do the works including gutting the deer, I think it's a wtb. Anyways if you pay attention you can see a doe running throught the bush in the background as they're filming the guy gutting the buck. Pretty funny.

bone-collector
04-07-2004, 08:09 PM
its simple if its NOT below 2 or 3 degrees leaving the hide on a moose can and will turn to bone sour in the loin and hip areas overnight (we found this out the hard way not once but twice now (second time we had no choice couldnt get the moose out of the bush and had company several times in that area so noone wanted to be there in the dark with it!))

GoatGuy
04-07-2004, 08:35 PM
Yeah, we left three this year without a hitch. Did the work the next morning. We don't bother gutting them or anything. The meat tasted great-ate the tenderloins that day. I'm not so keen on skinnin and deboning a moose in the dark either!!!! It's reasuring when you go back in the light the next morning and work with the dog going ape sh** for a half hour.

I'm not sure if I'm more worried about furry friends or hunter's (clients) standing guard with rifles. Both of them frighten me when it's dark out.

Foxer
04-07-2004, 08:57 PM
I usually at least gut 'em, no matter how cold it is. I don't know if its just superstition or what, but i was always taught that if you don't get the guts out as fast as possible you risk bacteria. (maybe that was fish, and i just got confused :lol: )

goat, there's some really neat and very small electric fences now for putting up around game areas - deploy in minutes and are proven grizzlie proof. I had the video link, it was quite funny to watch bears mess with it.

GoatGuy
04-07-2004, 09:24 PM
Yeah, we just didn't really want to get them opened up. Figured the blood and guts would attract the raven's way quicker and would get the bears sniffers going even more. It worked out, the meat tasted great. Course gut shot animals would probably be awful.

Electric fences hey. Sounds like a 'merican invention. Even if the fence worked you'd have to get into it first. :roll: What will they think of next!

Foxer
04-07-2004, 09:31 PM
What will they think of next!

Well, personally I was pushing for trained squirrels with lasers on their heads, but apperently there's some 'animal rights' issues.....

Steeleco
04-08-2004, 03:04 AM
My last trip into Trimble, we got a smaller moose as it was getting dark, my wife's uncle who flew us in just told me to stand guard and shoot anything that came out of the trees. Just what was he expecting?. While he did the gutting and brisket removal he explained he was as worried about wolverines pissin on the meat as much as bears stealing it. All worked out ok meat was good, he later told me open it up asap no matter what and get back early to finish the job.

wounded
04-08-2004, 08:02 AM
A deer can be left for quite awile without being skinned ,even in warmer weather [15 and uder] as long as the cavity is well ventalated and feels cool to the touch,air flow is the key here NEVER wrap with a tarp or plastic. or at least keep it away from the deer up to a foot.But with the elk and moose its a different story,in that temperature those big guys will get bone rot.I ve seen people put sticks along the bones to keep air flow around them .moose and other big game should be skinned soon as possible to prevent bone rot. never leave it laying down or the risk is higher COOLING is more important than anything.

3kills
04-08-2004, 08:56 AM
if its cooler out like below 0 we just gut em and keep on hunting some times and then as soon as we get into town we hang and skin..last year when i got my lil buck it was cool out and we were huntin moose on leh...so we were in the bush all day and then it started to warm up so we took the block of ice from our cooler and stuck it into the chest cavity and put a stick between his ribs to keep it open and he was good... no bone sour at all..

GoatGuy
04-08-2004, 10:51 AM
Yeah Steelco, that's what I was always told, get the guts out ASAP, but I'm telling ya it works if you don't. I don't know the scientific explanation, but I now know you don't have to gut them right away. Had it been warm I'm sure we would have gutted, skinned and deboned them right away, but it was fairly cool and we didn't feel like getting chewed on and it worked.

woodster
04-08-2004, 12:14 PM
I've gotta back goatguy up on this one. I have always been big on not just skinning/gutting an animal but boning it out and cooling the meat asap, especially on elk and moose. But we left those three bulls untouched over night, returned at first light the next morning, boned everything out (don't need to gut them that way) cooled the meat really well at that point and everything turned out perfect. After the flight out, two of the moose then went into 4' coolers for a long drive to Texas. I contacted the hunters when they got home and the meat was fine.

eagleye
04-08-2004, 03:14 PM
Well, I'm certainly not going to claim to be the resident expert on this topic, but after 50+ moose and 30+ Elk, I have had a chance to make some observations. I DO like to get the entrails out ASAP, because I have seen some animals bloat up pretty badly in just a few hours, [not mine] and that doesn't do anything for the meat. However, as some have observed, overnight can be OK if the weather is suitable. As far as skinning, I will leave the hide on IF the temperature is low enough to warrant it, or if I can get the quarters to a cooler within 2-3 hours. If there is any doubt, especially on Moose or Elk, the Hide comes off as soon as it is practical. If the weather is cold, you can leave the hide on, [even moose quarters] without any danger of bonesour. I would be extremely reluctant to leave the hide on a whole moose or elk, but if it is quartered, the situation is different. A deer sized animal can usually have the hide left on, unless it is very warm out. One benefit of leaving the hide on, when possible, is less shrinkage and weight loss, since that "crust" that forms on the meat, while protecting it, is lost at butcher time, since it is invariably trimmed off and discarded. It is hard to argue with success, so whatever one has had good success with, and whatever you feel is the safest procedure, that is what you should continue to do. I have practiced the policy I have outlined here, and have never lost one ounce of meat to any spoilage. On the contrary, many who have eaten game at our table often comment on how delicious it is, without the gaminess they have experienced at times. Regards, Eagleye

wounded
04-08-2004, 05:55 PM
Eagleye is another one of my idols!!! 8O 8O You sound like a hunting machine with those kind of killsl under your belt.Yes I would consider you a expert to this topic.welcome aboard . :D :D :D :D

lovestohunt
04-08-2004, 10:04 PM
I will admit I am not an expert on this topic but I too aggree with the quick removal of tthe hide, and washing down with vinegar and packing witth pepper and wrappping with cheese cloth ( the pepper supposidly adds flavor, but it really keeps the bugs away) This fall I was hunting with an old german outfitter north of Fort St James and when he got his moose he split the brisket, cooled with cold water and tied it up suspending over his truck box. He claimed that for the last 20 years he has left the hide on when it was cold with great success! He said that their was less meat loss and it makes sense to me. THis fall I will give it a try.

Every year i shoot a bear or two and I like to get the hide off quick, debone and throw all the meat in 2, 5gal rubbermaid containers with a cup of vinegar and water in each. I leave it for 2-3 days and the vinegar kinda kills the bacteria and cooks the meat but when It comes home from the meat packer it tastes great! I have never had a bad experience, and niether have my friends.

I have had great sucess with the bear and I am looking forward to trying leaving the skin on the moose :lol:

GoatGuy
04-08-2004, 10:30 PM
Who was the old german Outfitter just out of complete and total curiosity.

lovestohunt
04-09-2004, 08:40 PM
The outfitter in question was named Hanz (dont even bother asking his last name, I cant even pronouce it, little own spell it) He guides on Chuchi Lake.

GoatGuy
04-09-2004, 08:48 PM
I think I met his son last year-different type of dude. That outfit is strictly private right. Some germans own it and only they hunt it. I've flown over Witch lake a couple times and there's a couple of bruiser bulls hanging out there.

lovestohunt
04-10-2004, 09:38 PM
yeh, that sounds like the guy, they guide a few friends each year from back in Germany each year. And as for bulls, I have seen some up there that have made my jaw drop down between my ankles. It is knda funny how you see all the big fellers when you dont have an leh 8O

416
04-11-2004, 12:12 AM
Lots of ideas from lots of experienced people. My two cents........l never take the hide of until l am ready to butcher, no matter what size the animal is. l have even on occasion if the situation allows put off gutting it if l can get it to the pick up to avoid picking up the usual fare from nature,ie.twigs dirt leaves in the chest cavity. The bone rot that some have mentioned, l have never experienced and have no idea what causes that. Cooling is important but l have always thought the worst thing leaving the hide on does it speed up muscle break-down, but then that would only be a factor until the animals temp reaches the same as a skinned out one, then everything should be equal. The quality of the table fare l have found is better then skinning and allowing that glaze to form. As far as time span goes, l have left hides on and not in coolers, in excess of two weeks and never suffered any of the meat taint some of the people describe here. Have used black pepper instead of cheeese cloth and had limited success (didn't bring enough) but once it was throughly coated on the exposed meat parts the pepper formed a jacket of its own that flaked off at butchering time leaving fresh unglazed meat under it.

3kills
04-11-2004, 12:20 AM
u get ur bone sour or bone rot from uncooled meat...i pack a pack of pepper with me just in case...i have only ever used it once and that was last year...and we only used it cuz we had hung my dear in a shed at a house where there was five cats so we double wrapped it in cheese cloth and peppered it down nicely...and then that way to on the 5 hour drive home the bugs didnt touch him...i have never ever had meat taste bad or gamey or nothing...i m sure we all have our ways of doing it and we will probably try new things once and awhile i have heard a few things in this post that i would try and things i probably wouldnt just from what i was taught...like they say though the taste has to do with how it was handled from the time it was shot till the time u eat it...i had a mid rut buck last year that tasted as good and as tender as my lil one point...its all in the handling... :D

wounded
04-11-2004, 12:33 PM
Bone rot comes from the bone out to the hide.It does not matter how much pepper or vinegar you put on, it will still get the rot as per other posts these products are for keeping the bugs and flies off. It is very noticeable when you cut the meat and smelly too . :D :D

oldtimer
04-12-2004, 12:29 PM
Well boys and girls I have been doing it the same way for over 30 years. Gut your game at the kill sight. get to town and skin it, use vinegar and water to clean it spotless and then get it to the meat locker or butcher. I am happy to say I have never had animal go bad or taste anything but delicious.
Oldtimer

wounded
04-12-2004, 04:10 PM
Can't be any harder than that .So true oldtimer!!! :D :D

3kills
04-12-2004, 11:35 PM
thats what i was taught...i stayed up till 3 am last year skinnin my moose cuz by the time i got it out of the bush and every thing it was already 1030 and we had about a 20 mintue drive home yet....

peashooter
11-18-2011, 02:55 AM
Just wanted to bump the oldest thread in mainland up to the top. It's lonely and dark on page 764.

hunter1947
11-18-2011, 03:28 AM
Its funny you ask about this because this was brought up in my hunting camp this fall.
I take the hide off ASAP always have it makes no difference to the meat I found if you leave the hid on or take it off immediately ,I have had meat when my hunting partner had not taken off the hide for the 8 day hanging period my deer was hanging with the hide off they where about the same size deer and both WT deer he give me a few steaks and roast and I returned the same amount of meat from my deer I did not find a difference in the meat at all.

I

Mr. Dean
11-18-2011, 07:05 AM
I have a question that probably has as many answers as "which is the right bullet?" but I'm curious to know how fast do you guy/gals gut and skin you game that you have taken for meat? I was always told to deal with it ASAP which is the practice I've followed. The reason I ask is most of the pictures in this site and CGN show animals long after the kill still with skin on. Does it really make a differance to the taste? thanks steeleco

ASAP.
If the critter is out of harms way, it's gone.

Piss-n-mud aren't my favorite consumables and hair gets EVERYWHERE.

Mr. Dean
11-18-2011, 07:08 AM
Just wanted to bump the oldest thread in mainland up to the top. It's lonely and dark on page 764.

It's that lonely where ya live, eh? :lol:

west250
11-18-2011, 07:14 AM
A butcher friend of mine told me that skinning the animal while still warm is the easiest and I have to agree. When they do lambs the skin separates very easily from the hide with just your fist run through on most of the main body. I also find it easier to determine the separation point between the hind quarters and the meat when it's still nice and warm - then I tend not to nick into the meat. Same goes for around the neck... Also, we all know it's important to get the meat cooling as quickly as you can - especially in warmer weather. Not today though!!!

Islandbowhunter
11-18-2011, 07:52 AM
Franken-thread.

TyTy
11-18-2011, 08:32 AM
Last year, we skinned the hide off the moose quaters after hanging in camp for 3 days. protected somewhat from the birds. Best game meat i've had yet. perfect hanging meat temperature, cold but not freezing the meat cold.

We also skinned out our whitetails, but did this 5 hours after the kill. some parts of those deer were not so good, same parts on both deer.
I use a bit of vinager on spots that might need some cleaning. doesn't seem to promote bacteria growth or funky the meat. Always use game sacks too.

MB_Boy
11-18-2011, 08:38 AM
Have skinning practices/protocols changed since 2004?? :-P:wink:

Steeleco
11-18-2011, 08:59 AM
Have skinning practices/protocols changed since 2004?? :-P:wink:

Not here, but boy am I having a flash back LOL 7 1/2 year old thread resurrected, what next Elvis :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

butthead
11-18-2011, 09:24 AM
no dirt on your meat if you skin it at home

Ronforca
11-18-2011, 09:26 AM
I usually leave the hide on until it is time to cut up the animal.Being an old fart I have been cutting my own meat for many years.Last year I hung two Deer in my cold room for several days.One with the hide on and one with the hide off.Both Deer were very good and you could cut the meat with a fory.The only difference was that the skinned Deer had a very dry membrane on the outside layer of the animal which I had to cut off and throw away.I will continue hanging my Deer for several days with the hide on.Hanging for several days seems to tenderize it and there is not that dry mambrane to slice of.

250 sav
11-18-2011, 11:45 AM
skin it as soon as I get back to camp on trips, as soon as I get it home on day trips. Used the vinegar in wash water for the 1st time this year with my 12 year olds 1st moose. aug 31, lots of flies washed the moose down with vinegar and water, no flies on the 1/4s, the flies went to the hide and trim that was 30' feet away.

Stone Sheep Steve
11-18-2011, 12:54 PM
Have skinning practices/protocols changed since 2004?? :-P:wink:

Yes. The "power method" has garnered my att'n. Works pretty darn good!

There were many vids to choose from but I liked this guy's accent.
Caution a little profanity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t__xN6QRBM

Here's one that actually worked properly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eIlK_2ueAY

SSS

Nooker77
11-18-2011, 01:28 PM
You guys sound like you had a teacher that came from the same school as mine. :wink: :wink: I just wonder what the taste differance is between our way and the animals in some of those pictures?
Well I arrowed a WT a few years ago just before dark...wasnt sure of the placement so waited till the morning to find him! It was a cool night! When I skinned him out at home the meat seamed to be "pinker" or pailer than usual! Skinning was harder and cold on the fingers but I didnt notice any diff. in the taste of the meat! My 2cents!