To skin or not to skin

[sawmill]

I finally broke down and filled my whitie doe LEH this morning.Out the door by 7:30,draggin a deer by 8 am.
Thing is,we were all talking about not skinning if the temp is cold enough so I have her hanging in my shop and it`s +2 right now and the week forecast is for highs of 5 and lows of -2 to -7.It just goes against my grain to not skin her out right now.She is steaming like a teapot so I reckon that`s a good thing.It is also getting foggy right now.
This is the first time I did not get the hide off ASAP.

[Steeleco]

I've always skinned the first chance I can get. The deer we took yesterday, rode around in the Jeep for an hour or so till we got to the meat pole I've used in the past. I figure if it's done within a few hours on the warmer days, you should be good. What can it hurt to do it ASAP, unless it's real cold?

[brotherjack]

I skin them ASAP, if for no other reason than because skinning a warm carcass is a LOT easier than skinning a cold one. I also like to cut the fat chunks off the hindquarters and backstraps ASAP, which requires skinning as well.

That said - I don't think you'll do anything all that bad to the meat if you wait; just make the skinning job less fun, and maybe have a bit more of the fatty flavor on a few of the cuts.

[guest]

Skin it now, it is way easier then when cool AND there is a reason butchers take the hide off asap ..... better cooling ....better eating thats that.
That will be good eating that doe.
congrats
C/T

[Stresd]

We also hide our game out as soon as possible. Unless it is really cold. We learned this the hard way. Years ago staying at Wasa lake. We did the usual and skinned our Elk and Deer out. They were hung outside Problem being that the high during that week was -30. Things were freezing faster than a person could gut them. Never dawned on us that this would suck all the mosture out of the meat. Leaving the hide on would have protected the meat. The first two Elk that we had taken the first day and so had hung the the full week outside in those temps, were some of the driest worst eating meat that we had ever tried. The third elk and deer which we took later in the week an hung in those temps the shortest time were fine. If the temps are really cold I would reccommend leaving the hide on.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

A friend switched from skinning right away for many, many years...to hanging with the hide on for an extended time(at the suggestion of another friend) and he has been very happy with the change.

As long as it stays cold enough you'll be fine.

Pretty warm over here right now.:?

SSS

[sawmill]

Yeah,I reckon I`ll get out there and do it.I would like to try the not skinniing to see if it is better but I`m not about to lose a good deer experimenting.I`ll stick to what has worked just fine for the last 30 .

[J_T]

I skin asap. As BJ says, it's easier. But also allows the meat to cool quicker. The only reason I wouldn't skin right away would be that I couldn't keep the meat clean. Slap a little vinegar on there and rub er down.

[Orangethunder]

My buddy tried it once with a small buck to avoid loosing that thin dark layer when butchering. While he did succeed in preserving the outer 'layer' the meat he did get was fairly 'gamey'. Could have been a coincidence.

I have always skinned ASAP and will continue to do so. Cooling the meat down is key. A few years ago I took a small bull moose. I got him home whole and then skinned him. When I got to the butcher he said we had to cut him length way to avoid souring. He said that even small moose retain too much heat whole and can spoil.

Last year I took my buck in -5 conditions. We halfed him for the pack out and put snow in the cavity to aid in cooling. By the time we got both halves out and hung it was 5 hours later. The 'inside' was starting to freeze but the meat just under the hide was still really warm.

My $0.02

Cheers

[Wild one]

I use to skin them right away but a friend of mine got me to switch and any time the temp permits I leave the hide on now(even if I have to pack the deer with ice)I found the meat not so dry and you do not get that hardened layer on the out side. The only times I skin right away now is if it is too warm or hit a little too far back. To each there own both ways have there time and place with me.

[sawmill]

A friend switched from skinning right away for many, many years...to hanging with the hide on for an extended time(at the suggestion of another friend) and he has been very happy with the change.

As long as it stays cold enough you'll be fine.

Pretty warm over here right now.:?

SSS
See that`s what I`ve heard .the meat stays fresh as long as it hangs cold and it is pretty cold here.I butcher my own meat ,I have a bandsaw and grinder,so I am Danm carefull about what goes in my freezer.Just changed my mind again.Iwent out and looked at her and she is chilling perfectly.I`m going to try it and I`ll keep you posted on how it works.Trust me,if there is evan a hint of smell...........I won`t hesitate to butcher imedeatly.

[Leaseman]

I must be one of the last not to skin right away.....grew up with my Dad being a moose hunter and the animal was never skinned until it was home and ready to be butchered! (always was a mid October hunt, always cool)

Skinning wasn't a pain as that was what you are use to. Will still do this unless I am on a day trip and deer hunting. then I will dress out and leave everything possible in the bush as we have found hanging a deer for a day or three doesnt make a difference in flavor or tenderness....

Just my two cents worth and it has worked 30 plus years for me and 60 for my Dad!


Mike

[eastkoot]

You've probably already skinned it but if you want to hang it for any length of time and you don't want that nasty dry crust on the meat, leave it.. Sparwood is -5 tonight so you won't be much different and the meat will cool just fine.. So you spend a few extra minutes getting the skin off a week or so later, it won't be dry.. It's not a moose or elk, it's a whitey doe, lucky bugger!! BTW I've petted a few of them but never shot one!!!

[BCKID]

I've done both ways but I now skin ASAP only because it's easier. Try skinning a big mulie after his legs are frozen (not fun) Now I skin/clean with vinigar & water/ wrap with a game bag. I do think it would be better to skin right away in warmer weather for faster cooling. Enjoy!! BCKID

[sawmill]

No I have not skinned it,I`m going to try this way .If you are looking for a doe East Koot give me a call.if you have a tag.First time in 10 years I got a draw.shpping tag is more like it,but 1000 does versus 15 bucks,I`ll take a dry doe.Just makes more sense..

[eastkoot]

No doe tag and buck is in the freezer thanks anyway..Stinky muleys this weekend and till Saturday.. Going to be picky till the bitter end..Saw a few today and the neck is the largest part of the body.. YUK !!

[BiG Boar]

Wheres the pics sawmill? Or do we only put our trophy pics up?

[boxhitch]

Sawmill, we'll have to compare notes. I have a fresh Mulie hanging , hide intact, and won't be cutting it for 3-4 days. It has cooled out nice over night, I did cut the throat to remoce the windpipe and split the pelvis for thorough cleaning. Current temp is getting up there but supposed to cool the next couple of days.
But I will never use a bandsaw on another deer after the one time I did try it.

[Caveman]

Sounds like there might be a few guys with an open mind to leave the hide on. Good on you guys. You won't be sorry. As long as she feels cold to the touch you have very little to concern yourself about.

Boxhitch, like I said if it feels cold it will be fine even if it warms up a fair bit

[sawmill]

Sounds like there might be a few guys with an open mind to leave the hide on. Good on you guys. You won't be sorry. As long as she feels cold to the touch you have very little to concern yourself about.

Boxhitch, like I said if it feels cold it will be fine even if it warms up a fair bit
I just checked and it it cooling off real nice .The temp on my therm.here is + 2 in the shop. so I`m gonna let it hang.It is a hard grey cloudy day here and it is already cooling off.My Wife/master has to work today and saw it hanging with the hide on when she came home at lunch and lost it on me.I told her "shoot yer own"BLAH BLAH,,,,,,,No Realy .,shoot your own.:shock:

[Caveman]

I just checked and it it cooling off real nice .The temp on my therm.here is + 2 in the shop. so I`m gonna let it hang.It is a hard grey cloudy day here and it is already cooling off.My Wife/master has to work today and saw it hanging with the hide on when she came home at lunch and lost it on me.I told her "shoot yer own"BLAH BLAH,,,,,,,No Realy .,shoot your own.:shock:

+2 is pretty much ideal for hanging. Not cold enough to freeze it and not warm enough to worry about it spoiling any time soon. Biggest hassle when skinng is your hands will get cold. A pair of tight fitting gloves will take care of that

[boonerbuck]

Getting the hide off and the carcas cool as quick as possible is the absolute best thing you can do fo get the best taste your animal will offer. You may lose a bit to the dry skin it forms on the outside but this is part of the curing process and actually benifits the meat.

If it's near zero our a tad below I will leave the hid on til I have better time to deal with it but the last thing you want is it frozen solid with the hide still on...

[Caveman]

Getting the hide off and the carcas cool as quick as possible is the absolute best thing you can do fo get the best taste your animal will offer. You may lose a bit to the dry skin it forms on the outside but this is part of the curing process and actually benifits the meat.

If it's near zero our a tad below I will leave the hid on til I have better time to deal with it but the last thing you want is it frozen solid with the hide still on...


Check this article out. http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic3516.htm

They also so to leave the hide on. I'm not saying that you are wrong, but my picky wife loved the meat from my biggest buck, shot late in the rut, hide on for 6 days. Prior to that she would hardly touch deer. She liked Moose and elk so it had nothing to do with wild meat. I believe that there are a lot of things that lead to the gamey taste of a deer, but leaving the hide is not one of them.

[Wild one]

x2 with Caveman my meat has never been gamy from leaving the hide. It was hard for me to switch to leaving the hide on do to it being beaten in to my head to skin asap from my dad but after doing it for the past 4 years I will try hard not to skin before butchering if I can.

[boxhitch]

Curing = aging = breakdown on a cellular level = rotting
If the air dried layer is a benefit by keeping air away from inner layers, whynot just leave the jacket on ?

The hide does not impart flavor.
The meat doesn't have to breath to loose or gain flavor.
The meat is as cool as the ambient air.
Less trim effort or meat wastage.
Thats enough for me. I don'e hang it to age , just to allow time for the schedule.

[Dannybuoy]

You should have skinned it asap ... how much meat have you ever seen hanging in a cooler with the hide on ... ie beef , lamb , etc
no wonder so any people complain about gamey tasting meat

to answer your question ... Skin

[Everett]

Shot a mule deer on the way home from the cariboo about 6 years ago in mid Oct. pulled the guts out tossed him in the camper. Got stuck at the ferry for five hours so we didn`t get home till 1 am. Up the next morning and skinned him and he was still steaming. Worst tasting BC deer I have ever shot and butchered reminded me of Nova Scotia whitetail. Most people in NS seem to leave the skin on.
My own opinion is skin as soon as possible and butcher no longer than 7 days later when its warm 3 days is my norm. In the 30+ animals I have butchered only had one bad deer and it was that cariboo muley.
But I am curious to see how Sawmills experiment turns out.

[boonerbuck]

Check this article out. http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic3516.htm

They also so to leave the hide on. I'm not saying that you are wrong, but my picky wife loved the meat from my biggest buck, shot late in the rut, hide on for 6 days. Prior to that she would hardly touch deer. She liked Moose and elk so it had nothing to do with wild meat. I believe that there are a lot of things that lead to the gamey taste of a deer, but leaving the hide is not one of them.

I'm pretty sure I said "to get the best taste". I hadnt mentioned a thing about bad taste or gamey taste.

Every single processor I've talked to on this topic has said the same thing. It's to my experience as well.

I've had good tasting deer too many times to count after leaving the hide on until I was out of camp and at a clean enviroment at home. That doesnt mean the taste couldnt have been better.

Often I'm leaving the hide on to prevent freezing. The buck will take days to freeze at -2. Obviosly it's cooling very quickly regardless of being left on.

[martyonthewater]

A friend switched from skinning right away for many, many years...to hanging with the hide on for an extended time(at the suggestion of another friend) and he has been very happy with the change.

As long as it stays cold enough you'll be fine.

we tried this for the 1st time this year and although harder to skin ,the meat loss associated with skinned and hung game was eliminated altogether and the taste has been fantastic

[martyonthewater]

I have also yet to see the whiskey jack that can pick it's way thru the hide of any large game animal

[Caveman]

Shot a mule deer on the way home from the cariboo about 6 years ago in mid Oct. pulled the guts out tossed him in the camper. Got stuck at the ferry for five hours so we didn`t get home till 1 am. Up the next morning and skinned him and he was still steaming. Worst tasting BC deer I have ever shot and butchered reminded me of Nova Scotia whitetail. Most people in NS seem to leave the skin on.
My own opinion is skin as soon as possible and butcher no longer than 7 days later when its warm 3 days is my norm. In the 30+ animals I have butchered only had one bad deer and it was that cariboo muley.
But I am curious to see how Sawmills experiment turns out.

Everett, no offence man, but I'd say the biggest problem with just throwing it in the camper a booking it home, was that there was no air circulation to help with the cooling down process. Even one night would have made all the difference in the world. Sorry about the bad experiene.


I'm pretty sure I said "to get the best taste". I hadnt mentioned a thing about bad taste or gamey taste.

Every single processor I've talked to on this topic has said the same thing. It's to my experience as well.

I've had good tasting deer too many times to count after leaving the hide on until I was out of camp and at a clean enviroment at home. That doesnt mean the taste couldnt have been better.

Often I'm leaving the hide on to prevent freezing. The buck will take days to freeze at -2. Obviosly it's cooling very quickly regardless of being left on.

Booner, the reason the processor wants it clean is he's pushing them through the doors as fast as he can and doesn't want the work of cleaning them as he goes. Also he has the equipment to provide the ideal conditions to hang. He doesn't care if it dries as it hangs he's just running it through the saw, packaging it to turn a buck. I took a moose that hunt in PG on a meat pole for five days on the sixth in the back of a trailer. Took it to a processor skinned it there. After all was said and done he said it was one of the nicest animals he had ever cut. Even after I told him it had already been down 6 days, in rather warm weather hide on. I have never seen it written that the hide influences the taste at all. There are to many other things that do that such as diet, stress, poor handling as in not cleaning thoughly

[boonerbuck]

I think there's hardly a difference in late season.

[boonerbuck]

Booner, the reason the processor wants it clean is he's pushing them through the doors as fast as he can and doesn't want the work of cleaning them as he goes. Also he has the equipment to provide the ideal conditions to hang. He doesn't care if it dries as it hangs he's just running it through the saw, packaging it to turn a buck. I took a moose that hunt in PG on a meat pole for five days on the sixth in the back of a trailer. Took it to a processor skinned it there. After all was said and done he said it was one of the nicest animals he had ever cut. Even after I told him it had already been down 6 days, in rather warm weather hide on. I have never seen it written that the hide influences the taste at all. There are to many other things that do that such as diet, stress, poor handling as in not cleaning thoughly

I still don't think you understand what I wrote...twice now.

I'm talking about cooling the meat down as quick as possible. No where have I suggested that the hide influences the taste. It's all about cooling...

You cant convince a sane soul that letting meat take days to cool improves the taste?

If it's cold enough to cool quick then whether the hide stays on or not is just a preference. It's likely the taste/tenderness would improve the quicker it cooled though.

I talk to meat processors on a fairly regular basis. I wasnt guessing why they want the hide off. There are several reasons but I've discussed the importance of quickly cooling the meat on a number of occasions.

[boonerbuck]

I wont use a cutter whjo runs my game through a saw. They use knives. I hate *saw* cuts. I find the marrow specks ruin the taste of my cuts.

[Caveman]

I still don't think you understand what I wrote...twice now.

I'm talking about cooling the meat down as quick as possible. No where have I suggested that the hide influences the taste. It's all about cooling...

You cant convince a sane soul that letting meat take days to cool improves the taste?

If it's cold enough to cool quick then whether the hide stays on or not is just a preference. It's likely the taste/tenderness would improve the quicker it cooled though.


Getting the hide off and the carcas cool as quick as possible is the absolute best thing you can do fo get the best taste your animal will offer.

Not to put words in your mouth........ but it is what it sounded like to me......and I agree the hide has nothing to do with flavor. I have never had anything take more than a day, maybe a day and half for a moose, to cool. As you said it is just a preference and habit for most or instilled in us by our fathers. Not saying one is better than the other ;-)

The tenderness in meat is from the breakdown of natural enzymes in the meat, not cooling, that is why meat is hung for long periods of time, at a controlled temperature to allow this process to happen. A young animal will naturally be tender without much hanging.

[boxhitch]

I think we are all of the same mind that the quicker the game is cooled the better off it is.
I had the guts out of mine within 20 minutes, propped it open for the ride home, and it was completely cooled by this morning. No, I haven't checked temp at the bone. Current temp is a few above zero.

I don't think Sawmill is conducting an experiment. Hide-on has been done by some for ever.

Processers also have to think abou t cleanliness of facilities, so I bet hair and hide come off early for that reason too.

[sawmill]

I think we are all of the same mind that the quicker the game is cooled the better off it is.
I had the guts out of mine within 20 minutes, propped it open for the ride home, and it was completely cooled by this morning. No, I haven't checked temp at the bone. Current temp is a few above zero.

I don't think Sawmill is conducting an experiment. Hide-on has been done by some for ever.

Processers also have to think abou t cleanliness of facilities, so I bet hair and hide come off early for that reason too.
That`s right,they can`t have unskinned animals in the cooler.
I had the guts out of this one within 5 minutes of the shot and it`s -1 this morning so I should be fine.It`s hanging propped open in my shop.

[Walksalot]

Most whitetail hunters know that the pheromones (scents) of deer are used as a means of communication between the sexes. Pheromones serve to stimulate a behavioral response in another animal. White-tailed deer pheromones are present in the forehead, interdigital, tarsal and metatarsal glands, while estrogen and testosterone are found in the urine. There may also be pheromones associated with the pre-orbital gland and saliva. Many of these scents are used in combination during self impregnation (rub-urination), and sign post marking (rubs, scrapes) and are interpreted by individual sexes and age classes of deer. When they are used by themselves these scents may be interpreted differently than when they are used in combination with other scents.


If there is any smell of rutting on the buck then get the hide off as soon as possible. There is no doubt in my mind that the rut scent can effect the taste of the meat as the hair on the back legs is soaked with rut scent and piss. Also, skinning it right away allows one to clean up any blood shot meat and open the shoulder to clean up that area if shot behind the front shoulder.

[ROM]

Great post and information.

I've been hunting for 30 years and in the last 5 have begun skinning them ASAP for the following reasons in order:

1) Logistics. Leaving the skin in the field makes the game lighter and less mess in the truck/garage/house. It is also easier to skin a warm animal and chances are I'm dressed for it. The reduces hair exposure to the butchering site is also good.

Also, I usually take the day/week off for hunting but butchering always seems to be time pressured. I therefore have more time to skin after I shoot an animal and it works out better for me.

2) Meat quality due to rapid cooling. I usually do my own meat but many years ago I was at the butchers who was in the process of throwing out 1/3 of an elk due to rotted meat. The shooters had left the hid on in 15 degree weather and by the time they got the meat to the butchers it was rotted. Skinning immediately buys a day or two of hanging time.

Each to his own. I'm proud to say I've never lost an animal due to inapropriate handling.


R

[Dannybuoy]

,the meat loss associated with skinned and hung game was eliminated altogether and the taste has been fantastic
How long and where are you hanging this game?? I am guessing that this would be one of those black looking carcassses that the meat cutters cringe at seeing . I hang deer 3-7 days , moose a few days longer . I have taken the moose to a meat cutter but deer have always been done at home .

[jessbennett]

get the hide off as soon as possible. the sooner the meat cools the better. if the heat stays in, there is a possibility of the meat going bone sour.:wink:

[Phreddy]

Hanging in with the hide on in cool weather is the way to go. As Martyonthewater stated, it keeps the meat moist and there is far less waste from any crusts that form when hanging without the hide.
One tip that I was given that paid off, was to pour water on the hide while it's hanging as the evaporation cools if off faster and keeps it cool longer if a sudden temp change happens.

[boonerbuck]

I skinned a bull moose asap and still the meat was warm at the bone in 24 hours after a near zero night.
(Gatehouse helped me debone this animal, he'll remember...). With the hide left on I'm taking home a sour wasted moose. I also shot a moose 4 years ago that had the hide left on for 2 days when it was warmish (mid sept) and it looked to be fine after skinning. Despite the cool temps once it was skinned it started to turn near the bone. By the time I got it to the cutter 10 days later he proved to me that it was gone by cutting a chunk deep in the hind quarters. It was in fact sour. To the dump it went.

This was because I took 3 days to completely cool it. The bacteria was already advanced enough that once I did get it cool it was going sour anyways.

Caveman,

Mentioning improved taste is a mile away from suggesting poor taste.

We all can agree that getting it cool as quick as possible is what is supposed to be done. Aging in surprising warmer temps is acceptable as long as it was sufficiently cooled first. Cooling quicky is so related to getting the hide off for the fist half ofthe season that I don't see how anyone could argue otherwise. If it takes days to cool your moose the taste will not improve. Quite the opposite...

There are many reasons to leave the hide on but if it's keeping the maet from cooling quick enough those reasons becom secondary without a doubt.

[Caveman]

Great post and information.

Each to his own. I'm proud to say I've never lost an animal due to inapropriate handling.



X2!! I have never lost even a quarter of one, hide on, in 20 years.

[Ronforca]

Been shooting Deer for over 50 yrs. and alwaqys hang with the hide on.Keeps the meat a lot moister and has never gave any bad taste.I also hang them as long as I can before cutting them up which we do ourselves.I like my meat moist and tender.I have had a lot of people who said cthat they do not like Deer meat eat it and not know the difference.Most came back for seconds.To each his own.

[sawmill]

Well the deer is doing fine so far,not a hint of sour,I`ll be cutting it sat. morning,and it`s pretty cool all day here.Keep you posted.

[boxhitch]

Due to scheduleing only I will be pulling the jacket off mine tonight. Will probably use the air-comp-assisted method. Currently dining on fine liver. Mmmm

[eastkoot]

Hey Sawmill.. I can't believe the mileage you got out of this post.. I thought most on here were seasoned or knew what was what. Anyway, enjoy your tender "moist" whitey, it will be just fine...

[Dannybuoy]

Well the deer is doing fine so far,not a hint of sour,I`ll be cutting it sat. morning,and it`s pretty cool all day here.Keep you posted.
You wont know if it has "soured" because of poor cooling until you cut it up as that will start at the bone or core where the temp was /is highest .
I'm guessing it will be ok if the temp is close to cooler temp (4)where you are and it cooled out nicely to start with . Its just harder to get cool with the jacket on esp on larger game like moose

[hunter1947]

Hanging the deer with the hid on in these temp conditions will be what i would do.

It helps protect the meat from drying out and freezing as you said -7 might freeze your deer if the hid is off it ,but if the hid stays on it ,it won't freeze your meat.

[boonerbuck]

How many people on here leave the hide on a moose in Aug or early Sept out in camp until they go home (unless that is right away of course)?

Do they believe that it wont go sour then?

Some people say they always do it and it never goes sour but they are generalizing the fact. Do they actually shoot their moose when it's warmer like many do? I've seen first hand what happens.

[Caveman]

Booner, the earliest I've ever shot a moose was around Labour day weekend in Atlin. Honestly, I quartered it in the field, transported it on a quad to camp, hung it on a meat pole, hide on for the night. It was down to about 0c - 2c overnight. I then headed back to Whitehorse, as I was to go on a Caribou hunt. In Whitehorse I dropped at a butchers for processing. Other than that, all of my moose hunting has been in mid Sept. to late Oct. I shot a two point in the Likely area and hung it for 7 days in camp, hide on. The temperature in the mornings were just below freezing, but upwards of 20 when the sun was up. We keep a small smudge fire under it to keep the bugs off during the day, then when the sun set we would go out for an evening hunt. I actually have a picture showing it hanging in an album, but I'm working on a laptop with no way to down load it. I'll see if I can load the MFD I have, on the laptop to post the picture.

A guy does have to use some judgement and rely on experience. I've shot a deer locally when the season opened on the 10Th of Sept and it was about 26c. I skinned, deboned, and put it the entire buck on ice. I'm not about to advocate it in the middle of Aug, such as this year, when it is 34c during the day and 18c - 20c overnight, but I don't hunt under those conditions

On our elk hunt with Mark this year, in mid Sept, it was 25c mid day and only cooling to about 6c - 8c. Mark had set up the local butcher for us to hang our meat. Only thing was, it needed to be spotless to have him take it, so they were all skinned and cleaned. Our last one taken was on our last hunt morning and by the time we got it back to camp and were going through the motions of prepping it, my dad and I were on the verge to suggest just hanging it in camp. By now it was 3:30pm, a nice cool breeze blowing and the temperature was dropping to about 2c - 3c overnight. Under those conditions I would have, but it wasn't my animal. Any ways, this time of year around here I wouldn't even hesitate to leave the hide on. 11-12c during the day and 0-4 overnight.

[willyqbc]

To skin or not to skin.......I think whether or not you HAVE TO skin is completeley dependant on the situation, and the animal

* If the animal is quartered it is less important - as stated many times here, the goal is to cool the carcass to the bone to prevent it from going bone sour....bone sour begins to set in the second the heart stops beating, so it cannot help to wait to get the game cooloing, whether that be through quartering or skinning or both.

*the bigger the animal the more important it is - I have had 2 instances where people hung animals in my shop while I was working night shift where we had issues. One was a large beef, the other a large bull moose. They had been cut in half (fronts and hinds). they had both been skinned but had not been split down the back bone and the neck had not been split all the way up. Less than 24 hours later both those carcasses lost about 80#'s off the fronts from the meat going bad. When I cut into the neck to investigate the funky smell the meat near the spine was still very warm 24 hours after hanging in +1 temperatures ( my shop is temp controlled). In that time the "green" had spread all the way from the neck to about 1/2 way back the fronts under the front shoulder....in both cases it was NASTY, and a huge waste.

For those who believe the "gamey taste" is due predominantly to feild care and hanging practices, I will have to disagree. Don't get me wrong, proper and quick feild care and cooling are an important part of getting quality meat, but we have found the butchering practices to be of even more importance. For years i used butchers and was never quite happy with the results...it was tasty but I felt it could have been better. So with that in mind I learned how to butcher my own game. When we butcher, the meat is completely deboned with ALL fat and silver skin trimmed. The difference in quality doing this was absolutely amazing. So seeing as my feild care and hanging practices hadn't changed, I have come to believe that leaving bone in and silver skin on meat going into the freezer has much more effect on the flavour than the feild care and hanging practices do.

As stated above, this does not mean we should neglect our feild care or hanging practices, I think every step along the way after your animal is down is important and there are things that can be done at every stage to improve your chances for great tasting tender game.

Just my opinion
Chris

[1/2 slam]

This time of the year you don't need to skin right away. that being said it will be a pain in the ar$e when the time comes. As others have said don't let it freeze before skinning....you'll really hate that:oops:

[Elkhound]

A friend switched from skinning right away for many, many years...to hanging with the hide on for an extended time(at the suggestion of another friend) and he has been very happy with the change.

As long as it stays cold enough you'll be fine.


I have a few buds that did the same. No problems

[Jigger]

Was it a "DRY DOE". I heard it isn't ethical to shoot one that is wet.....

[whitespringer]

I skin them ASAP, if for no other reason than because skinning a warm carcass is a LOT easier than skinning a cold one. I also like to cut the fat chunks off the hindquarters and backstraps ASAP, which requires skinning as well.

That said - I don't think you'll do anything all that bad to the meat if you wait; just make the skinning job less fun, and maybe have a bit more of the fatty flavor on a few of the cuts.
Hey Bro Jack, do you get rid of the fat chunks off the quarters, backstraps etc. because that is were the gamiest taste is?

[Gateholio]

I usually skin pretty soon. I've found that the hie just keeps in too much heat, even on cooler days. If it's bloody freezing, it's probably a different matter.:smile:

[brotherjack]

Hey Bro Jack, do you get rid of the fat chunks off the quarters, backstraps etc. because that is were the gamiest taste is?

Mostly it's because the friends of ours who taught The Wife(tm) and I to process our own meat said exactly that - cutting off the fat reduces gamieness - but I can certainly tell you, the fat on a rutting mulie is STINKY... I can't imagine how leaving it on the meat could be good for it!

:)

[whitespringer]

Bro Jack, mulie fat is nasty, we got a mulie doe last year in Oct. and you didn't want any part of the fat. Sticks to the roof of your mouth.:eek: I guess sausage or well trimmed meat.

[sawmill]

O.K.Here is the verdict.
I butchered the deer yesterday,it was not at all hard to skin,took about 15 minutes to do a clean job and it looked great when I was done,nice and fresh like a side of beef in a butcher shop.No hint of bad smell and nice and firmly set up.This one I de-boned because I was too lazy to clean my bandsaw after.If you own one you know what I`m talking about!:shock:
All said and done I think I recovered 10% more meat than usual just from not having to trim so much black skin from every piece.On a DRY(yes it was a 2 yr. old DRY Doe)that was about 90`ish lbs. cleaned and hanging I wrapped up 20 lbs of Primo steaks and roasts and ground 38 lbs of Hamburger/sausage meat.The rest was bone and some trims that goes to a friend who has his dogs on a straight meat diet.
The VERDICT..................I would do this again in a heartbeat.If it is cool enough to hang with the hide for a few days then I highly recomend it.I`ll admit it bugged the ass off me to see it hanging there with the hide on but it worked out beautifully.

[hunter1947]

O.K.Here is the verdict.
I butchered the deer yesterday,it was not at all hard to skin,took about 15 minutes to do a clean job and it looked great when I was done,nice and fresh like a side of beef in a butcher shop.No hint of bad smell and nice and firmly set up.This one I de-boned because I was too lazy to clean my bandsaw after.If you own one you know what I`m talking about!:shock:
All said and done I think I recovered 10% more meat than usual just from not having to trim so much black skin from every piece.On a DRY(yes it was a 2 yr. old DRY Doe)that was about 90`ish lbs. cleaned and hanging I wrapped up 20 lbs of Primo steaks and roasts and ground 38 lbs of Hamburger/sausage meat.The rest was bone and some trims that goes to a friend who has his dogs on a straight meat diet.
The VERDICT..................I would do this again in a heartbeat.If it is cool enough to hang with the hide for a few days then I highly recomend it.I`ll admit it bugged the ass off me to see it hanging there with the hide on but it worked out beautifully.
Well done saw mill ,if you have the right temp to hang the animal with the hid on ,like I said on this thread at the beginning go for it you will have less waist.

[Elkhound]

O.K.Here is the verdict.
I butchered the deer yesterday,it was not at all hard to skin,took about 15 minutes to do a clean job and it looked great when I was done,nice and fresh like a side of beef in a butcher shop.No hint of bad smell and nice and firmly set up.This one I de-boned because I was too lazy to clean my bandsaw after.If you own one you know what I`m talking about!:shock:
All said and done I think I recovered 10% more meat than usual just from not having to trim so much black skin from every piece.On a DRY(yes it was a 2 yr. old DRY Doe)that was about 90`ish lbs. cleaned and hanging I wrapped up 20 lbs of Primo steaks and roasts and ground 38 lbs of Hamburger/sausage meat.The rest was bone and some trims that goes to a friend who has his dogs on a straight meat diet.
The VERDICT..................I would do this again in a heartbeat.If it is cool enough to hang with the hide for a few days then I highly recomend it.I`ll admit it bugged the ass off me to see it hanging there with the hide on but it worked out beautifully.


LMAO.....I know that feeling....we have hung some of our deer for days with the hide on as a friend of ours from england reccommended we try it as he has done it with too many deer to count. We got the same verdict. Meat did not dry out as fast and we had to trim less. Always a good result. Nice job.

[sawmill]

Yup I`m a happy man But like I said,the temp was perfect ...+5 to - 5 for the last week.I woudent try it in September but it sure worked out great in November.I`ll sure do it again if my Wife can break her jinx.We went to all my good spots this morning and never saw a thing,First time ever.

[Caveman]

Glad to hear it all worked out great for you, Sawmill. You'll enjoy them on the BBQ now

[boonerbuck]

Booner, the earliest I've ever shot a moose was around Labour day weekend in Atlin. Honestly, I quartered it in the field, transported it on a quad to camp, hung it on a meat pole, hide on for the night. It was down to about 0c - 2c overnight. I then headed back to Whitehorse, as I was to go on a Caribou hunt. In Whitehorse I dropped at a butchers for processing. Other than that, all of my moose hunting has been in mid Sept. to late Oct. I shot a two point in the Likely area and hung it for 7 days in camp, hide on. The temperature in the mornings were just below freezing, but upwards of 20 when the sun was up. We keep a small smudge fire under it to keep the bugs off during the day, then when the sun set we would go out for an evening hunt. I actually have a picture showing it hanging in an album, but I'm working on a laptop with no way to down load it. I'll see if I can load the MFD I have, on the laptop to post the picture.

A guy does have to use some judgement and rely on experience. I've shot a deer locally when the season opened on the 10Th of Sept and it was about 26c. I skinned, deboned, and put it the entire buck on ice. I'm not about to advocate it in the middle of Aug, such as this year, when it is 34c during the day and 18c - 20c overnight, but I don't hunt under those conditions

On our elk hunt with Mark this year, in mid Sept, it was 25c mid day and only cooling to about 6c - 8c. Mark had set up the local butcher for us to hang our meat. Only thing was, it needed to be spotless to have him take it, so they were all skinned and cleaned. Our last one taken was on our last hunt morning and by the time we got it back to camp and were going through the motions of prepping it, my dad and I were on the verge to suggest just hanging it in camp. By now it was 3:30pm, a nice cool breeze blowing and the temperature was dropping to about 2c - 3c overnight. Under those conditions I would have, but it wasn't my animal. Any ways, this time of year around here I wouldn't even hesitate to leave the hide on. 11-12c during the day and 0-4 overnight.

Now we are on the same page...I was wondering why you were assuming I thought it spoiled the taste? It's all about the cooling and I choose to cool the quickest way possible unless we are later in the fall like Oct. Then it becomes practical for me to leave it on.

Most of your hunting has been when it is cool enough at night and when it wasnt the hide came off so it could *cool quickly*. Possibly the other times the meat may have tasted a bit better if it had come off...or not. You'll never know. I doubt it tatsed better because it was simply left on. It comes down to your prefference basically.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would think that the skin left on would actually taint the meat but people believe all sorts of strange things. Hair on the actual meat while skinning and hanging can though. Maybe that's where the confusion comes from?

[Caveman]

Now we are on the same page...I was wondering why you were assuming I thought it spoiled the taste? It's all about the cooling and I choose to cool the quickest way possible unless we are later in the fall like Oct. Then it becomes practical for me to leave it on.

Most of your hunting has been when it is cool enough at night and when it wasnt the hide came off so it could *cool quickly*. Possibly the other times the meat may have tasted a bit better if it had come off...or not. You'll never know. I doubt it tatsed better because it was simply left on. It comes down to your prefference basically.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would think that the skin left on would actually taint the meat but people believe all sorts of strange things. Hair on the actual meat while skinning and hanging can though. Maybe that's where the confusion comes from?

The hair is a nuisance to clean off, but I am very particular in removing it all during the cleaning process as well as any other "Uglies" hanging around the open areas while hanging. Then after I skin it, I trim the dark meat off the area around the hind quarters that has been exposed during hanging