How soon do you skin your quary??

[Steeleco]

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]

Depends on the situation, hows that for an answer... .

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]

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.

[Foxer]

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]

You guys sound like you had a teacher that came from the same school as mine. I just wonder what the taste differance is between our way and the animals in some of those pictures?

[bone-collector]

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]

ASAP it is easy to take off (skin) when fresh.DAN>>>

[coaster]

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]

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]

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.