How To Skin A Deer

By Ben Vinson

While it may not be the most exciting job in the world, skinning a deer is important when returning from a hunt or when still actually on the hunt. This information will be handy for that day on which you will need to skin a deer.

The skin and muscle tissues of the deer are naturally separate from one another because of the protective membranes, making the process of skinning a lot more like following a built-in blueprint than like trying to lift a rug in the dark.

Hang the deer down to start the skinning process. This way, it is easier to clean the deer from dirt and dust it gets during the journey home, and also from the skin itself. Do not wait too long for the skinning. Two hours is the maximum time. If you wait more than two hours, the skin may be more difficult to drag and the meat will no longer be fresh.

Your knife should be especially sharp. Supposing the deer is hung by the legs, find the large tendon connecting the lower leg segment to the rest of the deer's leg. You should poke a whole with your knife in between the tendon and the bone there, then use your fingers to feel the lump that is created by the deer's bone.

After that, find two parts of the double joint at the lower part of body to be torn. The leg should then be broken to ease the skinning process.

The next step is to move on the upper side and make more holes near the deer's tendon and front legs. Keep focusing on the holes. If they are good, it will be easier for you to skin the deer later.

You will then sever and snap the front legs as well, making the skinning process easier. Use your finger tips and thumbs to get inside the skin near the lower leg incisions and begin to pull the skin off.

Essentially, the pulling of the deer's skin should work a lot like pulling a tight jacket or pair of blue jeans off. It may be a little bit awkward, but the layer of meat revealed below the skin should be a more than ample reward.

Skinning a deer, while not particularly romantic, is a process that should take around ten to fifteen minutes and relies almost entirely on your own body weight and strength. - 31499

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