How to Skin a Deer

While it may gross some people out, skinning a deer is an important skill to learn if you are learning the skill of hunting. It can also be a useful thing to know just in case you get stranded in the wild and you find yourself having to hunt your own food to survive. Knowing how to properly skin a deer with insure that you are getting the most out of your kill.

The technique used to skin a deer is not as hard as it may seem. If you follow the guidelines of the body of the deer then it can be a fairly easy process. A deer’s muscle tissues and skin are separated by the protective membranes. This makes the process of skinning a deer like using a built in blueprint, as long as you follow the blue print you will do it correctly. The skin should also peel easily from the meat of the deer because of the protective membranes.

It’s important to remember that when you do skin a deer, you should use the pull of your own body weight to your advantage. Once you learn to use your body weight to your advantage, the process of skinning a deer becomes fairly simple. Most people will be able to skin a deer in 15-20 minutes once they have had a few times to practice.

The first thing you should do it hang the deer up off the ground. By hanging the deer it makes it easier for you to use your body weight and it ensures the meat will stay clean since it won’t be touching the ground. It doesn’t matter if you hang the deer from the legs or the neck. It’s more of a personal preference. However, it is important to skin the deer within 1-2 hours of the deer’s death because this will make the skinning process easier for you.

You should make sure the knife you are going to use for the skinning is sharp. If you hung the deer by the legs, find the large tendon connecting the lower leg to the rest of the deer’s leg. Insert your knife in between the tendon and the bone then use your fingers to feel the lump created by the deer’s double jointed bone. Next, you must sever the lower leg at the lower end of the two parts of that double joint. Cut the tendons and skin here and then snap the deer’s leg. You may need to snap the deer’s leg over your own leg, using your own body’s leverage to help.

Once you have broken the deer’s legs you need to make a few cuts around the tendon areas. You should cut holes between the tendon and the bone of the lower leg and also near the front legs. You will also need to sever and snap the front legs. Once the incisions have been made you can begin removing the skin from the deer. Use your thumbs and finger tips to get under the skin near the lower leg incisions and then start pulling the skin off.

Pulling off the deer’s skin can be compared to pulling off a tight shirt or jeans. At first it will seem difficult, but the meat under the skin will be ready to go since the protective membrane kept the skin and meat separate from each other.

Once you learn and practice the process of skinning a deer, you will find that you can complete the task in as little as 15 minutes. Also, once you learn to use your own body’s weight to your advantage you will find that the process will become much easier.