Should I skin it or not?

H

Hunter1018

Inactive
I have a question for anyone who can help me.

My dad got a deer the other day and he hung it up so we could skin it and quarter it up.

I know that if it warm that the meat should be taken care of right away, but it is quite cold this week. Right now this morning it is about 28 degrees.

People have told us that if you leave the hair on it insulates the meat from the elements. Others tell us to skin it right away.

So I want to know what other people think. My dad says the best tasting deer he ever had he left the skin on and let it hang for about a week.
 
I would get it into a walk in cooler. Temp is generally best between 33 and 38 degrees (you don't want the meat to freeze, and over 40 degrees it will spoil).

I always leave the skin on, natures best meat wrapper. If you skin it, you run the risk of the meat on the outside layer drying out. Then you will have to trim it all away when you butcher it. Much work, and wasted meat.

Good luck.
 
Purely from a convenience standpoint, the earlier an animal is skinned, the easier the task.

Ten different hunters will have 12 different answers about "best for taste".

I always skinned and butchered my deer as soon as was convenient. And, of course, "convenient" was a function of the weather and temperature. Hanging a deer in camp when it's 60 degrees or more, and damp, is a Bad Thing.

I did a lot of doe-killing at my home ranch. From shot to freezer was typically under two hours. It all tasted very good.

If I was guessing, I'd say that older, larger bucks benefit most from the hanging in a cold room for some number of days before butchering.

FWIW, Art
 
Hanging Deer.

I have always hung my deer for, at least, a couple of days. If I couldn't do it in a walk-in, I would quarter it and put it in a regular refer. I did this cause I was told it would be tough if I didn't.

Last week, while hunting with my brother and me, my nephew shot a spike. He wanted to have steaks that night. Since there were 4 of us, we cut out the backstraps and cooked them up.

They tased fantastic. Would have been great...if we could chew it. Never had tougher meat in my life!!!

I won't make that mistake again.
 
Hanging Deer.

I have always hung my deer for, at least, a couple of days. If I couldn't do it in a walk-in, I would quarter it and put it in a regular refer. I did this cause I was told it would be tough if I didn't.

Last week, while hunting with my brother and me, my nephew shot a spike. He wanted to have steaks that night. Since there were 4 of us, we cut out the backstraps and cooked them up.

They tased fantastic. Would have been great...if we could chew it. Never had tougher meat in my life!!!

I won't make that mistake again.
 
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