pocomoke

Just curious as to how the majority of folks hang their deer.Also what are your reasons,if any on doing it that way.I hunted with a few fellas last year and was the first to get a deer and when I hung it up by the rear legs like I always do they knida gave me a funny look.Later one of the guys asked me why I hung my deer like that?He said they hang all theirs by the neck and never hunted with anyone that did it by the rear legs.

He asked why I did it that way and I said that is how I always have done it and how my father and grandfather did it.I told him that I thought it would help cool the carcass quicker as heat rises and my way it goes up and out of the hind quarter area faster than if it were hanging by the neck and the body heat would get bottled up inside the neck area.

I also was told that some blood will drain down into the hindquarters if hung by the neck and can give your meat a gamier taste.I really dont think it matters but was just curious as to anyone elses ideas on why they do it one way or the other...

Handles

I don't think it matters as far as taste goes, but we hang'em head up. IMO it makes skinning them much easier with less hair getting on the carcass. Many years we butchered 25 deer or more and side by side with someone hanging them upside down we could do skin at a 2-1 ratio.

TURKEY FAN

i hang mine from the legs too. i protect my hinds! I dont want blood drying on my hams if ya know what i mean

skeeter 7MM

I am with handles it don't matter. Although I do the opposite rear up. Main reason is I skin my animal to allow cooling of carcass ASAP. First off the hams need to be seperate to allow adequate cooling of the inner hams, the use of a spreader bar to hang the animal will alow this. Secondly when I skin I leave the head attached to the cape for transportation and identification(unless a mounting buck) - for this reason alone skinning rear down is much easier to me. I always wash the inner cavity with clean water and prior split brisket/pelvis. To remove hairs from the skinning process I simply wipe down the carcass with water and a dash of vinegar.

Again like you how I was taught, my dad being a butcher said what you put in is what you get out of your meat in terms of quality.

Hiawatha

I hang them by the legs. This is the way we butcher our beef so i have been taught this method as a little guy. I skin out the legs till just past the tendon. Then i hook a small chain on each leg in between the tendon and the bone. The i drive the tractor up and hook the chains on the forks of the loader. You have an instant hoist and good lighting if the skinning needs to be done after dark. Using the tractor is real handy for large animals such as an elk or beef. We split the animal then drive the tractor up over the truck box. One fella hops up on the truck box and grabs the front legs while the loader operator lowers the halves and backs up at the same time.

Jimmy S

OK, this may sound different but I always hang my deer head down, for draining purposes...I would rather the deer drain thru the head area. However, before we skin the deer, we make the change and hang it head up, for much easier skinning...May sound a little strange, but it works for us.

zrexpilot

Alway hung'em from the rear legs, for many reasons. It's much easier when you have the rear legs spread apart, how would you get to the organs properly if it were hung from the neck, second you want to start from the anus and genitals to get the pee bladder and stool out of there, thats the starting point of gutting, you have to spilt the rear and bring the intestines down, I cant see how you could possibly start from the neck and go down. You need to teach your friends the proper way.

Handles

Zexerpilot:
I think everyone else was refering to AFTER the deer has been gutted, before or during the skinning/butchering process. I agree that I don't think you should start gutting a deer at the neck, I don't believe anyone else would either.

Georgetownboys

I hang-um up head down legs spread wide. I skin mine first get all that damn hair out of the way. Then go after gutting them, starting from his pooper and work towards the front. 10/15 minutes and he's in the box cooling off.

zrexpilot

that is definately the best way to do it ! skin it first. If you can do this, but I know that people sometimes have to pack thier animals out of the woods, so thier stuck doing it a different way.