Skinning/Gutting How do you do it?

**wolf** · 11-21-2007, 12:38 PM

Yes i know what some people are thinking... but it's so heavily censored that i cant find a way to learn how to do it without having to kill several animals until i know how so if you know how show it here... and i guess you can post pictures but im not sure.

**MCBushbaby** · 11-21-2007, 12:48 PM

Censored? Are you trying to view sites from China? It's not censored.

http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Skills...ng&Gutting.htm

First google site from "how to gut an animal" query.
Animated .gifs tell the story just fine.

**trax** · 11-21-2007, 01:26 PM

I'd just as soon not describe it here, really. PM me and I'll tell you how I dress out anything deer sized and larger, but there's plenty of info out there, even videos on line.

**Beo** · 11-21-2007, 02:05 PM

Cleaning game animals is a huge part of survival and one everyone does different, I think it should be addressed for these reasons, if anyone has a problem with this tuff crap

just kidding, let me know and I'll remove it.
I think its best to start learning on small game animals, so I'll do the way I skin a squirrel

Start with your squirrels and a good sharp knife or two, as well as a bucket, jug, or pan with water to put the cleaned squirrels in. You may also want to have a good set of crock sticks to hit your knife on between squirrels to keep it sharp, and you may also want to have a set of pliers. Some big old fox squirrels have got some pretty tough bones in their legs. The pliers make it a lot easier to break those bones.
Put your squirrels in a bucket of water to wet them down and let them soak a little. The reason for this is that you’ll get fewer hairs on the meat while cleaning. The wet hair doesn’t stick to the meat as easily as dry hair does.
Pull a squirrel out of your bucket and hold it by the tail, with the belly away from you. Make a cut up close to the base of the tail. Cut through the tail bones and skin the skin away from the flanks a little.
Put the squirrel’s tail down on a hard surface and step on it. Grab both back legs with a hand and give a good steady pull up. This will strip the skin off from better than half-way on forwards.
Pull until the skin gets up to around the front legs / shoulders.
Work your fingers up around each front leg (the front) to separate the skin from the meat. Work your finger/thumb through the area until it goes all the way through to the other side. Pull the skin out to the foot on each leg and pull the skin up to around the head.
Take your hands and break the bones in the front legs (like breaking a stick). If the bones are too tough (as is sometimes the case on fox squirrels), use the pliers to break the bones. Once the bones are broke, use your knife and cut the front feet loose from the legs. Now all that’s left is the head (on the front half at least). Even though I ate my fair share of squirrel heads when I was younger, you’re not supposed to do it now days because of the threat of Mad Cow Disease. Cut around the neck with your knife and give a good twist. The head and skin attached will break loose.
Now to start to work on the back half. Grab the little section of skin that’s left on the belly and start working it back. Usually, you can jerk the rest of the skin off by holding the squirrel behind the front legs and giving a pull on the skin. Pull it off to the feet again as done on the front.
Grab the legs and break them, as before with the front. If you’re going to use the pliers, this is probably where you’ll need them. Break the bones in both legs and then cut the rest of the way off with your knife.
To start gutting the critter, turn the squirrel over with the belly toward you, with the back legs up. Start at the end of the rib cage at the breast bone. Put just the tip of your knife in to avoid cutting any of the “innards” and making a mess. Cut toward the pelvic bone, a little at a time, avoiding the intestines and such.
Once you get down to the pelvic bone, put the tip of your knife in under the pelvic bone and pull up to split the bone. Once you get the belly and pelvic bone split, don’t bother with pulling the guts out. This is the easy way of cleaning a squirrel. You won’t need to gut the critter completely. Spread the back legs backwards toward the back like a butterfly to open up the belly area. Reach in and pull the intestines, any blood vessels and such loose from the back end of the squirrel. Pull the stuff loose up to about the diaphragm.
Now, flip the squirrel over and grab a front leg. Twist the leg a little so that you can see where the leg is attached to the torso. Cut the leg loose completely while like this. You’ll be able to see really easily where to cut. Do this with both front legs.
Once the front legs are cut off, plop them into your bucket, pan, jug, whatever you’ve got to put the meat into. Next, go to the back of the rib cage and make a cut right behind the last rib, all the way up to the backbone. Do this on both sides.
Once you’ve got that done, grab and twist to separate the rib cage and guts from the rest of the carcass. Pitch the ribs and guts in your gut bucket.
Now, make a cut on either side of the back legs, above the hip bones (you’ll see the hip bones sticking out a little). Cut all the way around, and then twist to separate the saddle piece (back) from the legs. Pitch the saddle piece with the front legs. Next, cut up on either side of the tail to separate the back legs from the back bone. Pitch the backbone piece in the gut bucket. Once you’re done, you’ll have 5 pieces of meat, the 2 back legs, the 2 front legs, and the saddle piece.

This is how I do it, took a long time to write so sorry it took me so long to get back, hope this post didn't bother anyone but this in my opinion is part of wilderness survival and very important. Others may have a different way of doing this.
Now Jack-a-lopes are real tricky and ya gotta be real careful

**nell67** · 11-21-2007, 02:32 PM

Doesnt bother me in the least beo,I grew up butchering meat with my family,we never bought meat from the store,I have cleaned fish,rabbits and squirrel,by myself since I was about 8 or 9,we raised rabbits ourselves until we moved this past winter,and I once cleaned 34 rabbits in one day for a guy in Scottsburg (next town over from us).

**Ole WV Coot** · 11-21-2007, 02:40 PM

For squirrels just pinch the hide in the middle of the back, cut and insert index fingers and pull in opposite directions. Peel down legs and to neck. Cut off all feet and head and follow Beowouf's instructions. IMO this is the fastest was to skin one.

**Beo** · 11-21-2007, 02:42 PM

Here's how I field dress a deer.

AFTER THE KILL
Approach a downed deer with caution, and be sure it is dead. Assuming a well-placed shot with modern ammunition, enough blood vessels will often be severed to bleed the deer without additional sticking in the neck. Many careful hunters do bleed their deer by sticking just above the breastbone but I don't.
Field dress your deer or immediately.
Admittedly, the field dressing (gutting) chore is not the most enjoyable part of the hunt, but the extra time spent taking care of the meat will pay dividends at the table. Field dressing (gutting a deer) takes effort, so your heavy hunting coat should be removed and your sleeves rolled up so they wont be soiled. Disposable vinyl or latex gloves lessen the chances of passing infectious diseases and make hand cleaning easier.
Blood and digestive juices from organs possibly penetrated by the shot must be removed from the body cavity quickly, and the sooner the organs, which deteriorate rapidly, are removed, the faster the meat will cool. Field dressing (gutting a deer) also eliminates dragging unnecessary weight when moving the animal.
Before starting the field-dressing (gutting) process, keep in mind that it is important to keep dirt and foreign objects away from the exposed body cavity. Removing the scent glands is not considered necessary, but is done with care by many hunters. Some archery hunters save the glands for use as scent while hunting. Removing the glands carelessly can taint the meat.
Roll the deer carcass over on its back with the rump lower than the shoulders and spread the hind legs. Make a cut along the centerline of belly from breastbone to base of tail. First cut through the hide, then through belly muscle. Avoid cutting into the paunch and intestines by holding them away from the knife with the free hand while guiding the knife with the other.
Unless the deer head will be mounted(which I don't do cause I don't trophy hunt use antlers for tools and knife handles), the cut should pass through the sternum and extend up the neck to the chin to allow removal of as much of the windpipe as possible. The windpipe sours rapidly and is a leading cause of tainted meat here in Ohio.
With a small sharp knife, cut around the anus and draw it into the body cavity, so it comes free with the complete intestines. In doing this, avoid cutting or breaking the bladder. Loosen and roll out the stomach and intestines. Save liver. Split the pelvic or "aitch" bone to hasten cooling.
Cut around the edge of the diaphragm which separates the chest and stomach cavities, and split the breastbone. Then, reach forward to cut the windpipe and gullet ahead of the lungs. This should allow you to pull the lungs and heart from the chest cavity. Save heart. Drain excess blood from the body cavity by turning the body belly down or hanging animal head down. Prop the body cavity open with a stick to allow better air circulation and faster cooling. A clean cloth may be useful to clean your hands. If you puncture the entrails with a bullet or your knife, wipe the body cavity as clean as possible or flush with water and dry with a cloth. Don't use water to wash out the body cavity unless the paunch or intestines are badly shot up.
Part of the satisfaction of the hunt comes with making a clean kill and in doing a neat job of gutting your deer. Veteran hunters may have variations in the steps of field dressing. The important points are to remove the internal organs immediately after the kill without contaminating the body cavity with dirt, hair, or contents of the digestive tract and to drain all excess blood from the body cavity.
All parts damaged by gunshot should be trimmed away. If the weather is warm of if the deer is to be left in the field for a day or more, it may be skinned, except for the head, and washed clean of dirt and hair. It should be placed in a shroud sack or wrapped with porous cloth to cool (cheesecloth is ideal). The cloth covering should be porous enough to allow air circulation but firmly woven enough to give good protection from insects and dirt. Lacking porous cloth, hunters often coat the inside of the body cavity with black pepper to repel insects. Adequate cooling may take six hours or more, depending on weather conditions.
Age the deer carcass in a cool, dry place. Aging of well cared for carcasses at correct temperatures yields better flavored, more tender meat in my opinion. Best results are obtained in a near-constant temperature, preferably from 34 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit but I have packed the carcass with ice bags and hung in my shed for like three or four days replacing the ice bags every day. Aging for one to two weeks is about right for the best quality venison, depending on the age and condition of the animal but to each his own.
If the deer carcass is to be placed in freezer or locker plant storage, it may be more convenient to use the services of an experienced butcher for the cutting and wrapping. If the intent is to gain experience by doing the job yourself, then here is how I cut:
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Others may have an easier way or better and faster way, this is just my own way as I was taught.
Beo,

**FVR** · 11-21-2007, 02:59 PM

The biggest part

Avoid cutting into the paunch and intestines by holding them away from the knife with the free hand while guiding the knife with the other.

So many hunters cut right into the stomach and it's just messy.

I lay the deer on it's side, make a slit from the base of the sternum to down and around the reproductive organs.

I then just roll the stomach out of the carcass, leaving me with the goodies aka heart and liver.

Skinning deer is the easy part, just pull.

**trax** · 11-21-2007, 03:06 PM

I thought some people might not want to read the details, but the methods described are right on. Again, don't puncture the guts...ewww....

**trax** · 11-21-2007, 03:28 PM

Beo's instructions are spot on, works for all members of the deer family. Skinning may require slicing through the fat between the hide and carcass as you pull up on the hide, use a long, even slicing gesture and keep pulling steadily on the hide, as FVR said, it should just pull away. People who want to work with hides will say leave the fat with the meat, people who are going to be doing the meat cutting say leave the fat with the hide, LOL. I say leave it with the hide, it's not too difficult to scrape off afterwards.

Larger animals (elk and moose) will require cutting up or quartering if you don't have transportation nearby. Large rolls of cheesecloth, or game bags made out of cheese cloth are available wherever hunting supplies are sold usually. I use the rolls, a couple of minutes wrapping up the game beats the heck out of a couple of hours of picking leaves and twigs and junk off the meat when you get home.

I always hang the meat for at least a week in a shed, but I live where the climate permits that, it's nice and cool by the time I've got game killed.

**Ole WV Coot** · 11-21-2007, 04:40 PM

Beo & Trax are right on the money with everything you need to know. Their answers are a great "how to" and I would print it if I ever had any doubts about what I was doing.

**trax** · 11-21-2007, 04:47 PM

About aging the meat, if the temps are above what Beo listed....bad idea, find some place to cool it down. Meat's gonna be a lot more tender if you can let it hang for awhile tho.

**Beo** · 11-21-2007, 04:51 PM

More savage than a wolverine, more cunning than a bear, more sneaky than Bigfoot, but tasty as can be... the ever dangerous prey of... dut dut duh!!! The Jack-a-lope!!!
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**corndog-44** · 11-21-2007, 05:10 PM

Good instructions, deputy dawg.

**STB** · 11-21-2007, 07:29 PM

Hey
Thanks for all that info its amazing! I will be reading that over and over until 100% sure i know what im doing since i dont want to watse all that meat. How long do you think you have until the meat goes bad? And i know it depends on the temp what about somethign around 20 degress CELSIUS. I was also wondering what you would do with all that meat if you were living in the bush. Smoke some of it, but how long do you ahve to smoke it until i goes bad. and it there anything else other then smoking the meat. Another way to store it for long periods of time. thanks again

**Chris** · 11-21-2007, 09:07 PM

Any hunter safety booklet (from the class) will have details on how to skin all types of game.

As for storing meat, look up on how to make jerky at home. Basically with both smoking and drying and salting you're drying out the meat so that microbes do not like it, then it'll last a long long time. For instance if in a survival situation (more like post-disaster I guess) you got a deer and turned it all into jerky, you'd have eaten it all long before it went bad.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._31151,00.html

**trax** · 11-21-2007, 09:33 PM

20 degrees Celsius means get your meat stored or cured asap. In the old days, people dug pits in the ground, it depends where you live I guess, but it should be cooler. Smoking meat is the best way to go, you can smoke a lot of meat. We've had instructions here before, I recall Mitch giving very good instructions on how to build a smoker.