Hanging a deer

[BigValley]

One trick that I found helps if you are in the head down camp...split the rib cage down the middle w/ loppers. If you do this, the guts will roll out after you disconnect the diaphragm and are held by the esophagus. Makes gutting while hanging up a breeze.

^How we do it every time! Also pre-skin the legs and underside before hanging it up. Makes it very easy.

[catslayer]

Wait, what are we talking about here?

... umm should i reword this... or funny enough to just leave lol

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[LittleMrHolmes]

head up and TP rolls over the top

[wdeisher]

Head down. Cleaner, easier, and if your deer is infected with Nasal bots or a similar (non harming) disease it will rid your deer of that.

[kmon]

Depends on what I am doing with the deer.

All but the last gut/field dress on the ground

If it will be hanging in the cooler, hang from the head and skin with a few cuts here and there the skin is off quickly. then carry deer into the cooler and hang. Most processing places do it that way and many use a winch to pull the hide off like much like the rock method, is quick and easy.

If processing it at the house or where legal to process beyond 4 quarters like Texas requires I will hang from the back legs and bone it out hanging right there, just meat in the cooler after that. Will take the time to separate the muscles of the hams while hanging, pull tenders and backstraps. pull off the shoulders to bone later and trim off all extra for sausage.

then there is the gutless method. hang by rear legs, skin then pull shoulders, backstraps a small slit in the side at the right place and pull out the tenders. slice the meat off the pelvic bone and pop the rear leg off at the ball joint. guts and chest cavity never opened. At one time this method was not legal in Texas when you had to keep the rib meat. This method is the fastest but wastes some meat and I only use it if in a real hurry since I like sausage and want to get all of it I can.

[EliteZ28Bow]

Head down to skin. I will say I have not gutted a deer or hog in 3 seasons. No need to. I can usually drag kill close to road and get with vehicle. Skin, cape, take tenderloins, discard leftovers.

[SaltwaterSlick]

About thirty thousand cattle are slaughtered every weekday. I don't know of a single one that is hung head up. Think about it, then mimmick the professionals.

Generally cattle are not processed down to taking the meat off the bone while hanging either. They are skinned and split down the middle leaving a whole side of beef hanging on one of each of the 2 hooks they are hung from. I seriously doubt you process a deer that way... You could but it sure would be a PITA.

[BeerMe]

Since I received my doctorate in Critter Inard Removal at the tender age of nine, I have performed all surgery in the field. Then hang head down back at camp.

You will be receiving a bill for this consultation.

[Tx.Fisher]

Gut them on the ground and hang them by the head, it’s how I learned and it’s just easier for me that way. I’ve tried the hang em by the head and gut them hanging routine, but everything just seems backwards and takes me longer. Really no right or wrong way to do it. The only time I hang them by the head is if I’m gonna shoulder mount them.

[44mAG]

If you have a place to hang the deer up quickly, there is no need to gut.

[BigCohiba]

Head down, loppers for the legs, don't gut - quarters, backstraps, neck meat, & tenderloins on ice - the rest for the buzzards and coyotes ....

[AgHntr10]

I'm in the head down group as well. No reason to gut them unless you are hanging in a cooler.

[McClain]

About thirty thousand cattle are slaughtered every weekday. I don't know of a single one that is hung head up. Think about it, then mimmick the professionals.

This is because cattle are stored in a cooler during rigor mortis (and longer to age). Hanging by the hocks allows weight of carcass to keep more preferred muscles from contracting as much (improving tenderness of prime cuts) and blood doesn't pool in the primary muscles of the hindquarters. This makes some sense to do same for deer if hanging through rigor mortis or longer, but if quartering immediately there is no advantage to meat quality either way. I have always processed my deer and have hung both ways, but have simply found it faster and easier to hand by the head.

[WamBow]

Have done both and prefer head down. I find it easier to hang and quarter out.

[mastercraftka]

I always gut them on the ground. If I am caping out they go by the horns anything else goes by the legs head down.

reason I hang by horn when caping is so the blood will come out of the chest cavity.