Hanging meat with skin on.

[7RemMag]

In my experience, gutting an animal is much faster then quartering regardless of hide on or off.

Never left a hide on to hang whole or on quarters. Was taught that it could taint the meat in terms of taste. Maybe …. Maybe not. It makes sense to me with the smell coming off a bull or bucks hide though. Also was taught to remove all hair off the meat for the above reason.

Do you gut the animal even when quartering in the field? If so, that genuinely intrigues me.

Back in PA when virtually all my deer were drug a few hundred yards (generally speaking) at most to a tractor or pickup, gutting made sense. It’s what we did. People would have looked at you like you were crazy if you mentioned a “gutless method”.

Anyplace that is more remote, I can’t imagine dragging, even with a four wheeler, and so quartering seems more logical. To gut an animal in the field and THEN quarter it seems like an extra step to me.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I found early that source of heat elk (especially Bulls) is the mass of the spine in the front quarters. Boned will get there but I prefer to halve them by a hand saw or reciprocating saw.

By skinning them when I get to the house and going over the meat with a curry comb, I can get them clean, to make them as edible as possible. Bloodshot and blood between muscle groups gets cleaned at the same time.

I cut them shortly there after or freeze them and cut as its covenient. I found the flavor to be improved.

 

[repins05]

Do you gut the animal even when quartering in the field? If so, that genuinely intrigues me.

Back in PA when virtually all my deer were drug a few hundred yards (generally speaking) at most to a tractor or pickup, gutting made sense. It’s what we did. People would have looked at you like you were crazy if you mentioned a “gutless method”.

Anyplace that is more remote, I can’t imagine dragging, even with a four wheeler, and so quartering seems more logical. To gut an animal in the field and THEN quarter it seems like an extra step to me.

Yes I typcially gut the animal and then quarter. There have been multiple times where I am not able to move or drag a bull from the spot it died because of the weight (literally not even a few feet). Sometimes can't even flip it. Also helps with being able to drag a muley or big blacktail buck to a better in the woods processing spot or by the tree where I am going to hang quarters overnight. I am usually hunting in s**t hole reprod or areas and nw west rain jungle forest that is straight up and down. However I have harvested some easy ones and rolled the animal right down hill into the back of my truck. Lol....those are fun. I have also tried to use gravity going 5-10 yards down the mountain to get a better position and pinned a bull against a stump and brush and wasn't able to get him back up in a position to process it and had to get back up help.

I am pretty fast gutting an animal. Growing up.......there wasn't even a gutless method around here. Will do the gutless method every once in a while when it makes sense to me. Also have left the hide on as well. Not saying gutting and skinning an animal is "better", it's just my preference and what makes sense to me most of the time.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Just happened to see this today and thought of this thread..,

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I’ve never left hide on quarters. Everybody has their own way, I’ve just never had a reason to do so. All the meat I process is tip-top stuff.

 

[7RemMag]

Yes I typcially gut the animal and then quarter. There have been multiple times where I am not able to move or drag a bull from the spot it died because of the weight (literally not even a few feet). Sometimes can't even flip it. Also helps with being able to drag a muley or big blacktail buck to a better in the woods processing spot or by the tree where I am going to hang quarters overnight. I am usually hunting in s**t hole reprod or areas and nw west rain jungle forest that is straight up and down. However I have harvested some easy ones and rolled the animal right down hill into the back of my truck. Lol....those are fun. I have also tried to use gravity going 5-10 yards down the mountain to get a better position and pinned a bull against a stump and brush and wasn't able to get him back up in a position to process it and had to get back up help.

I am pretty fast gutting an animal. Growing up.......there wasn't even a gutless method around here. Will do the gutless method every once in a while when it makes sense to me. Also have left the hide on as well. Not saying gutting and skinning an animal is "better", it's just my preference and what makes sense to me most of the time.

My Dad was/is always fast gutting as well, so I certainly understand the minimal time it takes, and can see where it would make things easier sometimes. I have just never really heard of someone doing it that way, but I guess I wouldn’t doubt that there are people who do. Just never crossed my mind I guess.

 

[noisy]

I feel like before the gutless method came into vogue it was pretty common practice to field dress an animal and then quarter it. Looking back it seems like an unnecessary step, but at the time gutless wasn't a thing. These days I would never gut an animal before quartering. For one thing it risks cutting into the guts accidentally and contaminating the meat. Also, for me, gutting an elk solo can be a real challenge in some circumstances. It's a lot more work!

 

[CMF]

I feel like before the gutless method came into vogue it was pretty common practice to field dress an animal and then quarter it. Looking back it seems like an unnecessary step, but at the time gutless wasn't a thing. These days I would never gut an animal before quartering. For one thing it risks cutting into the guts accidentally and contaminating the meat. Also, for me, gutting an elk solo can be a real challenge in some circumstances. It's a lot more work!

It's not an unnecessary step if you're going for the flank, rib meat, and heart, which we usually do. But I do usually get all other meat off first.
If we have to drag em far here in MS, I'll gut first.

 

[medvedyt]

I feel like before the gutless method came into vogue it was pretty common practice to field dress an animal and then quarter it. Looking back it seems like an unnecessary step, but at the time gutless wasn't a thing. These days I would never gut an animal before quartering. For one thing it risks cutting into the guts accidentally and contaminating the meat. Also, for me, gutting an elk solo can be a real challenge in some circumstances. It's a lot more work!

you can still gut, skin and quarter an animal.

 

[MuleyFever]

Just happened to see this today and thought of this thread..,
View attachment 959536

Pretty good info here with actual temps to back it up.

 

[HunterGatherer]

It might be that the hunters left the animal whole overnight . And IME a lot of guys just aren’t aware of the realities of how long the animal and quarters hold heat. I think if it was REALLY cold (like 10 degrees or less) that might be an argument to leave the hide on, to prevent freezing the meat and making it tough. Even then I would still skin each 1/4 before I packed it out, if for no other reason than the weight savings. Definitely don’t leave the animal overnight with guts in it or laying on its hide, even if I have to stay with it all night to get it broken down. At least that’s my opinion

 

[Short Track]

My last deer, I gutted it, and put a bag of ice inside the cavity. Hide on. Not sure how much this helps...

ok, I started following chucks Meat on FB. They seem pretty adamant about skinning. But most white tail butchers around here don't have coolers, and they hang them in a tree, skin on. Another butcher piles deer until he gets to them.. whenever.

 

[minas stiris]

At camp we hang them by the head. Not sure how the butcher does it. Never really paid attention or wasn`t there when they did it.

 

[Poser]

I spent some time working in a butcher shop, though we didn't process wild game so that validation doesn't contribute anything unto itself other than the fact I've spent some time professionally turning meat into food.

I personally have never left hide on an elk and wouldn't do it unless circumstances were ideal and the intent was to age the meat for an extended period of time. If you're hunting a ranch and the meat is going straight to hang in a walk in cooler, where you intend to let it hang for 7,10-14 days. Outside of that, unless it is late season and/or temps are cold with little to no direct sun exposure, you should get the hide off the meat asap.

 

[BLJ]

But most white tail butchers around here don't have coolers, and they hang them in a tree, skin on. Another butcher piles deer until he gets to them.. whenever.

To stay in topic I get the hide off and hang as soon as I can.

Side note. I would not go to the places mentioned above.

ETA. My experience is with whitetail. Forgot I was in the elk section.

 

[wytx]

Haven't lost an elk to spoilage ever and we always leave the hide on the quarters when doing gutless.
Get them off the carcass and lay them in the shade so the breeze can blow across them, cools down quite nicely.
Many times we've quartered then had to go hike back to the ride to haul them out. Most times the exposed meat is already cool to the touch.
They get hung right away either in the garage or walk in cooler. Air movement around the quarters is vital to getting them cooled down.