Always off. I was in a freezing hunt and my buddy left it on. Ended up freezing on the meat. Once it thawed enough to get it off the meat was not very good.
For me, regardless of season, the hide comes off. The meat is cleaner when I remove the hide, plus it also gets rid of packing out a bunch of ticks buried in the hair.
Off. For multiple reasons. IF we are lucky enough to get a truck to it, leave it on until back at camp on the meat pole. But if you are quartering and packing, off immediately. The hide holds in a lot of heat. If you want tasty wildy game, start it cooling down ASAP. Also, leaving the hide on will allow hair to get on the meat. a few wont hurt but a lot of hair will transfer gamy taste to the meat. Skin the hide and get it into a game bag. If you skin/cut the glands or the pelvic area out(which you should) use a different knife or clean it before cutting meat Take care of the meat in all ways from the beginning and you will appreciate it on the dinner table.
I know some folks leave the hide on the quarters in order to keep some of the meat clean. In my opinion, a good game bag is a better idea. And not one of the ones you get for a dollar at walmart. a good cotton one or a sheet is really good. The new material bags are light but i don't think they breath quite as well.
I am always amazed by how many people say "it's how you take care of the meat", and then they don't. I see folks driving back home from a hunt with the hide still on,. Im sure they give packages to their friends who cant understand why you would hunt when the meat tastes so nasty
if its the one with the outdoor edge knife, does he not have to take the rib meat? I have no idea since i dont know the regs down there. I do know that ADFG would not be impressed with the meat left on it.
I've always skinned and gone gutless deboned method...no need for me to pack bones or skin...and definitely no need to transport bones/skin back home.
I like the gutless/boneless method so much I often wonder when midwest whitetail hunters take the whole carcass home just to skin and debone and then have to make another trip to dispose of carcass.
Common sense says take the meat home and leave everything else for nature to take care of (although we still occasionally hang a good buck in the garage to work on to make sure the neighbors know who they're dealing with )