How do you remove the head

[Iron_llama]

@Iron_llama thanks for that video. He makes it look so easy. That's the most concise and clear video I've seen on the topic and I searched around for awhile last year.

I spent a lot of time with a saw and puners removing forelegs and skulls before I learned how to do that with a knife. Also, cutting the cartilage between the ribs and sternum to acces the heart and lungs, instead of a saw or ratchet pruner. Glad i figured it out. I always use a stout blade for these tasks; I've never chipped a blade doing these things but why risk a fine edge on a coarse task?

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Never understood the splitting the sternum/rib cage to get to the heart and lungs. Maybe if you had t-rex arms.

 

[Iron_llama]

Never understood the splitting the sternum/rib cage to get to the heart and lungs. Maybe if you had t-rex arms.

And I never saw the point of reaching up in there if I could just open it up and cool it down quickly. Might do otherwise if I was going to have it mounted, but I prefer euro mounts.

 

[USSHornet]

I used pruners until I figured out how to do it with a knife. Since you're putting the edge up against bone - the Atlas joint it pretty tough - don't use a delicate blade, think Mora instead of Havalon.

I can't find the clip online, but Farming the Wild did an episode on field processing. Grab an ear and pull to tension the neck. Put the flat of your knife against the back of the ear and slide it down untol it hits skull, where it will slide into the Atlas joint.

shows a similar method. Dude uses a fillet knife.

Thanks a ton everyone!!!


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[SNIPERBBB]

And I never saw the point of reaching up in there if I could just open it up and cool it down quickly. Might do otherwise if I was going to have it mounted, but I prefer euro mounts.

Splitting the chest does nothing for cooling the animal down. All it does is give you chances to get cut on the bones that have been cut.