Packing Out Meat Advice

[MSbowhunter48]

I finally got to break in my new MR Popup 28 this past weekend, connected on a big doe Sunday morning and killed a 9 point Monday evening. I’ve been packing out deer for the past couple years but the MR is the first dedicated frame pack I’ve owned, so far I’m liking it.



The only problem I keep running into is I have trouble keeping hair off the meat while cleaning it via the gutless method. How are y’all keeping the meat clear of hair? Are you being super careful while skinning, or is it more cleaning it real good when you go to butcher the meat once you’re home?

 

[dalton916]

Take a minute before you cut to visualize what you’re taking and make your cuts accordingly. You should be able to get the backstraps and tenderloins out clean with little to know effort.

The hide cut that works best on the hams is actually the last method you would ever think of. It seems counterintuitive, but cut across the center (ETA: from bottom of ham to top, not left to right) of the TOP side of the ham or shoulder and peel back from there. That’s the best way I’ve found to limit hair.

On the shoulders cut AROUND the shoulder then peel it down.

 

[TooheyBirdie]

I did my first gutless approach this year with a hooked blade and I gotta say, I wasn't a fan... the hook was finicky more than half the time snagging but also experience a lot of hair like you did... if I do gutless again, I'm just doing a conventional blade cutting out the whole time... alternatively I may just gut, skin, and then quarter the deer out...

 

[NimbleTimbo]

It's definitely not as clean as hanging it. Usually its a mix of being patient and taking time where needed to keep things clean, but often more clean up later. If I have time and daylight, I have used the ultralight hoist kit from EWO or my rappel rope and a CT roll-n-lock for progress capture to hang them in the field. But then you need a tree that will work

 

[kyler1945]

Ring the neck and all four legs. Run split along spine. Run split on each leg on one side. Peel hide and pull meat. Flip, run split on each leg.

Make all your cuts first, then peel. Brush your cuts and the loose hair before you expose meat.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I can generally keep the meat clean by just slowing down and taking a little more time and care. I really need to do that anyway, so I don't accidentally cut myself. I use a Case Trapper, a two blade pocket knife. My method is to start the cut above the tail and then put the rounded spey blade under the skin facing up and run the blade up the back and "unzip" the hide. Then I go back down to the legs and from the tail I go down the back of the leg where the brown fur meets the white fur. Follow the line. I then ring the leg and start skinning the rear ham and the back. Once I have that area exposed, I close the spey blade and open the clip point blade, which is still razor sharp at this point. I will get the backstrap first, put it in the bag and then skin the rear leg and disjoint it at the hip socket and cut it free. I then disjoint the lower leg from the hindquarter and put the hindquarter in the bag with the backstrap. I then skin and remove the front shoulder and disjoint the front leg. That goes in the sack. Get any additional meat at this point.

I then drape the hide back over the deer and take the deer by the legs and flip it over and repeat the process. I use the spey blade for any skinning and hide cutting and then use the clip point blade only for meat cutting and disjointing.

 

[sureshot]

It takes very little extra effort/ time to just hoist it into the tree and skin it traditionally. Have you seen MTS's ultralight pulley system? You can still do "gutless". Just leave them in until you're done with everything else, then cut it open and let the guts spill on the ground to get easy access to the tenderloins.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

 

[raisins]

I don't believe in rinsing venison before freezing.

What I would do though is just wipe it down with clean paper towels or clean clothes to get as much hair off as possible and then use a fillet knife to take the top of the meat off so that it takes off the silver skin, any dirt and bacteria, and any hair....the cut into your portions, seal a meal it, then freeze

 

[HeavyD]

Paper towels and a butane torch gets most of the hairs at home.

 

[Mitchellfarmer1982]

I watched Do It Yourself Hunter do it and I like his method so I am not bending over the whole time. I remove the whole quarter hide and all the hang it from a small tree close using gear ties. Then skin it vertically and debone it. It's not perfect but effective.

 

[Blacksmith]

I finally got to break in my new MR Popup 28 this past weekend, connected on a big doe Sunday morning and killed a 9 point Monday evening. I’ve been packing out deer for the past couple years but the MR is the first dedicated frame pack I’ve owned, so far I’m liking it.



The only problem I keep running into is I have trouble keeping hair off the meat while cleaning it via the gutless method. How are y’all keeping the meat clear of hair? Are you being super careful while skinning, or is it more cleaning it real good when you go to butcher the meat once you’re home?

I cut and pack a lot of critters. You can take off the front and rear quarters with the hair on. It keeps the shoulder and ham clean. You will get some on the cut surface though. I normally cut down the spine and down the back of rear leg. Cut down from top of neck along front of shoulder. Pull all of that down to the belly. You have minimal hair on it. Always cut from the inside out to prevent cutting hairs off.

 

[Lowg08]

Just hang it from your platform. Then the best of both worlds

 

[LAKY]

One thing I try and do is cut in the direction the hair is laying. If you're cutting across the hair or cutting in the other direction, it tends to cut more hair. You want your blade to fall between the hairs.

 

[Iron_llama]

One thing I try and do is cut in the direction the hair is laying. If you're cutting across the hair or cutting in the other direction, it tends to cut more hair. You want your blade to fall between the hairs.

Agreed, I cut from the neck down, and I get much less hair on my meat than I did when I started at the back end and cut forward. Also, my knife doesn't get to the unhygenic bits until the very end.

 

[BTaylor]

I do similar to a couple of the earlier post. I start behind the head and cut down the center of the neck until I get close to the shoulder then I offset the rest of the lengthwise cut to down the side just below the backstrap on the top side. At the hip return the cut to the spine then follow the brown/white hair line down the back side of the ham. Then I make a cut from the top center of the neck down just in front of the shoulder and down the front edge of the leg. Offsetting the lengthwise cut off of the backstrap gives a flap of hide to protect the bottom side strap when you are ready to flip the carcass. The shoulder and ham hides get skinned towards the center where there is nothing I need to get into and keeps the hide out of the way. This method works faster and keeps me and the deer cleaner than any other method I have tried.

 

[GCTerpfan]

Offsetting the lengthwise cut off of the backstrap gives a flap of hide to protect the bottom side strap when you are ready to flip the carcass.

I like this idea. I always cut down the center of the back and then spend more energy than I want to trying to keep the back straps clean.

 

[Will Harris]

I do similar to a couple of the earlier post. I start behind the head and cut down the center of the neck until I get close to the shoulder then I offset the rest of the lengthwise cut to down the side just below the backstrap on the top side. At the hip return the cut to the spine then follow the brown/white hair line down the back side of the ham. Then I make a cut from the top center of the neck down just in front of the shoulder and down the front edge of the leg. Offsetting the lengthwise cut off of the backstrap gives a flap of hide to protect the bottom side strap when you are ready to flip the carcass. The shoulder and ham hides get skinned towards the center where there is nothing I need to get into and keeps the hide out of the way. This method works faster and keeps me and the deer cleaner than any other method I have tried.

that is clever for the offset cut. i'll try it this year.

why not offset the whole cut? start on side of neck and run the cut offset to the rump?

 

[CooterBrown]

I watched Do It Yourself Hunter do it and I like his method so I am not bending over the whole time. I remove the whole quarter hide and all the hang it from a small tree close using gear ties. Then skin it vertically and debone it. It's not perfect but effective.

got a video link for us on how he does it?

 

[BTaylor]

that is clever for the offset cut. i'll try it this year.

why not offset the whole cut? start on side of neck and run the cut offset to the rump?

Should be fine to offset on the neck. At the rump though I like to work from center because it seemed easier for me to deal with the tail from center. Might work just fine to stay offset the whole length though.

 

[BTaylor]

I like this idea. I always cut down the center of the back and then spend more energy than I want to trying to keep the back straps clean.

I havent tried one this way but you could offset cut both sides leaving the hide covering the straps and save them for last. May try one like that next year.