How to Skin a Deer

Video: How to Skin your Deer 

SKINNING
When skinning a deer it can either be hung head up or head down. I now skin mine head down. But if head up then begin by making a circular cut around the deer's neck. Connect this cut with the cut made in the stomach during field dressing. Remove the hide by grasping the skin and pulling down hard with both hands. Use your knife carefully when freeing the hide from the carcass to avoid cutting the skin. If the flesh begins to pull off with the skin, stop pulling and try again after cutting the flesh back with the knife.

NOTE: If the cape is to be saved, you can cut the middle and rear portion of the hide free by starting skinning just behind the shoulder and working down from there.

When you have the hide down around the shoulders you will have to cut off the front legs with a hacksaw just above what you would think is the deer's knees. Then on the inside of the deer's legs cut toward the chest and connect this cut with the one made up through the chest and abdomen during gutting. After you work the hide free around the front legs with a knife. You can continue to work the hide down the deer's back towards its feet and tail.

Once you get the hide down around the deer's tail, simply cut the tail off with a knife. Let me say this again. When you are pulling and cutting the hide from the deer and you can see that the hide is now coming off of the tail, you can now simply cut the tail free. This cut you understand is not through hide but only through the tailbone itself because you have pulled the hide down far enough so that it exposes the tailbone under the hide. That's a long explanation for something simple just so you will not get confused. Continue until you get the hide down around the deer's tarsal glands (the dark patches on the inside of the hind legs) then take a saw and cut through the leg just above the tarsal gland.

By now you are tired from unpacking, driving, getting up early and dragging the deer out of the woods, skinning and gutting. But you are not finished yet. You must still store the meat for butchering. I will not go into great detail at least not today but this is how I do it. I first cut out the backstrap and tenderloins out and place in an ice chest. Then I cut the front legs free (no bones to cut) and place them in an ice chest. Then I cut the back hindquarters free with a knife. You can works a hindquarter free with just a knife if you work your way to the ball and socket joint that holds the hindquarters to the hips. Just work the point into this joint and work around the ball.

Once both tendons are cut the hindquarter will be free. Place any other meat such as ribs and neck into the icechest. Now place a bunch of ice in the icechest with the meat. I am now totally exhausted from all the work. So I am in no mood to begin butchering the deer. So I usually wait a couple of days before I begin butchering. 
Video: How to Skin your Deer