How do you hang your deer at camp?

[fly]

There is a lot of controversy regarding this one and I honestly don't know if there really is a better way to do it?

I've done it both ways. If I'm field dressing in the dark I'll often hang it head up so I can do a better job in the daylight.

Of course you wouldn't put a rope around the neck of a buck you planned to mount, but would the blood draining to the head be a problem if a trophy was hung back legs up? I'm also hesitant to hang a trophy by the horns for fear of them breaking.

Now I've skinned them head up before, but back legs up is much easier and I get less hair on the meat.

[toddyboman]

Back Legs Up.....not sure why but that's the way we always have done it

[okiedog]

I hang by the antlers:D

[wtnhunt]

We kinda do both Frank. I will usually hang them from the neck or antlers after gutting them if it is cool enough here to let them hang overnight, but then I turn the deer around to skin it and hang it by the back legs.

[jdavis]

Back legs up; much easier when you skin them. We've done it both ways but had cats or something eat part of the back legs overnight when we hung it the other way (head up).

[RangerClay]

We hang ours by the antlers so the blood and whatever can drip out the anal opening. I could never understand why people hang deer by the hind legs and have that stuff pool up in the chest cavity.

[High Country]

Bucks: heads up by the antlers

Does: legs up (but I field dress all of the way up through the chest cavity so the blood drains easily out)

[Rhino]

Back legs up all the time here at home. We have an electric hoist inside our skinning shed so just touch a buttom and adjust the height of the hanging deer while doing to knife work.

We also have dual sinks with hot and cold water, hoses to wash off blood, gut buckets, a large cutting board, and a walk in cooler to store meat or even hang a field dressed deer. A drain in the center of the floor makes it easy to clean up any mess from cleaning game. Our skinning shed is totally enclosed so wind and rain is not a problem. We have a gas heater too if its needed when its cold. No problems cleaning up any blood on a trophy we want to mount here. So basically we cheat when it comes to cleaning game.

[Nickel]

I hang by the base of the antlers for at least a day to let drain. Make sure it is high enough so my dog wont eat the hocks. But when i plan on getting ready to process i hang 'em by the back legs.

[Shaun_300]

All depends who I hunt with, with dad and that gang we usually hang them by the neck or antlers because they're not being skinned right away, they'll hang outside for a few days if the weather is good and cool. With my uncles and cousins we always hang them by the hind legs because we skin them right away. A lot easier to do it that way.

[sskybnd]

we hang ours by the back leggs being we dont gut them, we take the tenders out from the sides, cut out the back strapes, the hind qourters, shoulders and cut the neck meat off. and let the rest fall in to a tub and feed it to the yotes, the meat we put in coolers on ice..

[Mach1]

Back legs up.

We've got a deer hanging pole that swings out from the wall inside the shed that has an electric hoist mounted on it. Just back the truck it, hook up the legs, and push a button. MUCH easier than hoisting by hand in a tree. By the time we hang them, there's not much blood left after field dressing and rinsing the body cavity with water. What blood that does drip out, the dogs take care of rather quickly.

[Tom2008]

Neck up just makes no sense to me, but that is just my opinion. If you hang it back the back legs then all the blood and water drains out real easy that way. It's a lot easier to cut up the hind quarters this way also I think.

[Cybertech_hound819]

From the neck or horns only. one if you hang from the back legs and plan on mounting all the blood will rush to the face and when it is mesuared it wont be true. 2 i knwo a guy that hung a buck by his hind legs. that night a fisher got ahold of its face and made a mess of it. needless to say he couldnt get that one mounted.

[PotashRLS]

Bucks..........legs up because the taxidermist hates a stretched neck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not good for the cape. Just flush em out good first.

Does.........head up to drain.

[GWSmith]

Back Legs

Easy to skin, then remove the front shoulders, backstraps, and hind quarters with only a knife!

[dbHunterNY]

Usually get it boned out and in a cooler right away so it didn't really matter I do think you get less hair to fight with hanging back legs up. I always hang it high enough to keep it away from critters though. I learned to keep things out of critter reach the hard way. My first buck I shot was a nice 6 pointer, I left it on top of a five gallon bucket, and then it disappeared.

[Straight Shooter]

Thought I was the only one who skinned deer this way. Wroks great, fast, and easy. don't have to fool with guts at all.

we hang ours by the back leggs being we dont gut them, we take the tenders out from the sides, cut out the back strapes, the hind qourters, shoulders and cut the neck meat off. and let the rest fall in to a tub and feed it to the yotes, the meat we put in coolers on ice..

[Tecumseh]

Heads up don't know why that's how it's always been done where I hunt.

[HUNTINGMAN]

Bucks..........legs up because the taxidermist hates a stretched neck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not good for the cape. Just flush em out good first.

Does.........head up to drain.

Same here for me,if its a buck not being mounted I will hang it by its antlers.

[stcif]

We kinda do both Frank. I will usually hang them from the neck or antlers after gutting them if it is cool enough here to let them hang overnight, but then I turn the deer around to skin it and hang it by the back legs.

Ditto.

[m gardner]

If it's going to rain or snow hang them head up and they shed water and it won't get onto the meat. Also the rain won't wash the scent from the back legs into the body cavity. If it's clear weather hang them rear legs up so they will cool quickly. We usually immediately skin and quarter and bag the meat especially if it's warm enough to have yellowjackets or flies.

Mark

[woolybear]

We hang ours by the antlers so the blood and whatever can drip out the anal opening. I could never understand why people hang deer by the hind legs and have that stuff pool up in the chest cavity.

My thoughts exactly first of all.

I just think they drain better this way after field dressing.

Secondly, I just feel better knowing durring skinning that my blade won't unnecessarily come into contact with any dingleberries or urine soaked hair from the start should the hide need any further assistance peeling off.

[NS whitetail]

We hang ours by the antlers so the blood and whatever can drip out the anal opening. I could never understand why people hang deer by the hind legs and have that stuff pool up in the chest cavity.

same here, it makes best sense to me to hang them so everything runs out

when I get ready to skin it, I hang it by the back legs.

Edited June 7, 2009 by NS whitetail

[Doc]

Most likely everyone hangs their deer in whatever fashion they were taught or whatever way works best for them. I really doubt there is a right way or a wrong way.

Doc