A friend and I were discussing this topic for Deer not long ago...haven't got to go Elk hunting yet.
Our thoughts were to get the animal gutted, skinned, and hung asap.
On a larger animal I can see it being a chore either trying to find a suitable place to hang, or rolling the animal back and forth, working around trying to skin and quarter. Not as difficult with Deer as Elk no doubt. But why leave it on?
I think we all agree it is about getting the meat cooled as soon as possible, but still don't understand the benifit to leaving the hide on. There are different situations to account for so there maybe no single "best" answer. For example: Some have mentioned that it isn't real measable in an evening hunt.
The problem that I see is cutting through the skin and hair, the knife getting contaminated, and hair getting into everything. We have felt that the hide isn't the most sanitary thing and getting it off the animal is important.
Maybe, like some said...it's tradition?
