Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game skin from spine down or belly up?

When doing the gutless method this fall, wife and I started on the legs, worked across the belly, up the neck and then up towards the spine, remove meat, flip repeat.

I've seen several videos where they start opposite, they start at the skull, slice down the spine, skin down towards the stomach.

I can see that being good if you want to mount the head.

which way have you found better?

Just curious as we look back at lessons learned this year (first in WY) and look forward to next year.

For the record, we did this on antelope and a whitetail. Nothing bigger, but hope to add Mulies and elk next year.

On big critters on the ground the spine is the only way to go. Hanging and not saving capes, the belly is the way to go. Bears for life size mounts, the dorsal cut is the way to go.

Deer-sized stuff, it is no big deal.

Definitely spine down on a bull elk, you avoid any chance of knife or hands on the piss-patch that way.

Spine down when I do it

deer - gutless, I start peeling at the ham om the top side and go forward... flip and repeat... pull tender loins out and dispose of guts/hide/
bones/head as one whole piece

I do from belly up.Usually by my self and it is easier to get to the hip joint.Les hair on the meat too

Went spine down first time this year, much better for me, especially solo.

Peel from belly to spine. Easier for me to carve off hams and shoulders with the back bone down. Especially when I'm alone. Only gone that route with moose and elk, as I can pack halves from smaller game.

Bell to spine. Less hair in meat. Use the hide to set hams loin front shoulder neck meat on while deboning. Pack up that meat , flip and repeat. Meat stays clean gives you a chance to clean your hands between halves if needed

Depends elk I almost always dorsal cut, bucks if I’m gonna save the cape I’ll dorsal cut

Sometimes it's easier from the top down but I'll start from the belly if I can to reduce hair on the meat. Belly up is also easier around the legs.

yep

Seems there are several ways to skin a cat.

If I can hang the critter, I'll start at rear end and work down to the neck. I've had a couple instances where elk dropped beneath a hefty pine, and I packed my come along up to the kill site and hoisted them off the ground.

On the ground, however, I still prefer to work from belly to back.

First thing i remove is the back straps, so , I start top down.

Who takes anything but the backstraps anyway?



Kidding of course, unless we’re talking pigs and then most of the time I don’t take anything but a picture. On elk, deer, moose and such I’ve done it both ways and really don’t have a preference though the top down seems to be a little faster for some reason.

Spine down here.