How To Skin A Deer Using A Bowie Knife

For many hunters, the joy of bringing down a deer is only part of the thrill of hunting. The other part of the enjoyment comes from actually eating what you kill. However, before you can begin considering what you want to do with the venison, you will need to know how to skin a deer. For this task, it's best to have a good, sharp knife. You can use a skinning knife, certainly, but you can also use a multipurpose blade, such as a Bowie knife. How do you skin a deer? What is the right way to go about it?

First, you will need to hang the deer up; you can choose to hang it head up or down. Having a sharp Bowie knife here will help ensure that you do not make any wrong cuts when skinning the animal. Begin your cut just above the genital area, and move up toward the ribcage. You can cut through several of the ribs at this point if you choose, though it is not necessary. If you cut through the ribs, make sure you make your cuts to the side of the sternum. Do not cut too deeply during this step, or you will puncture organs or the animal's intestines.

The next step is to cut around the neck. You should connect this cut with the earlier incision made in the stomach of the deer. Once you have a good cut, begin pulling the hide away from the flesh underneath and work your way down the animal. You might find that you need to stop and use your Bowie knife to cut tough portions where the flesh is particularly well adhered to the hide as you work. Cut it away, rather than pulling it here, or you can cause problems.

Once you have worked your way down to the shoulders, use your Bowie knife to cut off the animal's legs just above the knee area. You can also use a hacksaw here (this is recommended). Bring your knife down on the inside of the deer's legs and connect the new cut with the central cut.

Continue working the hide down the animal and you will eventually come to the tail. You can simply cut this off with your Bowie knife. Keep working the hide down the animal until you reach the tarsal glands, where you will need to cut off the deer's back legs. You should now be able to work the hide free.

Sammy Sabot has expert knowledge of bowie knives, hunting knives and camping lighters.

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