when hanging a deer do your hang it by the head or the back legs and why?

Answer 1

Hang it by the head to let blood drain out,if you have a graden hose handy wash out the cavity good. I've had alot of meet butchered beef hogs so on and the butcher always cleans out the cavity good

Answer 2

I always hang it by the back legs with one rope tied to each back leg so I can spread them apart to make skinning and butchering easier. As for draining, gravity doesn't care which way the deer is hung. Blood flows toward the ground either way and no matter which way you hang the deer what counts is that the blood can drip out.
If you hang it by the head, the deer will tend to twist at bad times while you try to skin it and that makes the whole process more dangerous. Hanging by the back legs and having them spread apart keeps this from happenning.
I've butchered about 80 deer that way.

Answer 3

My personal preference is to hang a deer by the hind legs. That is the way I learned to dress it and skin it. I also think it lets the blood drain out better in that position. As a matter of convenience, many hunters hang their deer by the head but I don't think it has any merits other than convenience. I think it lets too much blood pool in the hind legs and that is where most of the good meat is. If I kill a deer in the morning and am going back out for the afternoon hunt and will be leaving the deer hang over night, I will remove the front legs and hang them separately so the blood can drain out of them better. I think it is important to get as much blood out of the meat as possible.

Answer 4

I've always hung them by the hind legs.Part of this is merely convenience for butchering (more stable) and I also don't want any glandular liquid flowing over the hind quarters, as this is where the majority of the meat is. I was told a long time ago that fluid from the glands is one of the leading causes for the 'gamey' taste of venison. I like to let them hang for at least three days, weather permitting, and would advise against ever hosing them out since the water would promote unhealthy bacterial growth. If absolutely necessary, take some cheesecloth soaked in SALT water and lightly clean only where needed.

Answer 5

I hang from the head. I also agree with shocky. I read a article in a paper that said not to hose out the cavity after field dressing out the deer because it aids in the growth of bacteria. It said that the blood dries to a "crust" on the meat and seals out the bacteria. I believe the article was in the "Wisconsin Outdoor News" paper, but I get 6 different hunting magazines. So I could be wrong on the source of the article

Answer 6

it works both ways, some prefer head up, I prefer head down, First, I find it much easier to skin that way, after field dressing, I make a slit behind the tendon of the lower leg, place a stout stick about 3 feet long thru the slits, position the legs apart, secure the to the stick with cord, then use a rope tied ot each end of the stick to hang the animal head down, just clear of the ground. With the major blood vessels etc located more towards the front of the animal, it seems to drain easier. Plus, to skin, I just cut around the hind legs above the "knee" joint, make an incision down the inside of each leg and work the hide down. Then it is easy to work the hide all the way down, using a skinning knife as needed it just pulls right off. At the front legs, I make the same cuts, then slice around the "knee" joints, extend the front leg and with an abrupt movement, slam it down across my leg, hyperextending the animals leg backwards and it breaks off clean at the joint. Then just work the hide down to the head, and unless you're doing a trophy mount ( which entails a different method to "cape it out", I just leave the hide hanging from the skull and cut thru the neck removing hide, skull etc all in one movement. I can then move back up and easily cut thru the pelvic bone with a small bone saw and the animal is washed off inside and out, wrapped in a large game bag, and depending on the temps, left to hang while I prep the antlers/skull etc and clean up. If the temps are below 40 degrees, and I have the animal in the shade, I have plenty of time. I transport the animal home, re hang it from the rafter of my garage, and again, depending on the temps, leave it hang according to the temps till I am ready to process. If very cold, I will hang it 3 days, if at 40 degrees, I hang it 1 day, if above 40, I either quarter it and put it in the cooler, or start the process. I prefer it hanging 3 days, then I can work with it right where it hangs, starting with the back straps, then I remove each of the front quarters and process them, cut out what ribs I want, or debone the ribs working up to the hind quarters, which I do one at a time, leaving the other quarter hanging till I'm ready for it. Working with my wife or daughter, we can process the entire deer, including grinding a portion into burger, and have the whole thing in the freezer in about 6 hours. I just have found it easier overall to work with the head down, plus, this way, I never have to touch the scent glands on the rear legs, once I get ready for each hind quarter, I just use a bone saw and cut the legbone below the scent glands, so that when done, the lower hind legs are all that is left hanging. Then just untie the rope, slide the leg off the stick and right into the garbage bags, Roll up the tarp that I placed under the animal, on the floor, take it to the driveway, unroll, wash off with a hose and hang to dry. All done.

Answer 7

You want to hang it by the head in order to drain any blood out, hanging by the legs will let blood pool up in the neck area. After gutting, hang by the head, put a piece of wood to spread the rib cage and hose it out, skin it, let hang in cool/cold place. Some say it should hang 5-7 days for taste, but I hang for 1-2 days then butcher. Good hunting!

Answer 8

speaking purely as a butcher here, i would hand by the hind legs. there is a tendon on each hind called a 'gamble' which makes it very easy to hang from. As for bleeding, every time i cut an animal that has been hung by the neck, it hasn't been properly bled and leaks all over my table. Blood pooling in the neck should not cause you concern because of the small amount of meat you get from the animals neck (Anyway, i've never seen hanging by the legs cause any pooled blood in any animal i've ever cut anyway.)

Answer 9

I always hang it by the head for the reason of draining better, almost all the answers here are good.
I like to hang it for 3 days if possible, but it is a matter of how hot it is, sometimes it's not possible.
If there are still flies about you might want to salt it after washing.
This is the time to make sure you have removed all the scent gland too

Answer 10

Hang It By The Head So The Blood Can Drip From The Cheast Cavity