subject: How To Skin A Deer Using A Bowie Knife [print this page] Skinning a deer is not easy the first timeSkinning a deer is not easy the first time. Before you get to the skin, you have to field dress the animal. You can do this with a hunting knife, such as a Bowie knife. Many hunters find smaller blades easier to use than larger ones. The largely stems from the fact that gutting and skinning the animal are rather precise tasks and failure to pay attention to where your knife blade is can result in your ruining the meat by tainting it with urine and feces.
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.
When you get to the deer's tail, you can just peel back the skin enough to expose the tailbone and cut it off with your saw. Bowie knives will also work but, again, this is cutting through bone and you'll be making a sharpening job for yourself by using a good knife blade to saw bone. Don't try to skin the tail itself. It's a small appendage and you're creating more trouble than it's worth. Snip off the tailbone, the skin will come away, and you can move to the hindquarters.
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.
