Gutless Method: Spine to Belly or Belly to Spine?

[Emrah]

So last night I did the gutless method on a deer for the third time. No matter what I do, I can't seem to keep the meat clean of hair. I spent more time at home washing all of the hair off of the meat than I did cutting and wrapping. I try to be really careful, but I'm really frustrated with getting all the hair on the meat.

I usually go from the spine down to the belly. I have heard others going from the belly to the spine instead. Which method do you guys use? Also, any other tips or tricks to help keep hair off of the meat and out of the way while trying to skin it back would be greatly appreciated. Again I'm only referring to the gutless method.

Thanks,

Emrah

[brancher147]

I start at the back of the neck and go down the spine to the base of the tail. Skin down the spine towards the belly on one side, remove backstrap, inner loin, ham, and shoulder meat. Flip the deer over and repeat. I debone right off the deer instead of quarter and pack bones out. Sometimes I get a little hair, sometimes I don't get hardly any. It took me a couple years and about 5 deer to get real good at it.

[Emrah]

Can you quickly go through the order of the other cuts while skinning? Like circling the "wrists", cutting down the leg, etc?

Emrah

[crankn101]

Spine down and make cuts from the skin side whenever possible so you dont cut through hair.

[brancher147]

Can you quickly go through the order of the other cuts while skinning? Like circling the "wrists", cutting down the leg, etc?

Emrah

I just skin down enough to expose the meat and cut meat off the bone. I don't do any other cuts. If you are quartering and packing whole hams and shoulders out, I guess other cuts are necessary, I don't really know never tried it. I don't use the bones.

[Emrah]

I meant the order of cuts when you get to the legs. I'm talking hide, not meat. I can peel back the "slab" just fine. It's when I get to the legs my cuts go every which way! For some reason I don't have this problem when it's hanging!

Emrah

[brancher147]

I know what you meant. I guess I just don't know how to explain it. Maybe someone else can chime in.

[Octang]

This is a very informative video that taught me how to do it when I went antelope hunting. At 2:25 minutes into the video he answers your question about starting at belly or spine. It is a longer video, but it really gives you confidence in the method after watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZZZqSFMSZQ

[SamPotter]

Insert your knife in the back of the back leg a little above the hock and with the sharp side up, follow the line where brown hair meets white up to the tail. Keep going straight up the spine until you get a little past the shoulder, then go down the front of the shoulder and stop at the front of the elbow. Standing on the belly side of the deer, place a knee on the ribs, grab the hide up by the spine, and give a few sharp tugs. You should be able to easily expose the shoulder, loin, and hindquarter. Once you get your meat from that side, flip the deer over and repeat. The entire process will. Take less than 20 minutes with practice. Never cut the hide with the sharp side of your knife down. You cut lots of hair and it gets on the meat. Always insert your knife and cut the hide with a pulling motion.