How do you hang your deer? Head up or down?

[RumRiverRat]

I see pictures of deer both ways.

Do you hang it head down or head up?

[96trigger]

Head down using gambrels.

[tunrevir]

Head down with a gambrel.

Tunrevir~

[Eric Wettschreck]

I made a bunch of gambrels a couple years ago. They work great.

Head down. They bleed out better, easier to skin, and when it comes time to butcher it's just flat out easier.

[skee0025]

If all I have is a tree and a rope, I hang them head up, if I am at my dads place with a nice pole barn, then head down.

[Sturg]

Head down, because this stretches out the the back muscles as it goes through rigor supposedly making the stretched muscles (long back muscles) more tender. Muscle fibers tend to shorten during rigor. I took a meat science class at the U many years ago and for some reason that info has stuck with me. May not effect venison as much as beef since beef is hung long periods for aging where as venison is not.

[raymondk]

also if you hang them by the head it is easier for critters to take a meal out of the hind quarters see this happen a few times............

[hockeybc69]

Head down, cuz thats how a gambrel is designed.

[monstermoose78]

head down helps the heat get out better. Head up the blood goes out better but it holds the heat in more. Heat rises, liquids drain down and out if you have the pelvic bone cracked open. We have shot a fair number of big bucks that now hang on the walls of are hunting members houses. If its a big buck it gets hung head down because it stretches out the neck. which makes the neck longer but thinner.

[eyeguy 54]

hockey69 for president!

[hockeybc69]

Nah. Thats Romneys job. LOLL

[TruthWalleyes]

Head down.

[Bear55]

Head down.

Just a comment on the back muscles, wouldn't they get stretched out either way?

[Big-Al]

Quote:

Head up the blood goes out better

How? Where does it go? Right into the hind quarters? Just think of the anatomy and how the blood vessels are laid out. How can it possibly drain properly with the head up.

For me it is head down and hide and head (love the call in registration now) off and any needed trimming done ASAP.

[Mr Special]

we hang our head up while at deer camp, but when butchering headdown using a gambrels.

you can pik sum of them up for $20 and makes it a lot easier work on since you can raise and lower the animal with ease.

[EBass]

Quote:

hockey69 for president!

+1

[Archerysniper]

Head down it is much easier to skin and cut them plus it seems to get less fur on the meat. A lot of hair comes off when making the cuts around the neck,front legs and brisket.

[Boar]

If Im gona skin it right away head down, If Im gonna let it hang for a day head up so water from rinsing if anything yucky has been hit or knicked, or blood pooling in the chest cavity dosent give bacteriea a bed to breed.

[goblueM]

interesting that so many folks feel it's easier to skin head down, because I don't notice a difference either way. If anything actually I feel that head up is easier due to the orientation of the legs when pulling the hide down

I don't think I've ever seen someone skin a deer using the golf ball/truck method when the deer is head down, for example

[eyeguy 54]

easy for me doing it head down, Never did one head up so I'd neeed help. ;>)

[JeffB]

Head up at camp, head down at home when I work with it.