Can someone explain the tennis ball skinning method

[Abourda]

A friend of mine keeps telling me of this tennis ball way of skinning a deer by tying a rope and pulling the hide right off with a vehicle. Can someone explain this to me? I'm baffled!!

Thanks

 

[ltdann]

yeah,

the idea is that you you make all the cuts like a normal skin job, ie neck, legs etc, while the deer is hanging.

you put a tennis ball under the skin (at the top, usually neck area) far enough so that you can tie a rope under the lump the ball creates. Tie the rope to the truck and drive away. Supposed to rip the skin off.

I usually fist the hide off. Just as fast, doesn't rip the meat off in chunks.

 

[db 183]

I found it to be a pain the butt and it rips pieces of the flank off as it goes. I like the flanks. I use them for jerky.

My friend had this wire contraption (loop at one end. You run the other end through it, sinch it around the ball or rock or whatever you were using and and attach the other side to your trailer hitch).

Problem is you have to take the deer down, tie it by the head to a tree and then start pulling with your truck. This means you need to lay a tarp on the ground to keep the dirt out. Then you are pulling with your rig whil exhaust is spewing out the back.

I honestly can't say I saved any time. It is easier just to do it by hand. Much less hassle.

My 2 cents.

 

[knowledge]

I used to hang my deer by the hind legs and skin by rolling the skin downward towards the head. I never had any issues with the meat coming off in chunks. This however was on whitetails where I am sure they had more fat between the skin and the meat!

 

[JNDEER]

tennis ball is a bit big.

1)gut deer
1.5) put deer on tarp next to a tree
2)make a cut up inside of the legs to the joint. cut completley around the joints.
3)cut around his testitcles
4)cut completely around his neck (about 1/3 down from skull) then start to peel off some of skin behind his neck. get enough skin away from the neck meat to insert a small round rock (golf ball sized works best).
5) place golf ball/rock inside of skin and fold the skin over. tie a not around that and place the other end to the back of a vehicle.
6) we use a chain, but a rope will work. put chain around his neck (behind antlers and ears) and wrap it around the tree.
7) drive truck slowly and allow the skin to peel off.
8) skin comes off and deer drops back on the tarp...re-hang deer and finish cleaning inside cavity and you are good to go.

sorry no pics, but if i get a chance in about a week or so i will take some and post them.

 

[biseger]

Come on there has to be a faster more high speed desiel burning method

 

[jackrabbit]

Done the rock in the neck hide quite successfully with no meat left hanging on the hide. Buddy did try the diesel method, but the tree came out with him!!! Just kidding! I always made sure that the hide was already started off the areas where I made the gutting cuts first, although I really don't think that's necessary on a fresh deer. Hunting solo now though, I will use the gutless method and just bone it all out, which is what I do ultimately anyway.

 

[snoopdogg]

Yup, that's about it. I seen it on a old hunting video or show and it was ex-Oakland Raider quarterback Daryle Lamonica showing you how to do it. I've done it as well, just because I seen it, but I agree that I didn't seem to save any time.

 

[JNDEER]

not sure about you guys and how fast you can skin one out by hanging it on the tree, but using this method (and i have done it quit a few times) i can have it skinned and back up in the tree doing some fine cleaning in about 10-15 minutes.

ps. there is no direct exhuast fumes that get on the deer. you don't have to tie the rope from the hide to the back of your vehicle so that the deer is at the tail gate. we usually leave about 10-15 ft of room from the deer to the back of the vehicle

 

[knowledge]

You can always tie the rope/chain to the tow hook on the front and put it in reverse. Well that is if your worried about exhaust fumes...

 

[Speckmisser]

I've done it, and didn't really see any huge advantage in time. By the time you get it all set up with the initial cuts and connecting the rope, you could have the bloody thing half-skinned.

It's been a long, long time since I killed anything close enough to the vehicle to actually use this method anyway. It was popular back in North Carolina, but even then, I just didn't see anything more than novelty value to the trick.

 

[QEU]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nneTTeoPDYU&NR=1

or search "skinning deer with truck" in youtube. there are quite a few videos...

 

[MarvB]

Described as above ... here are a few pics of a photo sequence I took while doing the "golf ball method" on a MT whitey:

 

[JNDEER]

Great pics Marv!

quick and easy.

 

[Abourda]

Thanks for all the replies gents...I LOVE THIS SITE!!!

 

[SCREWLOOSE]

Tried this with a golf ball but instead of driving away I just used the winch on my old Jeep. Worked O.K. but it's just as easy to skin with a knife.

 

[OU812]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jackrabbit @ Aug 7 2008, 03:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I will use the gutless method and just bone it all out, which is what I do ultimately anyway.[/b]

I agree. There is no need skin them unless you have a need for the hide.

 

[MarvB]

Actually you're spot on there...I only use it when I want a nice clean hide with no knife cuts. Otherwise as said...the old school method is nearly as quick!