Hide care question for the gutless guru's

[wolfpup]

On my antelope last weekend I did the gutless method. I split right down the spine first then rolled the hide back. For an antelope this sure got a lot of hair all over after the cut. So my question is.. do you guys treat all animals the same or would you slit down the belly first and roll it up to the backstrap area which seams like it would yield less hair? I realize you might get more blood etc. on your clothing this way but I would not mind if i get less hair. I used a wyoming knife to make my slit down the spine if that has any bearing on the amount of hair?

 

[TimeOnTarget]

I slit down the belly without cutting the stomach muscles, skin them out to the spine from there. Never had any issues. Yeah there's some hair but its minimal as long as you cut from the inside out.

Can't say its the right way, but it's the only way I've ever done it and it works for me.

 

[LuketheDog]

I usually start low on the legs and along the belly and pull the hide up toward the spine. With the muley I caped last season I started on the back of the neck by the antlers and cut down the spine, going with the grain of the hair, I didn't seem to be getting much hair on the meat.

 

[wytex]

Cutting from the hide side not the hair side solves that problem.

 

[Sytes]

gutless method, I've always started from the belly though I have not involved myself in the gutless method for saving the hide for taxidermy purposes.



This was my use pre-gutless... I've not had a quality animal to cape for a body interest vs typical Euro or head...