The Complete Outdoorsman's Handbook - A Guide To Outdoor Living And Wilderness Survival(1)

carcass. A dry rag is best, but moss or leaves can be used. If you have to wash something off with water, dry the cavity thoroughly afterwards. Meat that is left wet for any length of time can spoil.

You must cut away the musk glands on the hind legs. With a finger and a thumb, pinch and pull up the glands while sliding a sharp knife under them and cutting right along the base. Throw the removed glands away and wash or wipe your hands and the knife before touching any meat. Some hunters prefer to deal with the glands first, before even dressing the animal. This is fine if you are near water and can wash afterwards but, if YOU are not, it is better not to take a chance on tainting your hands and the knife.

In the very mild weather of early fall, it Is frequently necessary to quarter a moose or elk carcass in order to get it to cool quickly. A field-dressed moose or elk (one with its internal organs removed) is a massive animal. The meat on the animal's back is insulated by the ground and can sour quickly. The best way to prevent this is to quarter the animal and hang it. This is not always necessary in cold weather; however, for the best possible meat it is a good idea to skin and quarter every big game animal while it is still warm. Then place the meat in loose cheesecloth and let it cool. Trim away the badly shot meat or it will cause spoilage.

Of course it is not always possible to skin out big game after every hunt. However, all big game should be kept off the ground after fielddressing so that it can cool quickly. With elk or moose, you have to prop the carcass up with logs and poles, or quarter and hang it. Deer-sized animals are normally hung whole. The carcass should be left hanging for a period of a few days up to as much as fourteen days in a cool, breezy spot. Keep it away from the sun. The length of the hanging period depends upon the temperature. If the temperature is above fifty degrees, four or five days is fine. If the temperature fluctuates between twenty and forty, two weeks is excellent. Beef is best kept in a cold locker at thirtyfive degrees for two weeks and ageing wild meat properly is even more important than ageing beef for tenderness. Your meat is then ready for cutting and wrapping for the freezer. You can let your local butcher do this. Deer, moose, and elk can be cut up just like a steer. Trim away as much fat as possible because it is the fat that contains much of the gamy flavor that many people find objectionable.

SKINNING BIG GAME Skinning big game is not difficult. Generally the legs are cut off below the knee and hock joints. The skin is then girdled and peeled away. The body is skinned out very quickly. In the case of bears, the cuts are made on the inside of the legs and the feet are skinned out, keeping the claws on the foot if a rug is to be made from the skin. This is also done in the case of mountain goats where the hoofs are left attached to the skin. All skinning is much easier when the carcass is still warm. Try to keep the hair away from the meat. The hair of the pronghorn can taint the meat a little.

The trickiest part of skinning big game is around the head. This has to be done if the head is to be mounted. If you can have the head frozen or can get the head to a taxidermist within a few days, leave it for him to skin out. There is less chance of a mistake or a wrong cut, but if you are going to be in the bush for a couple of weeks, you must skin out the head, particularly on bears, or the hair will start to slip. Skin slowly and carefully, particularly around the eyes and lips. Cut the ears off flush with the