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I'll often just take the back legs and backstraps from the goats that I shoot (and occasionally deer). I've done enough animals to be reasonably good, but I'm slow! Any tips for taking back legs from an animal on the ground (rather than hanging) and keeping it clean of hair and debris. Video would be good if anyone has a link. Cheers.
You should be able to lift one leg while the whole animal is on its side skin on gut in.
Put you foot on the bottom leg to hold it to the ground, lift the other leg that's free, hold it up and cut from the inside (groin) find the ball joint, cut/seperate that and slice through to remove the leg.
You should be able to take the second leg once rolled over it's just a little more difficult.
Cut with knife pointing towards the skin, that way you cut the skin and avoiding cut as much hair, another one is make the use of gravity if your on a slope (works even better when gutting and animal)
Sounds like the skin stays on for leg removal with your method?Quote:
Originally Posted by CBH Australia
Cheers. Yep, make cuts from the inside out where possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by 223nut
Gut, hang from tree, skin. Tidiest.
Next tidiest is to gut, then skin on the ground and work on the inside of the skin.
Yes, I take it you are just trying to take the legs quickly.Quote:
Originally Posted by MB
You can then hang a leg to skin it or place it on a tailgate or bench.
You could literally remove a leg under 30seconds with a little practice.
If you are going to hang it to skin it you break down the whole carcass if you can carry it or position it near the vehicle.
I'm far from the fastest but it's easy to remove a leg or 2 once you get the feel for disjointing the ballpoint.
look down at your crutch...you cut from beside your scroat NO NO NOT YOUR OWN ONE...THE DEER OR GOATS!!!!
ok will try that again...looking down at yourself to get visual idea,,,you cut from inside of crutch,like beside your nutsack and push leg outwards,like opening thighs,and the ball joint will soon become accesable,slip point of knife in to ball joint and sever wee tendon on ball then keep working your way against bonefron tail right aroundleaving all meat on leg..skin is on,and as was said cut from inside to out....it allows you to have leg able to lay on ground...you do similar to front leg,called a banjo... in at brisket and stay against ribs...right back to the back steak,then slice through skin from inside to out...again it allows you to lay leg on ground to cool...do this on both sides and only back steaks and inside eye fillets left to get...if you take back steaks out first its easier still.
agree with the 30 seconds per leg bit.... really easy to deal with one leg at a time,only need small loop of string to hang it up a tree.
Go hunting with @Dusty Fog and watch him whip the leg off a fallow deer with 4 swipes from his razor Sharp pocket knife. It's pretty impressive,he even told me to stand back before he started swinging the blade.
Gutless method.
Fully disassembled. I take the inside steaks too without gutting
Attachment 191995
Back steak removal
Attachment 191996
Legs hanging ready to skin and bone. Get them off like how MD explained.
I remove the legs with rump on - some people take the rumps off before removing the legs. A little bit of length in your knife makes all this easier (4-5"). Mercators are shit :) If need be you can bone the legs on the ground skinning and boning progressively so that there is always outside skin between the meat and the ground. Its not difficult and in the end you have all of the cuts to biff in your meat bag and a whole piece of back leg skin which you throw away and it whirls off like a frizby if you get your action right. :).
Attachment 191997
The shoulders are easy peasy to deal with.
The whole drama takes under 30 minutes.
When its hot I often let the meat cool by doing this.
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Basically what we do. Remove all 4 legs complete with skin. The fronts come off the same way as the rear . Much as MD describes but I would compare it more to removing your arm by starting at the armpit and slicing in from there into the joint. Not difficult to just follow around the joint and muscle groups on either front or back , once skin has been sliced through. Usually we take back straps last , find it easier to roll and hold animal with no legs getting in the way.
With practice can remove that lot from a goat in under ten minutes easy with a 3 inch blade.
Can someone explain how to get the back steak from the inside without gutting?
I've seen and tried various things at different times and usually skin an animal if I'm taking meat.
Usually if I'm whipping a leg off something its bait or dog food.
I've heard the term "Overland method" for doing Cattle in the field. I think that's possibly the same just grabbing the best bits of a cow that's been destroyed for some reason.
Just work one side of the animal lying down taking back steaks, front/hind legs off and hang in tree. Roll animal over and repeat. Then skin/bone meat hanging up. I don't believe you really have to gut an animal unless you have concerns on health for inspection or want access to heart/liver and loins.
On the meat eater series, they were boning out hind quarters and there was a white gland that they reckon can taint the meat if left on? Don't know the name of it but I was keeping an eye out for it the other day and found it I believe.
Also, the scent gland on hind leg (darker hair patch) should be avoided being touched with bare hands then touching meat. Hard mental note to not do, I find myself gravitating to grabbing it often.
Cheers for the replies. Maybe I came across a little more clueless than I actually am! It's just a question of speed. I do think hanging animals gives an advantage, not least because you're working upright instead of bent over or on your knees, but I can't get larger animals high enough off the ground. Yes to gutless method. Shoulders are easy. I can see the sense in leaving the skin on until back legs are removed. Again, if anyone has a video link, I'd love to see it.
https://i.ibb.co/Mp3LjYV/IMG-3914-2-2.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/qMKJ7xC/IMG-3920-2.jpg
Is that Tangihua mate?Quote:
Originally Posted by MB
Yep, seems to be a few more animals about now, not sure why. You have to put in some hard yards to find them though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Northlandnewbie
I have thought about this some more....its eggzachary the same cutting no matter what four legged critter other than wallabies,they are just weird.
rabbits n hares are the same as goats n deers...practice on some of the small stuff and you will work it out quicksmartly.
Rabbits are straightforward because 1) they can be held in one hand, 2) you can skin them with one strong pull of the skin and 3) you can dislocate the ball joint on the back legs with minimum force and cut around the pelvic bones easily. But, yes, I agree, the principles are the same for any four legged animal. I do exactly the same with rabbits, hares, pigs, goats and deer.
what Im suggesting is try to be a bit more pedantic with hare/rabbit and you will see whats needed for deer...and dont skin it first if want to work out the skin bit LOL.
BALL JOINT just as easy on deer...if its on its back gravity helps to flop legs outwards....
Same....often wished someone had developed a really lightweight block/pulley system for doing just that. Would make life so much easier.Quote:
Originally Posted by MB
I did actually make one and carried it around for a while. Didn't cost too much to put together. In the end, I decided it was just another bit of unnecessary shit to carry round the bush. Still take it on farm hunts though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxx
I was up there Sunday. Bloody dry at the mo.
As thar said. Hanging is a pain in the proverbial imo. It so easy to do on ground. Skin on leave the meat to be done perfectly. Skin off always has the meat kind of sweaty. The cut face can be a bit grubby if your not careful with how dusty it is in there but doesn't matter as its easily trimmed out. Which end you hitting?
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Both, but haven't been to the north side for quite a while. Agree, very dry. Been finding it a lot easier to hunt on wet/windy days re: noise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowboy
Not to derail the thread completely but any tips for tangihua first in the morning or direction etc? Went in to houtu last weekend for a look around but no joy there. Was awfully dry under foot though and I’m a complete novice too.
Wait for heavy rain.Quote:
Originally Posted by Northlandnewbie
Serious about the rain: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....eferrerid=5816
Also, Northland bush is much harder to hunt than anywhere else in the country I've been, so you've set yourself a hard task, especially as a begginer.
if you're not getting bone taint, getting stuck in the dark after starting the butchery at 12 noon then I wouldn't be too bothered. Lot's of fellas here have done hundreds where as you and I are pretty green.
I make a hash of it sometimes but still get just about all the good bits off.
Makes sense I was thinking the same thing with heading out after or during heavy rain as the floor was so bloody noisy. Hoping to get to deer country but change in workload is putting a lid on that so trying to get some local experience first.Quote:
Originally Posted by MB
Like a few have said, i take the back steaks first and let cool, then take a back leg off on the ground and hang in tree , skin, then take off in its cuts and let cool on a pillow case.
Then repeat with other leg then depending on where shot , how big the animal, what i want etc either take shoudlers off and do the same or just skin off on ground and take chucks of meat off.
Normally im too far back to bother trying to carry out whole and too old for that crap now anyway. Normally ends up hair free and all the prime cuts.
Best thing you can do is get out there and try. I've seen them from the track alot.
One big thing to. Think about who could be on that bluff if shooting across the valleys.
I like to get in close training my dog (who's black like a goat). I scramble round in the steep stuff and I'm very nervous of some of the shooting in there.
Also the goats live in in pretty worn down territories. You can move around well and truly quiet enough. Goats are noisy. They're going to assume it's one of them until they get a good look or a whiff.
MB, I'm sitting here in whangaroa right now typing this. Magic spot.
You won't catch any marlin in that spot :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Cowboy
Nice. It looks like your bow would be pointing towards Lane Cove?
Speaking of Whangaroa and goats. I've seen goats above the cliffs on the eastern side of the harbour entrance every time I've been up there. I'm a little goat-obsessed, so spend more time watching them than I should when fishing. Do you know the score with respect to land access?
She got pretty rough so we canned it. We expected nasty weather at 12 so no surprise. Didn't get any marlin. Dropped one of our livies at entrance on way in and immediately got a kingi.
Attachment 192332
Yep we see them most times. It's only a small mob of 8-10 as far as we can figure. Private land and I think most like seeing them. Not like the old days where they'd be shot from the water.
She got pretty rough so we canned it. We expected nasty weather at 12 so no surprise. Didn't get any marlin. Dropped one of our livies at entrance on way in and immediately got a kingi.
Attachment 192332
Yep we see them most times. It's only a small mob of 8-10 as far as we can figure. Private land and I think most like seeing them. Not like the old days where they'd be shot from the water.
