deer cradle designs

[sauer]

hi guys

 

dinnae laugh but i been using a black n deker workmate bench as a deer /roe skinning cradle been briiliant but finally it giving up the ghost

 

want to make one out o stainless can get the material and i have the equipment to fab em up ...

 

 

any of you guys have any plans/ designs for a good deer cradle ?

 

im doing 99.9% roe but wouldnt mind making wee bit beefer longer for reds if i ever get lucky

 

 

cheers

 

sauer / paul

[sauer]

nobody made their own cradles or got plans etc for one????

 

surpprised thought would have been a few i could have learned from or ideas for it i hadnt considered

 

 

sauer / paul

[huntsman]

Paul ,

 

I tend to do all my skinning etc with the animal hanging up. But have seen a pic of one in the" Deer Stalkers Handbook" by Graham Downing page 158 if you have this book or are near your local book store have a look at it. Appears to be very sturdy and well made & galvinised too.

 

Hope this helps

 

Dave

[sauer]

cheers for heads up dave

 

 

 

 

sauer / paul

[Jingzy]

Sauer,

 

I think you or your brother know Ads. He was making them last year I think. Might be woth giving him a bell.

 

 

J

[sauer]

hi jingsy

 

 

aye we both know ads , illdrop him a line see what his design was like, didnt know he made some

 

cheers bud

 

 

 

sauer / paul

[Ronin]

Unless you specifically want a "Creel", (space reasons?), then I find that skinning is best done with the animal (I am referring to reds, roe and fallow here) suspended through the achillees tendons (rear hocks) so its all off the ground.

 

Using a creel is unless its a small animal a PITA.

 

Personally I have a frame set up with block and tackle (there are some large things on the ground I stalk) that I use to sort them before they go in the larder.

 

If you have enough height, it would be simple to sort out a scaffolding "A" frame to do this.

 

What I also find easier is having each leg (rear) attached to the gambrell so it wont twist or spin whilst skinning.

[Grouse]

2 of the deer larders I worked in had cradles, I hated them!

 

Always skinned and larder prepped carcases by hanging them up. NOT from the back legs but from the front legs - you will find the skin comes off easier, with no ripping of meat on the rump. Look to see how deer/animals are skinned in commercial slaughter houses and you will get the jist!

 

When working in hunt kennels we always pulled skins off horses/cows from the front to the back too - less effort for machinery involved.

 

Regards NW

[Orka Akinse]

NW sounds like a good idea, just one question; I can't picture how you hang it by the front legs would you describe it for me please?

 

VMT

 

OA

[Grouse]

Cut skin above front hooves right around the front legs. Then with a gut hook knife unzip skin from one leg (up the leg) upto the brisket and down the other leg to the cut.

 

Ease skin away a little and either sling a short rope around hoof and suspend ( do one for each hoof on a hook so carcase cannot swing about) (I eventualy made up an implement for this job).

 

Unzip down belly and skin away - it really is effortless and very clean.

 

Easier to do than describe!

[Orka Akinse]

NW Gotcha

 

Many thanks will try it out in the next few weeks or so.

 

OA

[sauer]

tried skinnig with beast hanging but still too much movement for me....maybe jist need practice

 

 

that plus 99% of my shooting is roe so the old black n deker workbench with a 4 or 5 " gap wound out and the roe just sit tidy allowing you to work both flanks then just hang and strip it off the body and i get it real clean with hardly any hair.

 

 

laff if you want but worked for me ...hehehehehehehee

 

 

sauer / paul