Does anyone actually rinse their deer with a hose after it has been skinned?WHY?

[C-Money]

Either by bucket load or by hose, I have rinsed many deer to remove hair, dirt, or to clean out an entrails spill.

[kselkhunter]

As a backcountry hunter, my animals are all gutless deboned in the wilderness.  The extra handling involved with that, even if extremely careful, gets more hairs on the meat due to transfer from gloves while putting meat in game bags.   Take the meat home, immediately rinse and dry the meat.  Then immediately begin processing (what I'm not working on is in meat tubs in my second fridge to keep it cool until I can get to that section).   Cut off all silver skin, fat, tendons.   Only pure muscle is left.  Then I cut and package for my preferred allocation of ground, stew, steaks, etc.

[elkboy]

There is usually not any need in our deer to rinse the outside of the carcass (skin side).  However, I always run the hose through the cavity to rinse out blood (prior to hanging and skinning).  Never had any problem with meat flavor, etc.  If there is hair left on the carcass following skinning, a clean wet rag can help clean that off. 

[Mudman]

I have done all above mentioned.  It depends on the situation.  Gut shot needs cleaned=any way possible.  Bugs?  Vinegar bath?  River, creek, hose, rags. Nothing. What does water hurt? It dries.  I make a mess skinning. Get r done clean up after.  I don't think it possible to skin/gut/clean without making some mess.  I sure cant!   Guide style is for sure the easiest/cleanest.

[lokidog]

I almost always skin with the head up, maybe this keeps more hair off the meat? I'm also not sure where all of this "dirt" comes from? I dragged my gutted deer over a half mile this year and had no dirt on or in it, granted, it was not a huge buck, just a nubbin, but still....

[JDHasty]

I almost always skin with the head up, maybe this keeps more hair off the meat? I'm also not sure where all of this "dirt" comes from? I dragged my gutted deer over a half mile this year and had no dirt on or in it, granted, it was not a huge buck, just a nubbin, but still....

This mirrors my experience

[hunter399]

I always do , Just something about any hair on it bothers me alot,meat cools quicker,etc.If no hose around buckets of cold water hand bath.

[Pegasus]

Having shot elk in the archery season when it is extremely warm I have thrown gutted elk into streams to cool them down. You don't have long in the heat to get them skinned and cooled before the meat will spoil in the heat. Many hunters have shot elk and not found them till the next day in a warm environment and have spoiled the meat when it is hot. If hunting in snow gut them and fill the cavity with snow. Get them gutted, skinned and cooled ASAP. If using water to cool make sure to dry them after to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria in the moisture. With deer, being smaller in mass, the act of cooling becomes easier. However if you skin it and either gut shot it, made a mess in gutting it, got the metatarsals glands all over the meat or the hair on the meat wash it down and rub it dry with a towel.

[runningboard]

I always do, cleans blood & cools it down. I teach hunter ed & always follow the lesson plan about "clean, cool & dry" but I've never had a problem with bacteria forming as people warn, but mine are always hung so drip dry, my butcher has me split elk because he is getting old & I use a pressure washer to get all of the bone chips off before I bring it to him

[JDHasty]

I had a buddy give me a Deer Zipper years ago

we pull the hides off deer with it and never have to deal with more than a few hairs on the meat.  If an animal's guts are open then it gets the pressure washer and vinegar before being rubbed down inside and out with an old bath towel and bagged.  If it is hot weather we put ice into lawn bags and place it in and around the carcass and cover it with an old sleeping bag.  If I could not get to ice I think I would debone meat, plastic bag it and put it in a creek   

[rasbo]

I wash them dry them and put a fan on them. I also let them hang longer than most folks

[Pegasus]

I had a buddy give me a Deer Zipper years ago

Don't try that with a cold deer.

[JDHasty]

I had a buddy give me a Deer Zipper years ago

Don't try that with a cold deer.

Rips head or quarters right off and drags everything attached to the hide through the dirt.  Friend tried it. 

[j_h_nimrod]

I have rinsed the cavity of blood or gut matter but never the outside unless there is a lot of blood to rinse off.  Moisture leads to a great medium for bacterial growth and I don't want that increase that possibility. For me 50 hairs is a lot as some others have said so no reason to rinse for that. Growing up in CO it was never a problem to get a good skin but I have always had problems in SE AK and western WA and I don't want more moisture then I can help. I want to try a citric acid spray one of these years and see if it helps.

[luckyman]

Don't fear the bacteria, you'll have it wet or dry. keep it cold is all.