I don't skin the deer until it is aged. I leave the skin on to prevent the outer layer of meat from drying out. Prop the chest cavity open with sticks nice and wide, split the brisket up to the throat. The head stays on until I skin the deer, 10 days later. If it isn't cold enough outside to hang the deer this way, I go ahead and process it, because the meat needs to be cold during aging. The un-aged venison isn't as tender, and a bunch of water boils out if you try to fry it.
I know most of you will skin a deer right away. Lots bone them out in the field. I just know how I like my venison. I handle the meat carefully, do my own processing, and the results are excellent each year. I've tried plenty of game from other sources, and have not been impressed with the flavor or tenderness of the meat.
When I was a kid, hunting up Little Bridge Creek, most of the camps left the hide on the deer all season. Some would skin the deer, leaving the head on. Most hung the bucks from the meat pole by the horns. It was cold back then, and the season lasted into November. You could hang a deer a good long time!
