Wild & Jag April 2020

The art and science of hunting
Field dressing and trophy
preparation
Part 13
Cleve Cheney
Some hunters choose to do their own skinning and dressing of the animals they have shot. Dressing refers
to the process of removing the internal organs, which may take place before or after the animal has been
skinned. However, most hunters leave the skinning and field dressing to camp skinners, thereby actually
doing themselves a disservice. All hunters should be proficient at skinning and processing a carcass so that
skins/trophies are well preserved before being sent to the taxidermist and meat is not wasted or spoilt.
Deciding to do your own skinning and field dressing will
require some careful logistical planning long before
the hunt even takes place.
Never depend on obtaining the required materials just
prior to leaving for a hunt or acquiring them en route. Make
sure you have all the necessary supplies and equipment
well in advance or that they are available at the hunting
camp. A list of requirements is shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Item Number Used for
Good quality
skinning
knives
Sharpening
steels
6 3 Knives with an upwardcurving
cutting surface for
quick and efficient removal of
body skin.
3 Pointed drop-point knives
with a short blade for skinning
out capes and claws.
3 Knives quickly become blunt and
need to be continually sharpened.
Trying to skin an animal with a
blunt knife is not only timeconsuming
and frustrating but can
cause damage.
Whetstones 3 1 coarse
1 medium
1 fine
Used for sharpening knives and
other implements
Pruning
1 Useful for opening up rib cages
shears
Bone saws
(coarsetoothed
blade)
2 Cutting through bone
Assorted
scalpel
blades
Sharp-pointed
surgical
scissors
(small)
Surgical
scissors with
protected
point
Artery forceps
10 Extremely useful when skinning
out critical areas around the eyes,
ears and nose
1 Extremely useful when skinning
out critical areas around the eyes,
ears and nose.
2 Useful for dissecting out areas
vulnerable to damage
2 Useful in helping to get a firm hold
of slippery tissue
Tablespoons 2 Used for separating ear skin from
underlying cartilage
Teaspoons 2 Used for separating ear skin
from underlying cartilage (smaller
animals)
Plastic,
aluminium or
galvanised
labels and
strong string
or galvanised
wire
50 Used to tag and label trophies
Good quality,
coarse salt
Suitable
packaging
material
100 kg Used for salting or curing trophies
to prevent them from rotting
Hessian sacking is ideal but
certain veterinary requirements
stipulate that animal products be
transported in sealed plastic bags.
Wet or damp skins should, however,
never be placed in plastic
bags as this will lead to accelerated
hair slip and putrefaction.
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GAME & HUNT APRIL 2020
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