Deer Skinning -- Splitting the Lips, Nose and Eyes

[cremmick]

Summitsitter,

I fleshed my first one a few weeks ago, after watching a video from Bill Atkins, and he showed how to split the lips, eyes, and nose very well.  I did what he showed and it went great. He stressed to take your time and remove all the red meat. As far as splitting the lips, it sounds like you have done that pretty good. I had meat on both sides as well, but I just kept working at it untill it was all gone and the lip skin was thin.  He shows to use a scissors for better control, allowing for less error and cutting through skin.  Like everyone else said, use your fingers as a guide and upply pressure to the hair side. Hold your scissors parallel to the skin and start cutting. Let your fingers be your guide as to how much you cut. Just work your way all the way around the lips taking off all the big chunks at first. Then go around additinal times until you have it thinned down. Make sure you leave at least 1/4" of lip skin to tuck into the form. For your first time, I think you will have less error using a scissors vs. a scalpel. A scalpel can be used later on I think once you do a few. You can use a scissors to flesh alot of the face around the eyes and nose as well.

[Glen Conley]

Summitsitter, do you think we keep photos around just so we can show people what they want to know when they ask?  What do you think this is, taxidermy.net or something?

[paul e]

summitsitter
im in harvey la.
you anywhere close

[summitsitter]

GLen you the MAN.  Thank you.  I was beginning to wonder about the site..lol..  Just those few pics have help me understand alot more than I did before.  You wouldn't happen to have some of those pics on the eyes would ya...


Paul....Harvey is about 5 hours from here I live up by Monroe

[Glen Conley]

Summitsitter, I can't believe you would ask for something like that from me.  Do I have eye area close-ups?  What do you think I am, some kind of photographer or something that runs around taking pictures of anything that moves or holds still?

[Glen Conley]

I keep telling these guys that cameras and computers are TOOLS, but a lot of 'em are old, and they don't listen.

[Glen Conley]

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[Glen Conley]

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[Shortys Beast]

Dam YOU are the man i need that THANK YOU the last time i spilt the eye i took it all [ pactice , pactice , pactice ]

[Greg Waite]

Thanks Glen. I was wondering how I was gonna do that without 3 hands.

[WHITETAILTRUESCORE]

 I get almost all of the meat off but not to worried if a little is left because then it can be taken off as thin as possible by wire wheel!!!! You dont have to get it all off to salt but as time goes by it gets easier to get it all off the first time. I know not everybody has a wire wheel but they need one to thin around the y-cut and the ears, lips and nose and eyes. They are easy to setup and not alot of money. They make alot better mount by thinning the areas that need thinned. Doug

[Glen Conley]

Thanks Glen. I was wondering how I was gonna do that without 3 hands.

Greg, put the camera on a tripod, adjust your focus on the subject, set the timer on the camera, grab up your work piece and start to work, and there you are!  Date and time is also automatically recorded on a hidden file, that saves a TON of note taking, and my paper notes have a way of getting lost in the shuffle (literally).

[kycooner]

I use a baseball bat to to stretch the mouth over,split the lips with my scalpel,if all the meat don't come off .put in pickle ,after a day or 2 in pickle ,get out put back on bat and lips are easy to thin,a skife knife helps here.
  saw the handle end off your bat and it works great for fleshing eyes and nostrils.
  ky cooner

[summitsitter]

Again Glen Thanks

[oldterryr]

summit it just takes practice and as you have been told there are as many ways as there are taxidermists - i split and then take flesh off with wirewheel - i have a friend that does all splitting on wirewheel - i have another taxi friend that does everything with a havel scalpel and have seen him do it all start to finish in 20 minutes - i have seen him do it 4 times and everytime i see it i still dont believe it can be done - practice makes (almost) perfect