Skinning a Deer with an Air Compressor

Aaron Spuler is a firearms enthusiast and recreational shooter. Follow more or his work at The Weapon Blog

Many hunting enthusiasts relish everything about the hunt: the strategy, patience and ultimate reward of achieving success. Skinning, however, usually isn’t at the top of hunters’ lists as the hobby’s more enjoyable activities. It can get messy and be time-consuming. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an easy cost-effective solution that made one of hunting’s more unenviable tasks a lot easier? Good news: there is.

What even some savvy hunters don’t know is that an air compressor can be their new go-to tool for skinning deer. Although it may sound odd, skinning a deer with an air compressor is simple and quick, requiring a mere five steps. Here’s how to get started:

1. Hang your deer by its antlers or back legs, securing the deer so that the air compressor’s force doesn’t tip it over or cause a mess. The back legs are probably the safer bet, as antlers could potentially be slippery from weather or erosion.

2. Cut a small hole using a knife in the deer’s thigh, just big enough to fit the air compressor’s nozzle. Then, insert the air compressor into this hole. If you messed up a bit and made the hole too big, no worries; just put a cloth around the nozzle to make it super tight.

3. When you turn on the compressor once the nozzle is in the hole, the compressor pumps air under the deer’s skin and effectively separates it from the sought-after meat. This savvy trick can save a substantial amount of meat compared to traditional skinning methods.

4. After the third step, feel around the deer’s skin for loose parts or “air bubbles”. If some parts remain stuck, just cut another hole and repeat steps two and three as needed. Deer vary in size and athletic shape so the number of times you do it over may vary, but it should be clear when it’s ready to proceed to skinning the deer.

5. Now you’re ready to skin the deer. Cut the skin along the back legs using a knife, with the remainder being already loose from the compressor, allowing one to pull and peel the skin downward. If some spots are stuck, just use your knife.

There you have it: a perfectly skinned deer with no unused meat. Using an air compressor to skin a deer is fast, easy and mostly mess-free. It’s a strategy that any hunter can consider.