hide off you can do it easiest by pulling with one hand
and using the knife in the other to cut loose the places
where it sticks. ry to avoid letting the outside of the
hide touch the meat.

Once the hide is completely removed you should
scrape it free of flesh and fat and salt it thoroughly.
Roll it up with the flesh sides facing each other but
salt it occasionally until you get it to the taxidermist
or tannery. Don’t let the hide stiffen up or it may
crack and make tanning difficult.

Quartering

With an animal as big as a moose or elk it is almost
essential to quarter it so that it can be moved out of
the bush. After hanging the carcass in the shade so it
can cool off quickly you should remove the legs at
the knee and hock joints and cut the carcass in half by
sawing (or chopping) down the center of the back-
bone from end to end. Cut the sides in two with the
floating ribs remaining on the hind quarters. (See
Figure 8.)

Once the cutting is done you should cover each
quarter in muslin tubes and hang them in the shade.
It is essential that you keep the meat as cool as
possible. If you have to stay for a few days and can’t
get it to a freezer quickly, make sure the meat is
hanging where it gets good air circulation. If the
weather is quite warm, such as you get in an open-
water moose season, you should wrap the quarters
during the day and hang them up at night. The
muslin or cheesecloth wrapping tubes should be avail-
able at sporting goods stores or perhaps at your

10