Skinning roo's

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Skinning roo's

Post by HereSkip » 14 Oct 2018, 7:45 pm

Hey guy's something i got paid out for the other night was my skill (or lack of there of) at skinning roo's

Just wanted to know what's everyones technique? I was shown to hang them up with legs in a V

Steps as follows;
run blade from claw to balls ( or pouch ) on both legs, remove balls and peel back skin towards tail same same with pouch
run the blade down the center of the roo and take the skin either side right round the back
turn roo around
run a knife up the tail and peel off the tail and rest of the skin ( i discard the fur as we dont use it)
turn roo around
drop gut's

usually ill cut into the rib cage somewhere and discard from the ribs to head and then place the meat in a tub ready for the next one

have people got a better or similar method?
also what knifes are you using?
I use a rounded gutting knife and a hooked knife for the straight line down the center so i dont pop guts etc
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by duncan61 » 14 Oct 2018, 9:35 pm

If you have access to compressed air make a small hole to fit the nozzle in the belly Area and blow them up.run a blade around the neck ankles and paws slit the base of the tail from beginning to neck and outwards to front paws and back legs.work the end of tail till you can hold it then run off hard and fast and the entire skin will peel off.A small skin is 3 square feet and worth about $2.70 big skins you might get $5.when you do pet food all internal organs are gone and the legs are off above the knees and paws gone on the forearm where the meat starts and necked.The way a processor I know skins is he puts the carcass in a cradle and cuts the skin from belly to end of leg and same for arms then hangs by the groin and fits a loop of cord around a golf ball that is put under the skin in the middle of the back then hooks it on the running chain and when the cord takes up it just peels the skin off and leaves it hanging on the golf ball and the skinned carcass moves on to the boner
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Jon79 » 15 Oct 2018, 1:35 am

Never bothered skinning the whole thing, they’re built like a prawn with all the meat in their arse...take the legs off knock the bark off them then take the back straps & feed the lot to the dogs
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by marksman » 15 Oct 2018, 12:59 pm

if I'm going to skin the roo I do it the same as you skip but usually I hack the rear legs off leaving the skin on to keep it clean till I am home
when I am culling roo's I get pretty popular as I hand out quite a lot to the local pensioners, saves them a bit of coin for other things :thumbsup:
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Die Judicii » 16 Oct 2018, 10:03 pm

duncan61 wrote:If you have access to compressed air make a small hole to fit the nozzle in the belly Area and blow them up.


Same method can be used on other critters too ,,,,,,,,,,, eg: Deer, Foxes, etc.
That's the beauty of calibers like the .17 cos they have the small hole in em already with no exit hole that would leak air out.

I used to cut the teat out of an old inner tube and leave a flange to suit whatever caliber being used.
Just tuck it in thru the hole and work it out flat behind the hide,,,,,,,,,,,, then pump away.
Another good reason why I always have an on board compressor in my vehicles.
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by John » 09 Apr 2020, 2:55 pm

Your on the right track as long as you’ve got a few sharp knives if your not keeping the skins you don’t have to worry to much where your cuts are
When I was doing a lot of them I use a shining winch mounted on my Ute tray made out of a starter motor fly wheel 2 pillow bearing a pice of old axle and some chains to tie the leg skin to you run your knife down the inside of the legs arms and run a knife from balls to centre of arms and across not for getting the under side of the tail pull enough skin from its ankles to loop through the chain links and hitch off and inch the starter button pulling the skin down to its arm cutting it off at its head
That’s the quickest most efficient way when hunting skins and have a lot of them to get off now days I do them by hand not doing a hole lot of them now days
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Ziege » 09 Apr 2020, 4:04 pm

I throw away the top half, don't fancy 1cm wide chops so meh,

This is how I and literally everyone else I have ever witnessed, ever, do this.

In the field get Someone to hold up or hang on ringlock and cut out pouch if a doe/nuts if a buck and slit down the gut,

pull out the guts and eveything below the diaphragm except the kidneys,

cut across the spine at the last rib roughly will align with kidneys depending on size of the roo

Fold the roo to snap the spine/or twist if hanging on fence, cut the tissue holding the top half on.

Turn the roo around and cut the bungole out and piss bag and poo tube should come with it.

Then hang on a gamble/stick at around chest height front of roo facing you

Cut a tiny slit at the shin and put knife under the skin and pull down to the are it's gizzards used to be, do this on both legs,

Cut away the connective tissue toward the crotch and sinuie attaching the skin to muscle tissue and once free of it gently pull down on the skin, as you get to the rump there is more tissue that attaches to the muscle trim that also so it doesn't tear.

Pull the rest of the skin off so it's now all hanging on the tail,

Move around the back/turn the roo arse around and along the length of the tail cut a slit from the base to the tip, cut the rest of the connective tissue that was near the a-hole then you're good to pull the skin off the tail

Grab all the skin hanging off the roo and swiftly pull all the tail Skin off...


Aaaand you're done.... Unless you need to know how to cut the meat off neatly now?
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Blr243 » 10 Apr 2020, 2:55 am

Great to see people take the time to describe it. Hopefully someone can make a video I always take too long to skin
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Stix » 10 Apr 2020, 11:05 am

It'd be good to see a well filmed clip of it being done.
By well filmed, i mean NOT like all the rubbish people post on yt...shaky camera, & where the camera operator isnt watching through the camera at critical times, so the camera points off direction...etc etc...

I rekon you two blokes would be good for that eh...?...get the missus or the lad to film it for us eh...
John & Zeige...??... :)

Id like to see a good one anyway...ive never found one on yt... :unknown:
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Ziege » 10 Apr 2020, 11:32 am

Gotta kill one tonight or tomorrow night, will film The old boy as he does it cos he won't be as handy with the camera as me
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Stix » 10 Apr 2020, 12:40 pm

Ziege wrote:Gotta kill one tonight or tomorrow night, will film The old boy as he does it cos he won't be as handy with the camera as me


Really lookin forward to it Zeige... :thumbsup:
Im just a fumble bum when it comes to skinning...

But of late (last couple of years) ive gotten a lot worse because i like to keep the fur.
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Ziege » 10 Apr 2020, 4:23 pm

Yeah roger, might not post the vid here, but will upload and all those that wanna see it can pm me
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by bluehorse » 12 May 2020, 8:52 am

Skinning a roo.!!! Age old story of the blind leading the blind . I have heard many skite about 45seconds to undress a roo.but never timed one to do so . Others have you beaut methods to undress the carcass .. I was told in words by a famous man who owned a roo works . Roll them out of their skin from side to side ..Now think this thru . It works well . In the back blocks there are no trees to anchor the carcass on or fences to hang a carcass on . All u have is what u have . A rack on the ute to hang carcasses on usually however rolling a roo out of its skin is not difficult .To get the best graded skin in size bearing in mind when skins were in demand the value was in the biggest area of skin that would be useable so cutting the legs and arms was important to give the greatest area of useable when it was laid out on a table .and measured .. Then the skinners handiwork could be assessed . An experienced skinner would have a bigger area of useable than a novice simply by cutting low on arms and high on legs .. It translated into money when we sold skins .. So now translate this information into a practical application . Meat was easy to do and full pelvis method was brought in to increase productivity in the roo works to anchor the carcass with a chain thru it to a spot so the legs skin could have a puller attached and winched off . Then the carcass boned out . All very simple if u see it done . The carcass frame went in the big mincer and went into cartons for export ? The choicest meat into cartons too headed to pet food shops . It was all about price ,paid ..
Now skin the roo and on the ground hold onto a flap of skin after the scrotum and the arsehole are removed or the pouch removed and anchor with the other boot . . Pull skin and start kicking between belly and skin until u can run the boot along to arm kick around arm to release it and all the way to the head already removed ( bullet under ear usually only needs a swift cut ). Your roo is undressed on 1 side now and you are holding the skin where u first gripped it . Throw by holding this skin onto its belly and over onto side undressed as u kick off skin progressively until it is all off and u still hold original holding position . Just beware of nicking yourself as u cut the skin off where it is holding on the last leg . and tail . If you want longtail skin is done same as u stand on carcass and pull off skin .. The selvedge between skin and meat will keep actual meat clean . Or u can hang roo on the carcass rack as u remove skin by punching down 1 side then around carcass until off . Is relatively fast method . No compressor no pulling chains but easier when carcass is warm ,Cold gutted has a green slime in stomach cavity . Often was rejected by roo works , To break legs off at hams tap bone inside where bone is easy to break with a tap with the back of a good knife .BUT do not use your precious Dexter or other expensive knife because after a few hundred carcasses it may snap off .. Hhahaha and u are left with handle in hand and blade at your feet . . Use a lesser quality knife or a sharpening steel . . If u want to eat the meat I was shown by a good bushman to take off fillet over the kidneys and use this , Cut in angled cuts across fillet . Is good meat when there is nothing else . A good flier is usually good too . about 30 to 40 lbs on hook without gut . By the way train your pooch to find fallen roos by giving a kidney when u process where they fall . Leave the other in place to feed him later . They soon learn to help themselves when there are many carcasses hanging up . . Enjoy your barbecue .. . A good shooter can do many. a night . 100 skins all large is possible for 1 man using this method .. no bulls**t !! and longtails had to be without any holes in skin .. They also say a dog eating roo has eye watering farts !! you have been warned .. that is why dogs usually ride in the back of ute .
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Larry » 12 May 2020, 10:05 am

Bluehorse sounds like a good instructional I would would love to improve my skinning technique as it take me quite a time and effort.

Could you please just expand a little more the process in detail in sequence.

1. Ok the head is removed first by a cut through the skin and bone.
2. Are you running a cut down the belly?
3. exactly which way Where do you make cuts to remove scrotum. I think I have this part ok as I am trying to make a good silk purse. I have either cut flesh getting balls out or had balls that have been scratched too much so far. But I really dont cull that many so time between goes is too long to really get in the swing of things.
I use all the meat for dog food have eaten the occasional fillet but normally have enough venison.
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by wrenchman » 12 May 2020, 11:05 am

how do they compare in taste to beef or deer when you guys eat them
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Blr243 » 12 May 2020, 12:09 pm

One day blue horse will make a vid for us cause he’s a top bloke. I’m often nice when I want something
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by marksman » 12 May 2020, 3:11 pm

wrenchman wrote:how do they compare in taste to beef or deer when you guys eat them


it has a game taste of its own
being game or wild you can only cook to medium but it can be made to taste no different than beef in a pressure cooker
the tail being my favorite :thumbsup: :drinks:
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by duncan61 » 12 May 2020, 4:43 pm

A small red doe from the north in west aus is as good a meat as you can get.A large male grey from the southwest is borderline inedible.Fortunately the tails when skinned and segmented boiled with onion and chillie for a long time are edible on both species
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Ziege » 12 May 2020, 7:52 pm

OP do the want the skin? Cos illegal to use 90% of cases.... Or the meat? Cos there next to f*** all meat on the top end.
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Faedy » 12 May 2020, 7:56 pm

Our WA South West greys, are good as long as you only use really young bucks or young does with no joey. The backstrap, and leg are good sucking if cook right, or used for jerky
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Re: Skinning roo's

Post by Ziege » 12 May 2020, 10:53 pm

Agree whole heartedly faedy, being in the same region I can attest you're 100% correct, a young boomer is the best, in failing that a young doe is great, and like a lot of animals if one has a youngster and is lactating it tastes different.
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