By DON DUBUC

Deer hunting in south Louisiana and Mississippi is nearing its peak.

Holiday vacations and school closings are coinciding with the height of the breeding season and increased deer movement. These two factors mean more deer will be taken over the next two weeks than any other time.

This also means more deer will be have to be cleaned and many hunters might be surprised to hear that time at the skinning shed can be as hazardous as climbing tree stands.

Take for instance a story all too common. A hunter works hard to scout his area, carefully places his stand and after waiting for hours makes a one-shot, clean kill on a trophy buck.

The deer had been hung in the shed and the hide stripped from the carcass but when the hunter used his knife to split the deer’s breast bone a slip led to an emergency room visit and six stitches in the hunter’s hand.

The necessity of a sharp knife to clean deer makes caution a priority. By following a few common sense safety rules, the thrill of taking a deer will not be destroyed by an accident.

The most important precautionary step is to use proper equipment. Using a small saw or pruning shears to cut the breast and other bones reduces the chances of injury because these tools have handles that prevent accidents if hands slip.

Sharp edges of these tools also are pointed “away” from the user lessening the danger of a cut.

“Pruning shears work really well,” Dave Moreland, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries deer study leader said. “They are also a great tool for cutting rib cages and leg bones.”

There also are knives made especially for skinning deer.

The Wyoming design is a wonderful tool. There are two blades – one completely exposed blade and one blade inside a hook. The exposed blade is used to ring the legs, then uses the hooked blade to cut down the inside of the legs and underside of the carcass to the throat.

The exposed blade is also used to assist skinning when the hide is pulled from the carcass. Some knives have a skinning hook on the rear of the blade that performs the same function.

“Such blades prevent accidental punctures of the stomach and intestines while dressing a deer,” Moreland said.

If not using a skinning hook, the hunter should try to make cuts so that the blade is not pointing directly toward his body. All blades should be as sharp as possible and sharpened while cleaning if necessary.

Dull knives make irregular cuts and slip easily and because more force is needed to cut, a dull knife is harder to stop if it slips.

“A knife will get dull quickly if it’s used to cut ligaments and bone joints,” Moreland said.

Many times two or more hunters work together to dress a deer; increasing the likelihood of an accident because there are more hands and sometimes more knives to watch for. It is always better for one hunter to use the knife while the others simply assist by working the skin or positioning and steadying the carcass.

The hunter using the knife should take his time when others are helping by being more deliberate and watching someone else’s hand is out of the way of the knife’s edge before making a cut.

“Don’t get in a big hurry,” Moreland advised. “Working slowly will ensure a better job and helps prevents accidents.”

There are other sharp edges to be careful of. Bones on the carcass, especially those shattered by a bullet can easily slice hunters’ hands, particularly when working in and around the chest cavity.

Another potential danger area is the deer’s jawbone.

Deer clubs under the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) are required to remove jawbones from each deer they kill to provide data necessary to manage its herd. The teeth and the bone when broken can be very sharp and cause nasty cuts to the hands.

Pruning shears and commercial jawbone-pullers make removal a much safer operation.

The greatest Christmas gifts for hunters might just be a small handsaw, pruning shears or one of the many good brands of knives made of high quality steel designed specifically for deer cleaning.

Because along with it comes the gift of safety.

DON DUBUC is the outdoors reporter for L’Observateur.