The Air Skinner has been used on all sorts of game, large and small, fish & birds, and even some reptiles. It has been proven effective on almost everything but shows mixed results on fat bears and pigs. (The lard fat of these two species is the problem). Now, we have had some customers say it works fantastic on pigs, but we prefer to err on caution and say results are mixed. (Note: JB Speedy Taxidermy has used the Air Skinner on pigs and found it cut the skinning time from 45 minutes to 5 minutes)

We don’t recommend it. First, you should always remove the visceral as soon as possible to preserve meat quality. Second, by not field dressing first, one might, in the process, force blood and possibly stomach and other fluids, under pressure, into the meat. The only exception would be animals you don’t intend to eat, such as wolves or coyotes.

Generally, no; however, on smaller animals, air pressure and needle insertion are critical to the success of the Air Skinner process. Inserting a needle deep into the animal’s body and using excessive air pressure can “blow up” a smaller animal. In the 20+ years of running Air Skinner, we have not heard of one instance where a large animal (whitetail deer, for example) was "blown up."

In all kits, the needles attach to the air nozzle using pre-installed adapters. The easiest method to attach to your air compressor is by purchasing a coupler and using a quick connect on your air hose if you don’t already have one.

If you misplaced your instruction sheet, or you just want to see how these kits work, you may view or download the instructions here.

Seriously, we DO get asked this question or questions like it! We've never tried, but to be honest, we're pretty confident it wouldn’t work. But if we could float the deer out of the woods and down to the truck, that would sure help!

The order in which the insertions are made is vital to the product’s success. Always start with the neck area before moving to the legs and hindquarters. And if necessary, needles can be inserted in areas other than the ones we suggest.

This is a SERIOUS safety issue UNRELATED to your Air Skinner tool - rust weakens the compressor tank and can lead to rupture and serious injury/death. Air compressors blow rusty water when the tank has not been appropriately drained after use, and condensate has been allowed to sit at the bottom. In general, if you are concerned about possible contaminants in your compressor, we sell inexpensive filters and water separators, which can be placed in line with your air hose.

Yes! The Air Skinner works great on geese and ducks. Use the 12 ga. needle on geese and the 14 ga. needle on mallards. A quick pop will separate the tough skin off the breastbone!

Yes! Many coon hunters and trappers have used the Air Skinner with great success.

Certainly, some air may leak around the field dressing or bullet hole, but this has not proven to be a problem, especially if you wait a few hours before using the Air Skinner. We have had some folks use the Air Skinner right after dragging their game out of the woods and others after their game had been hanging for a few days, both with excellent results.

Air Skinner LLC is the sole distributor of the Air Skinner kits, and we do not sell on eBay! If you purchased your Air Skinner kit from any entity other than Air Skinner LLC on this site or through Amazon.com, we refuse all warranty claims or returns on those products. All other returns must have a valid receipt. Please be careful with knock-off products or people claiming to be representatives of Air Skinner. Again, we only sell on this site and on Amazon.com.

If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you can return the product for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. Any products returned must be in the same condition you received it in. Shipping charges will not be refunded. See our Shipping & Returns page for more info.

Yes! This is the best position for deer to be in. The best way to use The Air Skinner is to start at the NECK FIRST. The neck hide is the toughest, and beginning at the neck first gives the most expansion possible in that area. You’ll observe the air going down the neck and into the ribs, shoulders, legs, and back. When the air reaches the rump, stop from the neck point and do the legs on top. Next, roll the deer over and do the legs that were first on the bottom. We found that 6 points of injection: neck, four legs, and haunch are the fewest places to inject on a NON-FROZEN deer. It’s taken 12-15 points of injection on a FROZEN deer and up to 150 lbs. of pressure to get the job done.

The animal should be lying down on its side. If the animal is hanging, the legs pull the hide more tightly and do not let the air expand the hide as far. It can be used when the animal is hanging, but an effectiveness loss will be noticed.

For the hide removal of big game animals; moose, caribou, deer (meat animals), we recommend only the 8-gauge Air Skinner needle. The 12-gauge needle is primarily used for caping or medium-size game - less CFM through the smaller needle prevents too rapid of cape expansion and possibly damage to the inner lining of the ears. The 14 and 16-gauge needles (Original Hunter Kit/Taxidermist kit only) are for smaller game such as fox, coyote, beaver, fish, and birds. On teal, for example, the skin comes off the breastbone nicely with just a couple of puffs. The Taxidermist kit also contains 18 & 20-gauge needles for very fine air control for the smallest game animals - squirrel, small birds, etc. Note: The Big Game/Taxidermist kits contain a 10-gauge needle for smaller big game animals, such as smaller bucks, small does, yearlings. You don't need to adjust the air pressure from the 100-120 PSI that we recommend; simply vary the needle size to change the CFM to what you want.

100 to 120 PSI at 5.3 – 5.7 CFM with a 3/8” hose. We have successfully (but very cautiously) used up to 150 PSI on frozen deer and as low as 80 PSI on unfrozen deer.

Chances are you are not using enough pounds per square inch (PSI) of air based on the animal’s size. Try increasing the PSI. Another common mistake is using the wrong size needle based on the animal’s size. If you aren’t getting the desired effect, try using a larger diameter needle to increase the cubic feet per minute (CFM). If the air popped out of the field dressing incision(s), check the PSI you’re using and adjust to 100-120 PSI.

The medical-grade stainless steel needles are strongly constructed; however, they may bend, break or dull over time, especially if repeatedly inserted into bone or frozen animals. While Air Skinner LLC will not replace broken or damaged needles under warranty, you may purchase replacement needles and other components on our site.