field dressing a deer....how??
09-07-2008, 10:57 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 165
field dressing a deer....how??
ok...so this is my 3rd year deer hunting and all 3 were with a shot gun and were unsuccessfull....well this year im bow hunting andive never really known how to field dress a deer....can someone help? also...do u HAVE to field dress it? cant you just take it right to the processer??? ya sorry im new and i dont know how to field dress a deer....
09-07-2008, 11:03 AM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 8,167
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
The easiest way is to have some one show you ,but if thats impossible I have seen videos on line that explain it from start to finish. Try a goggle search and so what comes up.
With all bow kills make sure you know where the broad head is before you start, did it pass thru or is it still in the deer .Grabbing a razor sharp broad head is not a good idea. Also broken ends of carbon arrows can cause a nasty wound.
With all bow kills make sure you know where the broad head is before you start, did it pass thru or is it still in the deer .Grabbing a razor sharp broad head is not a good idea. Also broken ends of carbon arrows can cause a nasty wound.
09-07-2008, 11:05 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 8,167
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
09-07-2008, 11:15 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 9,085
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
its very simple and hardly messy if you know what your doing...very hard to describe in words though...
i will say that field dressing SHOULD be done if at all possible...exspecially in anything over 30-40 degrees...should be field dresses ASAP..
also you are leaving a good....ahh 20? pounds of blood and guts in the woods instead of dragging it out...this accomplishes a few things....1 is obvious..less weight...2) you dont have to find somewhere to dispose of the guts like you might if you took it home to an urban area or something like that...3) the gut pile is a food source for alot of the critters of the forest...a way of giving some of the kill back to the forest...
best way to learn would be have someone help you and show you...really theres nothing to it....everyone has their own methods...some guys make it into a surgical procedure, others are done and cleaning up before you can find your knife in your pack...end result is the same...guts out of the deer...
like Jim said, gotta be careful....arrow shafts, broadheads, splintered bone, your own knife etc....ive been cut by bone and my own knife a few times...ive probably gutted near 20 deer and aim getting pretty good and quick....gotta remember where your knife is, what way the edge is facing, and where your other hand is...ive seen most cuts by knives occur when the person is reaching up the cut the esophogus...keep your left hand on the windpipe...knife hand ahead of your left hand with the blade facing the neck and you cannot cut yourself...then pull hard on the windpipe with your left hand and slice it with the knife...which is still a bit forward of your left hand...
i will say that field dressing SHOULD be done if at all possible...exspecially in anything over 30-40 degrees...should be field dresses ASAP..
also you are leaving a good....ahh 20? pounds of blood and guts in the woods instead of dragging it out...this accomplishes a few things....1 is obvious..less weight...2) you dont have to find somewhere to dispose of the guts like you might if you took it home to an urban area or something like that...3) the gut pile is a food source for alot of the critters of the forest...a way of giving some of the kill back to the forest...
best way to learn would be have someone help you and show you...really theres nothing to it....everyone has their own methods...some guys make it into a surgical procedure, others are done and cleaning up before you can find your knife in your pack...end result is the same...guts out of the deer...
like Jim said, gotta be careful....arrow shafts, broadheads, splintered bone, your own knife etc....ive been cut by bone and my own knife a few times...ive probably gutted near 20 deer and aim getting pretty good and quick....gotta remember where your knife is, what way the edge is facing, and where your other hand is...ive seen most cuts by knives occur when the person is reaching up the cut the esophogus...keep your left hand on the windpipe...knife hand ahead of your left hand with the blade facing the neck and you cannot cut yourself...then pull hard on the windpipe with your left hand and slice it with the knife...which is still a bit forward of your left hand...
09-07-2008, 11:16 AM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 1997
Location: Cheasapeke and Delaware Bay Region
Posts: 10,485
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
09-07-2008, 11:43 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 3,606
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
Try this link it shows it pretty good as a video http://www.rihunts.com/hunting/field.dress.1.htm
09-07-2008, 12:07 PM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 430
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
Don't be intimidated by it. The first time I did it I hadn't ever seen it done, watched a video, or nothing. I suppose the video is going to be a big help, but here's just a few tips.
Make sure you have a good sharp knife. Size doesn't matter. Before I start I stip off most of my top clothes, down to the base layer, then roll up my sleeves. I also open my canteen while my hands are clean. I find one of the hardest things is keeping the dang legs where I want them while I'm cutting. If there are small trees around, I usually try to hook one of the back legs around it while pinning the other one down with my foot. I find the end of the sternum and cut through the skin right there. Incidentally, as you're doing all this cutting, it helps if sweep hair out of the way as you go; less hair in the mix. Once I have the cut under the sternum, I put the tip of my index finger along the top of my blade with the tip of the finger protruding beyond the blade tip. This allows me to cut right on down the center quickly and easily without worrying about puncturing stuff I don't want to puncture. Once he's open, roll him so the opening is downhill (if there is a downhill), then reach on in there and start pullin' stuff out. You'll be able pull apart a lot of the connecting tissue with just the hook of your index finger, but some of it will need cut. Some of this is blind cutting so just be careful you don't cut yourself. Then the bung hole. If you can prop the butt up on a log or something it exposes the hole better. Some people cut right through the cinch bone (I think that's what they call it), but I don't. Cut around the bung hole from the outside, hook and pull out connective tissue from the inside until it's all free, then pull it right out from the inside.
A couple things to remember: watch where you lay your knife cuz it's easy to lose it, believe it or not.I always lay it right next to my gear. Also, cut off the esophagus up into the throat as far as you can reach from the inside. This is one part that begins getting nasty (between death and the butcher) the quickest.
When I'm all through I usually try to locate the bladder and drain it into a couple of 35mm film cannisters I carry. Free scent. I also always cut the stomach to see what he's been eating, but make sure you do this last, as it's disgusting and you don't want it on your knife when you're still field dressing.
Some folks save and eat the heart and liver, but they're high in cholesterol. I save 'em for dog and cat food.
Have fun.
Make sure you have a good sharp knife. Size doesn't matter. Before I start I stip off most of my top clothes, down to the base layer, then roll up my sleeves. I also open my canteen while my hands are clean. I find one of the hardest things is keeping the dang legs where I want them while I'm cutting. If there are small trees around, I usually try to hook one of the back legs around it while pinning the other one down with my foot. I find the end of the sternum and cut through the skin right there. Incidentally, as you're doing all this cutting, it helps if sweep hair out of the way as you go; less hair in the mix. Once I have the cut under the sternum, I put the tip of my index finger along the top of my blade with the tip of the finger protruding beyond the blade tip. This allows me to cut right on down the center quickly and easily without worrying about puncturing stuff I don't want to puncture. Once he's open, roll him so the opening is downhill (if there is a downhill), then reach on in there and start pullin' stuff out. You'll be able pull apart a lot of the connecting tissue with just the hook of your index finger, but some of it will need cut. Some of this is blind cutting so just be careful you don't cut yourself. Then the bung hole. If you can prop the butt up on a log or something it exposes the hole better. Some people cut right through the cinch bone (I think that's what they call it), but I don't. Cut around the bung hole from the outside, hook and pull out connective tissue from the inside until it's all free, then pull it right out from the inside.
A couple things to remember: watch where you lay your knife cuz it's easy to lose it, believe it or not.I always lay it right next to my gear. Also, cut off the esophagus up into the throat as far as you can reach from the inside. This is one part that begins getting nasty (between death and the butcher) the quickest.
When I'm all through I usually try to locate the bladder and drain it into a couple of 35mm film cannisters I carry. Free scent. I also always cut the stomach to see what he's been eating, but make sure you do this last, as it's disgusting and you don't want it on your knife when you're still field dressing.
Some folks save and eat the heart and liver, but they're high in cholesterol. I save 'em for dog and cat food.
Have fun.
09-07-2008, 12:11 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manassas, VA
Posts: 3,612
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
Don't worry DH 515--you will do fine. I watched a guy field dress my first two deer I shot.....after that, I tried it on my own. Practice makes perfect, so dive in (just not into the guts!) Watch a video, talk with guys on here, possibly watch someone else do it.
09-07-2008, 01:24 PM
#10
Spike
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Berwyn,IL.
Posts: 54
RE: field dressing a deer....how??
ORIGINAL: Deerhunter_515
ok...so this is my 3rd year deer hunting and all 3 were with a shot gun and were unsuccessfull....well this year im bow hunting andive never really known how to field dress a deer....can someone help? also...do u HAVE to field dress it? cant you just take it right to the processer??? ya sorry im new and i dont know how to field dress a deer....
ok...so this is my 3rd year deer hunting and all 3 were with a shot gun and were unsuccessfull....well this year im bow hunting andive never really known how to field dress a deer....can someone help? also...do u HAVE to field dress it? cant you just take it right to the processer??? ya sorry im new and i dont know how to field dress a deer....