I just field dressed my first deer (a muley doe) on Sunday. I did the "dirty work," while an experienced hunter stood right there and told me what to look for. I had been well-read on the subject before all this, but it was still different. A sharp knife helps, and if you're going to use a method that involves breaking bones, a hammer and a sharp hatchet aren't bad ideas either.

It helped me to leave the white "sack" of connective tissue around most of the internal organs until I absolutely had to cut it. With the white "sack" enclosing the organs, it's tougher to cut into a stomach or an intestine. If you do cut into a gut organ, you'll know it because it smells like someone took a s$%# right there on the spot.

It also should be emphasized over and over that once the skin of the animal has been punctured initially, that skin should only be cut from the inside out, as this avoids getting hair all over the insides and the meat.

Nate