ORIGINAL: Paul L Mohr
All depends on how you field dress the deer. I just cut a slit big enough to get into. First I cut the throat and sever the esophagus, then I trim around the anus with my knife, then cut the slit near the rib cage. Then I reach in and pull in the guts out along with the colon and anus. After that I cut the diaphragm and take the lungs, heart and esophagus out.
This leaves me with a small slit in the belly, a slit in the neck and a hole in the hind end. I prefer this over splitting the whole deer in half. I get kind of messy but the deer remains nice and clean while I drag it and take it to the processor.
While I could see the purpose of this tool, I just don't see the need for it. I can do the whole thing with one sharp thin bladed knife. I really don't like carrying more crap than I need to.
Paul
This is some of the best advice I have seen on here in a long time. I actually carry two knives though. One is a long thin blade like you speak of Paul for going up the anus and "ringing" it. But I dislike trying to keep this one nice and sharp for opening the belly so I also buy a new plastic caserazor knife every year that is razor sharp. Not that I think they are wrong or anything, but I laugh real good inside when I see a deer that has had a hatchet or a saw taken to its hips! like you its nice having a small whole in the back and one in the guts. You also don't cut the poop pipe this way. Something about turds and pissfloating across the inner tenderloins don't sound good to me! The only thing I want to do like you do is slit the neck a little, I would rather not have to straddle and hug a dead deer to cut the wind pipe, but I have forgot to do it the last two times!