Sorry for the rookie questions fellas..and thanks for the replies.

When you say, "cut the breast plate all the way to the base of the throat", do you mean cutting through the bone itself...basically splitting the chest like davidmill described? Can you split the chest with your hands by simply pulling them apart? Is that just to have easier access to the throat area to cut the pipe?

I've only gutted one deer, and screwed up the rear end something fierce. Is the anas itself enclosed by bone or the like? I had a heck of a time cutting around it, and ended up butchering the thing. If done properly, would it be like cutting the core out of an apple?

Thanks again fellas.