I don' t usually gut a deer out unless I' m not going back to the same hunting spot. My reasoning is, leaving a gut pile will invite dogs, or some other kind of predator-type animal into the region. I' m sure the deer can smell those predators, or will steer clear of a noisy predator feeding.

I' ve killed two deer this year and have dragged them whole out of the woods, and gutted them out only when they were hanging in my shed. Buried the entrails, skin, etc in my garden. Garden is fenced in all the way around to keep the dogs, etc out.

If the deer is too big for me to drag alone, I' ll get help first, or field dress it as a last resort.

I just like being able to go back to a hunting spot knowing there has been as little disturbance there as possible.

Thunder