RE: Do you really need to cut out the windpipe on a whitetailed deer?
this year my friend showed me a different way by continuing the cut up thru the rib in the center and up to the neck you get half as messy and just roll the deer over after cutting the windpipe as high as you can,
another trick we tried this year because its a 4 hr trip back home i leave the hide on to protect the meat, we let his 8 pt hang and freeze then cut around the neck and folded over the hide then put a golf ball inside the hide till we could slip a slip knot rope over the hide and encircle the ball with hide,hooked the rope on his little four by four and just put enough tension on so that the deer was hanging at an angle, the hide slipped down to the front legs where we cut around and slit the front legs hide back a little more tension and its was at the rear legs where we did the same again, one little tug and it was off,10 min.tops no frozen fingers aching from pulling, when i got home i did it by my self in about 15-20min