RE: dumb question
redsox3624,
Many of us were lucky enough to have a parent or grandparent show us the ropes on the how and what to do when you hunt, field dress, and butcher a deer. This forum is a great place to either get that information or add to your knowledge. Your questions are excellent. In order of importance-I totally agree that you need to make sure you hunt safely-as was said before when the slug exits the barrell there is no bringing it back. The second most important lesson is make sure you do everything possible to make a clean kill-Lord knows there are enough ways to make a poor one and by the way we all have made poor kills (gut shots, etc). When that is done, get to the field dressing quickly. If you have not done this before it can be an 'interesting' experience. I always believed the faster I got the animal field dressed the better it was for the meat. We let out deer hang (skinned by the way) for 4 days if the temp allows it (under 40 degrees) but one or two is probably just fine as well. Remember to protect the animal when it is hanging so it doesn't attract other interested parties (free food always attracts). You can either butcher it yourself or have it done-I do my own because I have had some bad experiences with Butchers in the past but hey if it is the only choice just make sure they label everything correctly.
Good luck and welcome to the fun.