ELKampMaster

In another thread we got " off topic" into this interesting discussion so I thought it deserved its own thread......

FIELD DRESSING USING THE ALASKAN METHOD:

Using the " Alaskan" method you don' t cut the sternum nor the pelvis, you don' t fool with the tricky business of cutting out the rectum or urinary tracts and you leave the gut pile inside the carcass. It works very " slick" if you aren' t wanting to save the hide. An added benefit is that it reduces one' s contact with the areas that are more prone to harbor CWD and it drastically reduces the " blood bath" factor. This is the first year we have used it and all agreed, that unless we want the hide for something we won' t be going back to the " old way." The transition was easy, but you DO need to have it thought out in advance.

Check out the Alaskan Method at:
http://home.att.net/~sajackson/bugle.html

Notes:
(1) We use a box cutter on the " hide cuts" down the back bone, down the sides, and down and around the legs. We we reverse the blade at " half time" and replace the blade after each animal dressed and quartered -- this gives easy " controlled depth cutting" and replaces our Wyoming Knife and/or Gerber Zip Knives which are designed for gutting and but which " suck" at the hide cutting task elsewhere -- they will do it but they are highly erratic. The box cutter makes the initial set of hide cuts in a flash and gets you down to skinning in a hurry plus they are inexpensive.

(2) Keeping evidence of sex on the meat is trickier with this method than with the traditional. I encourage that you make the cuts around/between/through the testicles or udder that will allow the evidence to stay with the meat well BEFORE you get into the wholesale skinning mode -- that way if you are carving away on the " back side" between hide and flesh and work your way " down in there" you will come to your earlier cut rather than blazing right through there and severing the evidence of sex.

(3) We use a " baby knife" (a little, little folder with a 1.25" blade) for getting out the tenderloins (it IS a snug fit -- so DO be careful of your fingers)!

(4) The Gerber folding saws work great for cutting the legs at the " knees" and for removing the head (at the 4th vertebrae) for CWD testing. It is light, yet sufficiently " stout."

Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, Perform At Showtime,
EKM

BeaverJack

I had a 2 year old mule along this year who weren' t ready to carry full loads yet, so I used the no-gut method of quarterin' so' s to have lighter loads for my lil' mule. A bloody mess! Hunks of meat everwhere, very hard to balance the loads an' keep the meat clean. I' ll stick to the ol' fashioned way. God gave elk 4 nice balanced quarters, all you gotta do is split ' em right. Hell, mules don' t know they' re carryin' bones.

ELKampMaster

???

BJ,
I know you know what you' re doing; however, I think you must be doing a little " speed reading" here. This isn' t deboning (although that could be a further option) this is quartering. Granted, these quarters are going to look a little different than yours (with all the ribs and rib flesh attached).

The quarters " peel off" (leg bones and all) and weigh the same unless you choose to wildly cut them differently to make them weigh different. Backstraps and tenderloins get their own game bag and ride in the center with the head or if its a small elk, then throw one strap in with the game bag with each shoulder and one tenderloin in the game bag with each hind quarter. Don' t even need a scale.

When we pack them out the leg bones (and the cordage we used to tie them in a tree) are sticking out the top of the panniers; we tie them across the top of the saddle to help secure the load. Deboning is okay (even mandatory) if you are going to carry it out on your back, but I like " bones in" for use on horses. Like your stock, our horses don' t seem to know whether they are carrying bones out or not.


FYI, for everyone,

Sorry, we pass on the rib meat -- period. After processing our own meat and sorting through a 10 pound piece to get 10 ounces of suitable trimmed up meat after 15 minutes of trimming, it is with no apology that we have written off the rib meat -- of course the commercial processor will throw all that, ahem, " stuff" into the hamburger grind, LOL. My wife (our camp chef) is the " quality control" inspector and that meat just doesn' t make the grade. We gave it a go again this year and trimmed a bunch of it off of my large dry cow -- none of it more than 5/8" thick -- and once it hit the butchering table, we all looked at it and took a vote and it hit the trash, not even satisfactory burger. I know -- waste not want not -- ethics etc -- but that is where we draw the line.

EKM

elknut1

EKM

Been using a similar method for about 12 yrs now, and you' re right, it' s much quicker and easier. Takes my son and I aprox. 45 mins. to have a complete elk in 3 bags and ready to haul.

BJ

I' ve heard you make this comment before. Sounds like you could use a hands on lesson how it' s done properly. You say you' re left with a bloody mess with loose meat everywhere, well you must be quite the hacker my friend. Plus there' s no bigger mess than gutting a critter like an elk and then wallowing near it trying to finish the animal off. Unless you' re animal is riddled with lead in the quarters or spine shot and died slowly, there' s little blood to deal with on or around the meat.
Maybe you could explain your method of removal and we could help steer you around the trouble spots. Be glad to help. elknut1

Hale87

Can' t be too hard. My brother and I used basically the same method while on our first elk hunt to CO there in Oct. It was in the early muzzleloader season. We packed out a bull and a cow about a mile and a half up hill by hand. Yeah, our trip got shorter after that. I' ve never been so exhausted in my entire life. Anyone good with a knife would love the method though.

ESetter1

Thanks ELKampMaster,
We did it the old fashioned way on my cow, field dressing, skinning and quartering. We will have to give your method a try next season. Thanks again.

BeaverJack

Nuthin' neater then 4 big chunks. No extra bags, no WASTE. An you don' t even need a pannier to pack ' em. I refuse to leave meat on a ribcage. I also like the neck. You take it all, an' you got a couple bags of loose meat (if you remember to bring extra bags) that don' t match anythin' else, so you gotta sort ' em to make a balanced load. I ain' t patient enuff to fiddle with trimmins an' such. I gut, cape, an' quarter to git done whilst there' s still daylight to finish my day, not slop around big chunks of meat an' tie extra cords all over my load.

elknut1

BJ
I can understand your method as well, especially hunting back 10 + miles. It would be unreasonable to pack that on your back.
As a bowhunter though and one who sees horses and mules as a nuisance, I prefer my back anyday in the 1 to 5 mile treks, which is about the distance we take most our elk. This is the reason we prefer the gutless method, as well as leave all bones except the hind quarters. We also take all rib meat and neck meat which is in the 3rd bag with back straps boned out shoulders and such. You could easily put the misceleaneous parts into 2 different bags if desired to balance your load. Again we choose this way because weight is a factor and the whole elk can come out with 3 guys doing the packing, all in one trip. That 3rd bag is not any heavier than a hindquarter bag even with all rib and neck meat trimmings.
I do the same with deer. With this method I' ve packed out over 100 animals, and it works great for us, but obviously it' s not everyone. elknut1

BeaverJack

Horses an' mules as a nuisance? God, please forgive him. I don' t think elk hunting would be possible without stock. Specially with all this hot weather. The road hunters are having another dry year this year. Game ain' t no where near reachable from the roads. Got a storm today, so maybe there' s hope for these equine-challenged fellers to fill out before Friday, the end of elk season. I like bowhunters. They bring skill back into the huntin' formula in a time when its sorely lackin' an' not even encouraged anymore. But I cain' t see packin' meat on my back though. When you git back to the trailhead, you gotta turn right back around an' go back afer more! That will kill anybody in this country. Even when I was a sprout, an' had good knees, one easy ride out leadin' a couple mules seemed a hell of a better deal than torturin' myself with a backpack.

Jorgy

Iv' e used the gutless method a few times when it paid to do so. If I had horses though, I would quarter and pack out. I' ve only ever used gutless when we are talking about my back/knees.

The only drawbacks of the gutless method is expossing the meat way more than just quatering. If you cut your own meat, you will understand after you throw out so much of the died meat. My dog doesn' t complain though, he thinks it' s tastey