Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I've seen several pictures over the last few weeks or more of deer that once they were killed, they had their throat cut.
This is not necessary.
I don't know where this practice originated, but it is rediculous.
If you shoot a deer through the vitals, that deer has already blead out.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be dead!!!!!!!
Besides, if it is a buck worthy of mounting, you just messed up the cape.
Most, if not all, experienced hunters know that this is not needed.
My brother asked me about this once.
He is not very experienced in the outdoors, and I told him the same thing.
When a deer is shot through the lungs and possibly the heart, and leaves a blood trail for you to follow, he/she has done all the bleeding necessary.
What is necessary is to gut the animal within a reasonable amount of time.
This will depend upon the temperature outside, but I try to get my animal gutted within the hour.
In cold temps. a deer can lie dead over night and not spoil if not gutted.
Now if an animal is shot back in the stomach area (stomach, intestines, etc) even if the arrow/bullet went through vitals before or after, gutting the animal immediately is important.
You don't want nasty stuff getting out and staying inside the deers cavity very long.
Either way, there is absolutely no reason to cut a dead deer's throat.
Now if you want to try it on a live deer, go for it

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

Which is why when you slit a deer's throat and hang it it continues to pour blood... :eek:

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I wouldn't know since I never do it.
Sure, if you gut the animal and in a short time hang it and cut its throat, it will bleed, but it wasn't necessary.
90% of its blood will be lost by the time you finish gutting it.

For that matter, when you butcher your deer (I do my own) it will continue to bleed. You can quarter it up and put it on ice and for the next day or two it will continue to bleed.
Point is, cutting its throat is NOT needed. It doesn't accomplish anything.
Hey, if you want to do it, go for it.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I field dressed the last deer I killed.......waited probably an hour......then butchered him.....inside my utility building. I don't recall a DROP of blood while I was butchering.....and I know I didn't cut his throat.

VERY minimal blood with my first '06 deer, too......done the same way (and I hang mine by the rear legs to butcher).

I'm not taking a side.....just noting that I don't cut the throat, either.

But I have to ask.....why does it matter?

Jeff

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

Like I said at the end of my last post, if someone wants to do it, fine.
I was just making the point that cutting a deer's throat after it has been shot either by bow or gun then gutted is totally not necessary.
It is kind of an old wives tale type thing.
Why do some people do it?
Probably because they heard that someone else does it, who heard that someone else does it, and so on.
But hey, like I said, it doesn't really matter, unless you want that cape for a mount.
Notice the pics on here. You will only see a deer with its throat cut on a very few of them.
Why? Most experienced hunters know that there is no need.
I keep feeling the need to say that I'm not putting anyone down if they do it. I'm just trying to be informative for those who might not know.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

We don't cut the throat either while butchering. Never heard that one before.

I have cut a deer's throat a few years ago when I did not put such a good shot on it. If that situation ever arises I will just put a second shot on the animal. I hope it doesn't come up though.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I'm not familiar with cutting a dead deers throat either. Never heard of it. Why would you do it. Its dead.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

Maybe some people do it to cut the windpipe....
Don't do it myself, but that might be why.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I think it was done in the past to make sure all the blood was drained from the animal. I can remember reading hunting books from ages ago talking about doing it. I just helped process 8 deer, and not one had their throats cut, and there was very little blood on the floor when we were done. I think someone with a bloody nose would leave more blood on the floor than what we had after processing 8 deer.;)

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

we never cut the throat. i will field dress him at the spot he fell usually, getting all the guts, lungs, heart, and other stuff out. i then reach up into the chest where the wind pipe etc is and cut what i can reach out. i then pick up the deer enough to let all blood inside the cavity run out and thats all you can do. its going to get the same amount of blood out as cutting the throat and you dont ruin your trophy bucks cape if you wanna mount him.

a few years agoa t the checking station a guy brought his grandson in with his first buck...a dandy looking 9pt that they were talking about getting mounted. the grandfather using his old time tactics cut the throat to bleed him out and the taxidermist told him on the spot that he would do his best but cant guarantee how the neck will look. and he told us this is not necessary to do when the animals are shot thru the vitals. they only cut the throats on livestock because most are killed with a heavy hammer blow to the head, thus they need to be bled out.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I agree, it's unnecessary.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I've done it before during shotgun season, I shot a deer on a drive that went down about 30 yards away from me, next time I'll shoot it to finish it off. Not a pleasant experience.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

I believe that the custom originated with rural folks who are accustomed to slaughtering their own beef and hogs. After a shot to the brain with a .22 the heart is till pumping. If you cut the major veins and arteries in the neck immediately after shooting the animal it will pump blood like crazy.

In a hunting situation the heart has normally stopped bleeding by the time the critter is on the ground so there is nothing to be gained by cutting it's throat.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

Yep. In my area we raise hogs and cows and have done so for many many years. As stated above, you needed to cut the throat so the animal would bleed out. When these farmers would kill a deer or other game, they would instinctively cut the throat.
It's not needed in most game animals (any I can think of) but the "habit" has been passed down for generations.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

My friend's got a six-pointer on his wall that he almost missed with his bow, but one of the blades cut its throat!

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

when you hit a deer in the vitals it does not bleed to death. The heart stops or the deer cannot breathe because his lungs are shredded. The only time a deer would bleed to death with vitals is a liver shot. When hanging a deer the blood comes out the nose/mouth either way, so I do agree it is not necessary to cut the throat.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

The only time ill cut a throat is if the deer is still alive when I get too it. That has only happened once or twice while rifle hunting. Never while bow hunting due to and time I wait before pursuing the animal. In that time, it has bleed out and usually the body cavity is full of all the blood.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

Like everyone has said...It's not necessary. Screws up the cape too.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

hang them by the neck you dont need to cut the throat, heck should never have to cut their throats. Thats old school.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

My friend cuts the throat just to cut thetrachea tube (or wateveer uts called). he and his dad tell me that this is wat holds all the guts in. Ive never tried it, but they gut their deer in no time and get very little blood and guts on them. It may work the same without cutting the tube in the throat, never tried it, but the waythey do it works jus fine for does....i agree tho, cant mess up the cape on a big buck tho.

RE: Cutting deer's throat - not necessary
 

It's the fastest way to gut one and not get too dirty. I don't do it because I don't want to wreck any of the meat. I just get my hands dirty to save the few ounces. I also cut right through the rib cage when I gut a deer so I don't really reach that far up anyway.

Tom