outdoorslover

I never do. I always take it home first and then dump the pile out in a field. Our dogs get into it but I prefer to bring it home than do it in the woods.

Buck_Slayer

We have always gut our deer where they lay. Sometimes we drag them to a field edge. BUt then again we don't have any coyotes or anything like that. My stand is set where I can see a gut pile and there were tracks that led up to it and there wasn;t sign that the deer had run away from the pile. Just went and checked it out.

Rhody Hunter

i drag off a short distance to where i can work easily than i gut it . It lightens it up a little for the drag to the truck

davidmil

Hardcore.... if you're going to bone it in the woods there's really no need to gut it at all. Just skin, bone it and you're done.

Dr Andy

We have to register the deer before processing, we can skin it and gut it but that's it until it gets it's final tag. Oh yeah gut em where they fell.

mnbuckman

I have always gutted it where it lays. I have never seen a gut pile spook deer out of an area. I do get a little scared if I'm going to the same stand the next morning in pitch dark though.[:-]

A place that I hunt called Camp Ripley if you shoot a deer you just gut it out and drag it back to your stand. Then hunt the rest of the day. The deer look at it, but they don't run away or anything like that.

MOTOWNHONKEY

Thats what I was thinking. Just quarter it out get the back straps and go. The only thing you might be missing is the inner tenderloins and they are awfully good. Sounds like he has it down to a science though. 30 minutes is getting it done.

hardcorehunter

You got it Motown; can't leave the inner loins behind. Really guys, the slowest thing to dressing a deer is when the hide is cold on the animal. A warm animal of any species is so much easier and faster to skin. The way I look at it is it has to be done, so just do it. I am lazy when it comes to putting a bunch of effort into dragging a doe out of the woods; especially in my type of woods of up and down ravines and hogbacks. This "laziness" and liberal doe tags in recent years, made me come up with theidea ofprocessing the deer where it lies. A backpack, small gambrel and hoist, trash bags, andlatex gloves is in my truck at all times. I also carry a long strap with two "D" rings that I use to attach the hoist to a nearby tree with. Hey, if aging your deer meat is your cup of tea, age the boned outmeat in your cool garage, fridge, or wherever. I just can't see the pointof dragging a does' bones, hide, head, and other unedible parts over hills and hollersall the way to the truck when I just have to load the damn parts back up and dispose of them later. I have to handle waste parts twice and that is a WASTE of my time and energy. I am 44; dragging deer all over Gods' creation is ayoung kids' work.

tschaef

Were it falls.

Hey HCH, no arguements here, one comment though:

I was talking to an old timer on the long drive to Quebec this fall, and he claims that garbage bag manufacturers are putting a chemical in the bags to keep coons/strays/etc from tearing into the bags on garbage day. I don't know if this is true, but he won't use garbage bags for food anymore.

GMMAT

My hunting area is in close proximity to my home.....and therefore I take a different approach. I don't take anything other than my bow and field glasses with me to the field. When I shoot a deer......I go home and prepare things there for the job ahead. Then....take the 4-wheeler back and get as close as I think I can without busting up the bedding areas. I'll drag my deer to the 4-wheeler or truck.....and I take it back to my home. I'll then take it to a remote spot about 1/4 mile away to gut it. Back to my out-building.....where I have a gambrel hung....and THEN I've got about a 30 min. job ahead of me (Unless I'm caping it out....which is another ENTIRE story!).

I don't leave gutpiles (most of the time)....because of the proximity to people's homes and the thoughts that their pets may get into them. It's simply a courtesy thing.

Jeff