RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Ok suppose for another $20-$30 you got the same service from a retired butcher with everything right at his house..only he did all the work short of field dressing.. Plus Now I don't have to get rid of hide, bones, head, etc...

So now, based on your quote (above) should we amend the thread title to read....It ought to be mandatory once, and then if you can afford it, pay someone else to do it, to avoid the mess and hassle??

If so I'm on board!;) (sounds like you are too) :D

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

There's a taxidermy/butchering shop near here that charges an extra $5.00 if the anus isn't removed . . . and the flyer from the place doesn't use to word anus to describe it!

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

you should at least field dress it . skinning is no big deal either

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Yes it should be mandatory! And, if you are taking it somewhere, do as much yourself as you can, your butcher will appreciate it. You keep them happy, & they keep you happy.

I think it goes back to tradition also, hunting used to be just for sustenance,you shot it, you gutted it, then you took it home to your rockand ate it.

I guess though, as long as you aren't disrespecting the animal, and just discarding the carcass after sawing off antlers, it doesn't matter in the end who gutted it. My way has always been you get one hands on help, after that I only coach, that's how I learned.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

If you do not butcher it yourself why should the other part be madatory? *scratches both heads*

PREEAACHERRRR

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I agree w/ ya Jeff, but I also don't have a problem w/ the local butcher shop making some $$ from folks who wish to not skin their own deer.

As far as gutting the deer...IMO, this is definitely a must while out in the field.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

dressing, preparing, and eating the game that one harvests creates a cycle that keeps one close to natural processes, and lends respect to the act of harvesting it in the first place. Trust me, venison always tastes better when you have done every step yourself.

Is it a coincidence thatthe hunters i know of who have the highestrespect for the game... all proccess their own? That includes what little I know of people who frequent this site.

That being said, I do not think it should be mandatory...the very last thing we need is another 'its good for you' law....

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

LOL!!! Perhaps your processor thinks you're a "special needs" hunter that needs all the help you can get. He doesn't tie your shoes for you too (without additional charge), does he??

I just think it takes away from the dead weight you have to fool with and to me it does add to the experience as much as anything that is neccesary to be an effective hunter.

Not to mention that I personally would consider it RUDE behavior to drop off a deer to a processor or anyone, that has not been gutted.

Many times growing up, my friends and I would kill squirrels and rabbits while out hunting and then decide for one reason or another that nobody really wanted them. So we would take them to somebody's house (usually someone of very modest income) that we knew would appreciate them.

However, even though this meat could be considered a gift (for which, technically they should have been grateful for, no matter what), we would have never have been so rude to drop off the animals unless they had been properly cleaned. Just the way I was reared.

It has something to do with respecting the animal as well, as others have mentioned.


I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, still, it is the way I feel and I'm just being honest. One thing I guarantee is that many on here if they are experienced hunters,whether they will express their opinion so directly or not, would, if they saw an anonymoushunter driving down the road with a dead and UNGUTTED deer in the back of his truck, generally remark "look at that idiot who hasn't even gutted his deer" to their companions.;):D

Of course it is different if your processor has alterior motives for WANTING the guts or, like I said their are other special and unusual circumstances.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

:D LOL T ......:D

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

For me, I will NEVER send mine out to be butchered ...... I simply do not trust them.... I want my deer meat, not someone elses... I have seen too many ripoffs out there .... it's easy enough to do it, though time consuming ..... now if I killed as many as Jeff does, and donated them, I might ....... I dunno

We make cutting them up a fun time ..... we eat and cut and eat and cut .....

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

for us there is a lack of time for the most part to do the butchering ourselves especially when its early season bowhunting and its warm. we field dress them, then take them to a local guy who skins and cuts em up into boneless or steaks or w/e from there we can take it to the butcher and get sticks or w/e we want

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I have cut my own for yrs. I also cut for other people. So far this yr I have done 6. I don't charge much either..... $35per animal cut and wrapped. I also provide skinning services to my clients. I don't charge any extra. What I found was that if the client skinned it there is hair every where. Then I get complaints from the same guy a little later'why didn't you clean it off'? I tell them if you don't know what your doing and are gonna make a mess then just bring it here and I'll do it...... sit, watch and learn. Most of my clients are friends or acquintences(sp).
One guy brings his son over (we also hunt together) and I show his son how to do things. I'm not really into teaching teens b/c they always think they know everything but this young fella is pretty good about it.
As for gutting...... I don't gut deer for people unless I'm in the field. I learned from experience. I had a guy bring over a decent 4x4 buck that he had killed. SAD..... he didn't guy it and packed it in snow. Well what he forgot was that snow is an insulator and the damn thing stunk.[:'(] [>:]I was pissed...... to say the least.What a waste. My first recomendation was that he stop hunting until he became more responsible.... second was 'THIS MEAT ISN"T ANY GOOD' don't eat it. He paid me for my time and was out the door, didn't even take the rack. He didn't like the fee with no meat but I told him. Time is money...... you took my time to bring your garbage here for me to deal w/ and now I have to dispose of this rotting corpse. I made a set of rattling antlers for the young fella that likes to learn things
Some things are just part of the hunt and gutting/field dressing is one of them. GET OVER IT!, suck it up buttercup!

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I always want to be sure andget my own meat back. To insure that, I field dress where they drop. I then take it home and hang it in the garage. I skin, debone while it's hanging and have it in the fridge in probably no more than an hour. After 2-4 days of aging on some absorbsion sheets,I cut it into the right cuts and vacuum pack it and into the freezer. I have when in a tight deboned in the woods.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

A friend of mine belongs to a club down in GA where the practice extremely STRICT QDM. After they field dress their deer, they have to place the guts in a garbage bag and take that with them too. Why?? Because they are in an area they believe to be overrun with coyotes and this method (in their mind) gives less incentive for coyotes to regularly patrol their land. Seems logical, if perhaps paranoid[&:]

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I killed my first deer 2 years ago at the age of 16 and gut it, skun it, and butchered it by myself. Its not that hard plus it gives me the feeling of satisfaction if i do it all by myself, including eatting it!:D

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Once again, your words speak volumes of what kind of person you are.

Scoop and lift, innards don't weigh a ton. Why is it disrespectful to the animal to not field dress it? And if the processor says "You're bringing me business, I don't complain about it" there's no rudeness involved. As far as giving meat away to another, we do that with fish all of the time. And no, we don't clean them. Those I know are happy just to get what you give them, those who complain about them not being cleaned are those who are considered rude. Ever heard the expression "Never look a gift horse in the mouth?"


I was being honestalso.And I guarantee you that if you made a remark like you did to anyone in my neck of the woods, worrying about whether or not they field dress their deer would be the least of your problems. They'd have 15 or so Z-71s and a heap of rednecks around you in a heartbeat.

Just worry about yourself, not about what others do and how they do it. I have my opinions on shooting deer with a high power scope and rifle, but I choose not to call those who do names. Isn't there something more productive about hunting you can focus your efforts toward like helping others?

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

LOL!!!

I see. No one in "your neck of the woods" field dress their deer eh?? So they would all be offended.

If that is true, those guys aren't rednecks because I am one and I can tell you rednecks (country boys) can survive...and we can skin a buck...isn't that how the song goes??

the song doesn't say.."and we can take the buck to the deer processor and don't even have to gut it because the guy needs the business":D

I'm sure some other hunter would be glad to teach you if you don't know how.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Where do you live? Sounds just like my neck a the woods.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

That's where I got confused. It should be mandatory to field dress and skin, but the time consuming part is ok to pay someone and let them do it?[:-] Whatever is convenient I guess.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Any more we just Debone it in the woods.Makes it easier to get out.

Get it to the House cut it up and package it.

big rockpile

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

What I meant by the post is......

I know guys who wouldnt hunt if they didn't have a place/person that will take their deer WHOLE (and I know a few guys like this). I give 'em credit for not killing deer with nowhere for the meat to go......but the lack of any interest in (in my opinion) "completing" the hunting experience (by at LEAST field dressing their animal)....means something to me.

If I were a butcher....I wouldn't take onethat wasn't at least field dressed......on principle.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

South Cakalacky

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

As such, to each his own. But, I think you really understand my point also. I've been around and helped field dress deer, I have no problem with it. First day of gun season the guy hunting on the other side of the road shot at first light. Couldn't find his deer and needed help tracking it, so he called me for help. We tracked the deer for over and hour and a half through horrible thickets, pouring rain and huge mosquitoes. Once we found it, it was gut shot and we'd jumped it. It ran another ten yards and dropped, he finished it off. We field dressed it on the spot, because we had to drag it out. By the time we got it out of thickets no bigger than a dog door and back into the open to get the ATV to it, it'd been three hours. My point, it was necessary in this situation. If this deer had been hit good, only run 50 or so yards and dropped in a more open area we could have scooped it up and had it to the processor before the sun was up in the sky.

There are situations, and it's no problem when necessary. But, I personally don't see it as completing the experience so I choose not to unless I absolutely have to so that it saves the meat.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Once again, you prove your ignorance when it comes to comprehensive reading. If you wereto read and comprehend, you'll notice that I never said I didn't know how to do anything involved with the process. I'll capitalize it so you can't miss it.....I CHOOSE NOT TO BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO. I never said no one around here field dresses either. I said they don't have to andalot make the same choice I do. The letters and sentences appear more clearly when you don't take the advice of your idol Bocephus.

If the animal is taken ethically and legallyin a swift manner with as little suffering as possible and all meat is used why do you seem to care either way? It shouldn't matter if the animal taken with a blow gun or a straw and spitball. Nor should it matter whether or not someone else chooses to rub blood all over themself or hang genitals on a string from their neck. I, myself, find these two things to be more disrespectful to the animal than not field dressing or butchering. By doing things such as these, you're celebrating the death of the animal rather than peacefully thanking nature for allowing you to harvest it.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Yea I think gmmat has way too much free time.Really some of the things he comes up with.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I think he secretly wants to entertain us during the dull moments. LOL He's trying to create some meaningful dialogue. OR., his wife isn't home.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

At least everyone should field dress their own deer that is how i was taught . I process my own and my friends deers but I guess not everybody enjoys doing that

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I just feel like it's a big part of the total experience. Maybe I should have just said it is FOR ME.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Do you have A.D.D. and I am serious?

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Jeff,
Give us your thoughts on the complete experience when you have shot 50 or so. Sure I gut all my deer but I leave the skin on when I take it to the butcher. Reason being is that we need to drive ona lotof dirt roads. Leaving the skin on helps protect the meat from all the dust. So everyone has a different situation.Do I know how to skin a deer? Yes. Is my experience not complete if I don't skin it myself? Ummm no!

Darrall

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

It may very well change when I've shot 50, Darrall. Granted.

I didn't post this to say anyone who doesn't field dress and butcher their deer was less of a hunter. I admit I SHOULD have said it would take something away from the experience, for me. I apologize for not getting that point across, sooner.

I know guys who won't shoot a deer.....because they don't want to field dress it. A lot of people grow up with the mantra of "You kill it....you clean it". I don't think that's all bad. I told my son this when he was wanting to shoot squirrels with his bow. He killed exactly one. I just didn't want him learning he could kill.....for the sake of killing.

My mind's changed here all the time. I can see how it wouldn't be a big part of the experience....if someone had been through it a lot of times. I think it helps, though....especially when one is just starting out.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

around here it is nont law to gut it before you take it in but i am told that it might be the law to gut it before you check it in but not sure

i was going to have the butcher gut it for me

i thought that since ihave not done it it would me more time to do it then it would to just drive back home and two blocks to the butcher.

But i plan to butcher my own now so i will do it my self

and most of the butchers around will gut it but do not recommend it or tell everyone they will

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Amen to Sevenmag, I work part time at a butcher shop and sevenmags saying hits the nail on the head. I've seen and don't take offense to this but, I've have seen to many city folks who will bring a deer in not field dressed or skinned. Now we do skin the deer brought in but there is a charge for doing it. ( $30.00 or $35.00 for a head mount). YOU KILL IT YOU CLEAN IT!!!!!!!!

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Jeff,
I didn't say it wasn't a good idea to know how to do it. Believe me I think it is. In fact it should be a law.It really pisses me off when you go by the butcher shop first weekend ofgun season and all these deer not field dressed have been dropped off. Just gives you the feeling that they just used a friends gun so they could go hunting with the boys. And could really care less about the kill other then to brag to there friends.People like this shouldn't be allowed to hunt.

Darrall

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I know where you're coming from, there are hunters and there are people who think there hunters and that's what crawls me. You here these guys who say that shot this deer running full speed and he emptied his clip and had to reload to finish the deer off. What kind of hunter is that? SORRY, but I believe in fair chase, be sure of your shot. These so called hunters not only take a chance of wounding a deer but jeoperdize other hunters in the field with there so called great shot(empty a clip). Some may need to go back to hunter safety course.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I understand. I just thought that perhaps if you were embarrassed because you didn't know how, you may claim it's by choice.

I understand. Just like most kids today know when they have their pants on backwards, still they may choose to keep them that way in orderto prove their ignorance:D

Never said he was my Idol. Where's that sharp sword of reading comprehension you so readily brandish??

I don't. YOU were the one that initially responded to my post, not the other way 'round. I personally know that the world is FULL of people that don't know how to act. Doesn't bother me. I find it more amusing than anything. Sometimes unbelievable (although that bespeaks of my own occasional naivete about the thought process of seemingly ordinary people)

Why do you care what I think??


AHH, then I guess it shouldn't matter if you try to shoot a deer in the head with your bow, or hunt in a one acre pen or anything else, right??

Many would even state that it matters to them if you walk into a 7-11 with blood on your pants or leave your tailgate down so that the general public could happen to see your kill.

But they're all wrong eh?

No one should be concerned with what anyone else does,right??

The ol' "I'm OK, you're OK"

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

I feel that neither is ethical myself. But yet, should you choose do them I will not call you a complete idiot. In the end, neither applies to gutting or skinning a deer after you kill it.

We don't have 7-11s, but it's been done many times at the Pantry or Food Lion, just not by me.The "If it's brown it's down" crowd hangs the legs through the cable supports on either side of the tailgate withthe deer laying on it whiledriving down the road to show it off. Is it necessary to put a dead animal in everyone's elses face? No, and I don't support it.

I notice you pull from context only part of thequote. Why is that? I made sure I said that the "traditions" of some hunters are things that I consider disrepectful. But, you didn't see me call them names or criticize them for doing it. Why is that? Because it's part of their experience that they may need to fully enjoy the hunt. I don't need these things. Nor do I need to cut around the anus, pinch it off, split the gut, reach up inside and cut the windpipe, drag out guys and bury them, hang a deer and skin it.....I don't need those, and there are others who don't either.

If you really want a list of complete idiots, I'll be more than happy to send you one. But, I'd be willing to bet a few of them would hit you or others on here right on the mark, as well I may be on someone else's list. But, nothing gets accomplished when A criticizes B. Would I ever pay thousands of dollars to go on a hunt with an outfitter? I don't think so. I fact, if I can't find it and kill it myself I don't see the point in bothering. But, you won't hear me calling someone else a name for doing so. Put the efforts and concerns to better uses such as ethical kills, smart shots and helping others harvest an animal, rather than worrying about what they do between the shot and the table.

RE: Dontcha think it ought to be mandatory?
 

Ive never let anyone leave my land with out field dressing. Just as you said, it wouldnt be right. Besides, i live in Texas and it is usually hot or will get hot later in the day, its much better to pack the body cavity with ice when you transport it.