field dressing a deer....how??
 

ok...so this is my 3rd year deer hunting and all 3 were with a shot gun and were unsuccessfull....well this year im bow hunting andive never really known how to field dress a deer....can someone help? also...do u HAVE to field dress it? cant you just take it right to the processer??? ya sorry im new and i dont know how to field dress a deer....

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

The easiest way is to have some one show you ,but if thats impossible I have seen videos on line that explain it from start to finish. Try a goggle search and so what comes up.

With all bow kills make sure you know where the broad head is before you start, did it pass thru or is it still in the deer .Grabbing a razor sharp broad head is not a good idea. Also broken ends of carbon arrows can cause a nasty wound.

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

here you go ,good luck.

http://www.whitetails.com/deer_info/field_dressing.cfm

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

its very simple and hardly messy if you know what your doing...very hard to describe in words though...



i will say that field dressing SHOULD be done if at all possible...exspecially in anything over 30-40 degrees...should be field dresses ASAP..

also you are leaving a good....ahh 20? pounds of blood and guts in the woods instead of dragging it out...this accomplishes a few things....1 is obvious..less weight...2) you dont have to find somewhere to dispose of the guts like you might if you took it home to an urban area or something like that...3) the gut pile is a food source for alot of the critters of the forest...a way of giving some of the kill back to the forest...


best way to learn would be have someone help you and show you...really theres nothing to it....everyone has their own methods...some guys make it into a surgical procedure, others are done and cleaning up before you can find your knife in your pack...end result is the same...guts out of the deer...

like Jim said, gotta be careful....arrow shafts, broadheads, splintered bone, your own knife etc....ive been cut by bone and my own knife a few times...ive probably gutted near 20 deer and aim getting pretty good and quick....gotta remember where your knife is, what way the edge is facing, and where your other hand is...ive seen most cuts by knives occur when the person is reaching up the cut the esophogus...keep your left hand on the windpipe...knife hand ahead of your left hand with the blade facing the neck and you cannot cut yourself...then pull hard on the windpipe with your left hand and slice it with the knife...which is still a bit forward of your left hand...

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

another:

http://www.huntingnet.com/articles/field-dressing-your-deer.aspx

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

Try this link it shows it pretty good as a video http://www.rihunts.com/hunting/field.dress.1.htm

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

Don't be intimidated by it. The first time I did it I hadn't ever seen it done, watched a video, or nothing. I suppose the video is going to be a big help, but here's just a few tips.

Make sure you have a good sharp knife. Size doesn't matter. Before I start I stip off most of my top clothes, down to the base layer, then roll up my sleeves. I also open my canteen while my hands are clean. I find one of the hardest things is keeping the dang legs where I want them while I'm cutting. If there are small trees around, I usually try to hook one of the back legs around it while pinning the other one down with my foot. I find the end of the sternum and cut through the skin right there. Incidentally, as you're doing all this cutting, it helps if sweep hair out of the way as you go; less hair in the mix. Once I have the cut under the sternum, I put the tip of my index finger along the top of my blade with the tip of the finger protruding beyond the blade tip. This allows me to cut right on down the center quickly and easily without worrying about puncturing stuff I don't want to puncture. Once he's open, roll him so the opening is downhill (if there is a downhill), then reach on in there and start pullin' stuff out. You'll be able pull apart a lot of the connecting tissue with just the hook of your index finger, but some of it will need cut. Some of this is blind cutting so just be careful you don't cut yourself. Then the bung hole. If you can prop the butt up on a log or something it exposes the hole better. Some people cut right through the cinch bone (I think that's what they call it), but I don't. Cut around the bung hole from the outside, hook and pull out connective tissue from the inside until it's all free, then pull it right out from the inside.

A couple things to remember: watch where you lay your knife cuz it's easy to lose it, believe it or not.I always lay it right next to my gear. Also, cut off the esophagus up into the throat as far as you can reach from the inside. This is one part that begins getting nasty (between death and the butcher) the quickest.

When I'm all through I usually try to locate the bladder and drain it into a couple of 35mm film cannisters I carry. Free scent. I also always cut the stomach to see what he's been eating, but make sure you do this last, as it's disgusting and you don't want it on your knife when you're still field dressing.

Some folks save and eat the heart and liver, but they're high in cholesterol. I save 'em for dog and cat food.

Have fun.

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

Don't worry DH 515--you will do fine. I watched a guy field dress my first two deer I shot.....after that, I tried it on my own. Practice makes perfect, so dive in (just not into the guts!) Watch a video, talk with guys on here, possibly watch someone else do it.

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

The fields dressing is easy not getting dirt and hair in the meat can be difficult..

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

You have no Idea how similar our situation is. I could have written the question for you. I have been reading a lot on field dressing, and look up some utube videos. Where do you plan on hunting in IL?

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

All those vids seem adequate. Im not being a prick, but one should really know how to field dress a deer before entering the woods. Study up and good luck. I hope you get to use your new found skills!!

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

Do you mean inadequate?

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

It's has been said very well in previos posts. I haven't dressed that many deer myself the only thing that I would add is try not to puncture the bladder or intestines while there in the deer cause they can spoil the meat. Along with that the dirt and hair that does get inside can be washed out, just get out the hose and spray off the meat. My biggest pain is the legs as they always seem to be in the way and I have been kicked trying to get the deer into position. Guess thats there way of getting back at me!:DGood luck
Matt

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

I suggested this in a thread a few weeks ago.....

Ask all of your friends who are also hunting to call you when they have one down. Go to them and watch what they do....or better yet.....let them let you do it and them give you direction.

Good luck.

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

Try this link it shows it pretty good as a video http://www.rihunts.com/hunting/field.dress.1.htm

This link by Rhody Hunter is excellent..I teach the slow learners in school,,so let me explain this like i would teach at school.;)
A. If the deer is a buck there are musk glands on the legs{ Near his elbows.;)}.kind of like a circle of hard skin..cut these off.
B. Cut around anus and sex organs..carefully..remove. try not to cut though the colon.
C. open up the chest through the center of the rib cage..and toward sex organs,,pull all the guts out...
D. grab deer by the antlers and drag to vehicle..:)
WE ARE DONE..

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

If you aren't going to keep the tarsals.....why do this? If it isn't rut time.....what difference does it make if it's a buck or a doe? Or...even if it IS a doe....what difference does it make (sometimes;)).

I find this step "unnecessary".

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

If you aren't going to keep the tarsals.....why do this? If it isn't rut time.....what difference does it make if it's a buck or a doe? Or...even if it IS a doe....what difference does it make (sometimes;)).

I find this step "unnecessary".

You may be correct..but that was passed down to me by my grandfather..:)and grandfathers know everything.;)

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

GMMAT, great advice about field dressing OTHER peoples deer....thats how i learned to be speedy at it...theres only 2 of us in the "crew" that can gut a deer and have it on its way to the truck in a speedy fashion....we dont like to waste time on our drives...get in, get out, get into the next woodlot...i also like to gut because that immediately gets me outta dragging! lol....we can usually get a truck REAL close to the downed deer, but sometimes we cant and it can get ugly...but, i usually do end up dragging as well lol..

also, ive heard about the gland removal thing too....guy that was with me when i shot my first deer made gutting into a surgical procedure...im not lying, we were there a half hour or more..we did remove the glands from the doe...some swear is makes the meat taste different....as well as letting them hang, some skin and let them hang, some leave the skin on, some bleed their game etc etc.....different people believe different things...i dont know...ive aged them, cut glands off, etc etc...i can never tell the difference...

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

GTD...ill be hunting in paw paw illinois...and yourself??

RE: field dressing a deer....how??
 

Marseilles (public hunting grounds)