mufan

I've been gutting deer for about ten years and I still manage to cut into/knick the stomach more often than I would like. The last deer I shot I put his butt on a down hill slope so the guts would move away from the sternum and tried to cut shallow under the sternum and still knicked the guts. I cut and pull the skin back so I have a good cutting area. Once I get the initial cut I'm good.....i use a zipper blade. Is there an easy way/trick to prevent cutting into the stomach on the initial cut?

whitetaildreamer

Pull the skin up with one hand and cut slowly with a sharp knife with the other on the skin tht you have bulled away from the belly. You only need a little cut so that you can get a couple of fingers in the cut and then pull the skin up from the body. Use a gut hook or reverse you knife and keep it between your guiding fingers untill you hit the rib cage.

sandilands

I start at the brisket. Cut down until you've gone thru the hide, put 2 fingers in and spread them out like a peace symbol. Put the blade of the knife b/w the fork made by your fingers and start going down towards the nutz or titties. Once you get to the pelvis split the hide until about 1.5" away from the anus. Cut around the anus and use a string or zap strap to tie bum hole. Once this is done you have a choice, you can either split the pelvic bone or leave it. It really doesn't matter. But if your having problems with anything I would recommend that you split....... its slightly easier to get everything out. VOILA
Here's a Q for you now. What kind of knife are you using? I hope to hell it ain't no RAMBO knife. Small is all u need. I use a schrade sharpfinger or a buck 110 folder at most....... about 3" blades. Anything more and the blade just gets in the way and you lose control. I could gut and skin a deer with a 1.5" razor blade

andy da animal

Sandilands makes a great point! the bigger the blade the harder it is to keep control of the knife, and the end of the blade ends up everywhere! you dont need a blade longer than three inches! also make sure the knife is razor sharp! if its not then you will need to apply more pressure, which equals well. it equalls your problem!

Steelcity

Hey guy whats the big deal if u do puncture the stomach, just rip everything out, a little stink never hurt anybody

andy da animal

steelcity:

you are right it does just stink, however if i can avoid having to smell that i will do everything in my power to make sure i dont have to smell it! my first year hunting my uncles slug hit a tiny limb, im talking 1 milimeter and deflected the slug into the bucks gut! he told me to gut it, "for experiance"! telling me he will guide me through it but let me do it! i trusted him and said sure! to this day i am scepticle of everything he tells me, and will do anything in my power to avoid puncturing or gut shooting a deer! that smell is god awful!!!!![:'(][:'(][:'(]

mufan

I do have a small knife.

I shave back the fur first. The layer underneath is too slippery for me to grab plus the skin is very tight because the entrails are pushing against it with alot of pressure.

ps. Is there a way to cut the buthole out without breaking the butt bone. I typically just cut the large intestines as close to the butthole as possible and scoop out the droppings.

andy da animal

did you see the tool they call the "butt out tool", it was in the offseason forum a little while ago! my uncle uses it and swears by it! personally i have never used it! you can buy itanywhere for cheap to, its only like 19.99 at walmart!

Beezer

And that is why I just took mine straight to the processor!!

Given the need I could field dress one easily enough. But, living 15 minutes from the processor and hunting within a mile of the house means I can get the deer to the truck and to the processor within 30 minutes. They pull it from the truck, hang and weigh it, take pics, gut it, skin it and even cape it if you want to have a mount. Afterward, they'll even wash out your truck bed.

I know not everyone lives in an area that they can harvest a deer and have it in the cooler within an hour. If I didn't, I'd be willing to do everything myself. I'd just rather not if I don't have to. I've only killed one deer mind you, but I only need enough from two or three to last us for what we want to eat. For any other deer I can kill that I may not want, I can just leave them under another guy's name and call him. He'll call the processor and give him his butchering orders.

nchawkeye

Why do you gut them??? I carry my cooler with me in the truck...Throw the deer on the front rack of my 4-wheeler, hang the bottom of my climber to a tree and pull the deer up with a rachet pully...I go get my cooler and strap to the front rack of my 4-wheeler and pick up my saw from the truck...

I fillet out the back straps, cut off front legs and remove shoulders...I usually bone out the hams...But if you want whole hams take your knife, cut down to the ball and socket joint of the hip, cut the tendons and pop out the ball, cut off hams and cut off the leg...To remove the inner tenderloins, make a small incision in the short ribs...So far, no need to gut...If you want the ribs, you can now make your cut and remove ribs with the saw...

There is definately no need to mess with the butt or the pee sac, learn to remove the hams by popping out the ball and socket joint, or learn to bone out the hams...

This way, the rest of the deer is left in the woods, which is most natural, within a week, it will be gone....