Field dressing essentials!
 

If you plan to succeed, you’re a step ahead of the other hunters any day. Part of a successful hunter’s plan should include the basics of field dressing, as well as a hunt kit that includes the tools you’ll need in the event of success.


First, pack a good hunting knife. Whether you choose a fixed or folding blade is up to you, but experts agree you should pick a knife you’re comfortable using and bring along a stone to sharpen it. You’ll need this to make incisions in the animal for field dressing - it will come in handy for skinning as well.
The second thing you’ll need is a lightweight saw. There are plenty of options here, including the folding variety, but the key again is finding a tool you’re comfortable with and can wield with confidence in the field. The saw will be used to remove antlers and split the brisket.


Finally, consider bringing along a lightweight hatchet or axe - some experts recommend a pair of hatchets. A good hatchet is useful if you’re going after bigger game as quartering an elk is no easy task, so you may as well be tooled up for the job.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

What do 'some experts' plan to do with the hatchets. Hack the elk ? Not only not necessary questionable at best. A decent knife, good sharpeningequipment and a full grown elk can be inviscerated, skinned and quartered in about 45 mins....if I'm doing it myself. Hatchets are for wood.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

Hatchets can be handy for splitting quarters, and getting through bone. I mainly use one to cut poles for hanging meet out of reach of scavengers, since it often takes several trips in and out to recover all the meat on an elk. There are many ways to deal with an elk, and you may not see the need for a hatchet, but that should not deter others. There was a reason most Native Americans, Frontiersmans, and others packed hatchets for 100's of years, they come in darn handy in the backcountry. I have used one of the gerbers for several years, and use it for all kinds of tasks, and with proper sharpening can use the blade as a skinning knife as well.

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One thing I've been carrying around for the last decade to assist with the field dressing of whitetails is a pair of pruning shears (small andlightwieght). They make quick work of the pelvic bone and on big bucks if knife is having trouble going through the brisket then the shears come in handy. They're much faster than a saw.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

I too carried a foldable hatchet for years, nowadays I carry a 18V sawsall in my truck for most bone cutting exercises...I know this wouldn't be a good option for the back country but it works well for an in camp cleaning when your vehicle is there. I also keep more than one sharp knife to save on sharpening again this is for in camp use where pack-ability or roomis not an issue. I also have used a machete for this purpose and it too works well...I believe that Rod was just pointing out some basic necessities that would be needed. My father in law has one of the little pack-able saws that works like a champ, he has had it for years....Till I started bringing the sawsall....;)

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All I've ever used for the last 25 years is a Buck 110 folding knife and a Gerber small folding tree saw for the pelvis bone. Just started to use disposable latex gloves too. Nice to keep blood off your hands and I use a extra pair to put my bloody knife and saw in. I find the less crap I have in my pack or pockets the better I like it.

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Old Scrimshaw Old Timer folding knife and new the pack pair of rubber gloves. I am looking forward to ripping through a deer and not have to worry about fending the mosquitoes off my hands in the early season due to to residual blood.

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I use a buck lite folding knife and i don't split the brisket or pelvis on a whitetail.

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i use a buck vangaurd to do everything. it has a really well balanced and fat handle w/ plenty of weight to split thye brisket of bucks well over the 200lb mark though i dont split the brisket untill they are hung up at camp or in the garage

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I don't bother field dressing game anymore. I just skin, quarter, put it in the pack and walk out. I use a Buck Alpha Hunter for all of my big game excursions.

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I think you guys forgot to mention the very special piece of string to tie off the butthole with.

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I carry disposable plastic gloves and a cheesecloth to put over the deer.

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I always take 2 knives. One to take care of my food, small injuries, etc (Swiss army knife). This one is never contaminated by meat. The other knife is for field dressing. It will be contaminated after use.

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I have a Buck two knife set and keep two otthers in my pack as back up. I don't worry about splitting bone in the woods. Get the deer back to the house, hang in the garage and skin it while it's still warm. cape comes off much easier. Then after it's good and cool the bone saw comes out. Or I just spend the $40 and take it to the butcher and they do it all. There's no reason why you need to split the brisket or pelvis to field dress you animal. Just reach in and scoop it out.

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i don't use anything but a sharp knife (Buck). i have learned to quarter the animal by cutting through the joints. this way there is no need to saw anything.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

Thanks all for the information. Good stuff contained in here.

Mike

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All ive used is a Smith & Wesson fixed blade knife with skinning hook and a zip saw. No need to carry the rest of the weight.

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I use a Buck 110 knife, a Gerber folding saw, and for the past two years I have used a Gerber gut hook. The gut hook is small and I don't have to worry about accidently cutting open the stomach or something else that I really don't want cut.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

I usually just carried a sharp knife with me and a pair of latex gloves. Latex gloves mainly because I bite my nails in the stand once in a while and like to have a little protection. Ive always liked to open up the pelvis and sternum to cool off the deer a little quicker. I usually saw through the pelvic bone but I might give that new "Butt out" tool a shot this year. Looked at the demo on youtube and looked pretty easy. Better than cutting out the, um, the butt hole (I hope that doesn't get sensored;)) in the field. Then I can just open up the pelvic bone later on with a saw with fear of cutting the bladder. I think every person has there way of doing it, I guess whatever way you are used to and are best at it the best way.

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I carry string, a sharp knife, gloves and rope (drag, hang,emg shelter)and a butt out tool. I used the butt out last year and it worked wonderfully. I think a lot of what you carry depends on your situation. Some people have 20 yd drag to the ATV and then a 10 min drive to the house. In that case I'd just carry my pocket knife and do it all back home. In my case the deer is a fat mullie doe at the top of a mountain, dragging through thick sage brush and down steep slopes. This year, if I'm lucky, i'm going to try just skinning it and cutting off the meet and putting it in bags. All I want is the hide and the meet anyway.Did I mention that I hate dragging?

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i rarely gut my deer, the check stations on our public land normally do it for you. if they don't, i skin and quarter it while hanging. the only thing you gain by gutting is access to the tenderloins (which aren't worth the trouble on our 100-130 pound deer). so i leave the guts intact with the rib cage and dispose of the carcass.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

thats about themost rediculousthing ive ever heard. you throw out the best part of the deer? the heart/liver and tender loins? also they dratg alot easier and cool better. you dont want all that nasty stomach acids getting in the meat

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40 bucks where you at here it runs 70 if you skin it with bone in 80 for everything

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my thoughts plan is one of two things if i get or make a hitch deer winch not sure what there called but it is just a piece of steel with a winch on it i will pull the deer up with it and gut it when it is hanging

or i will drag it back to my truck throw it on my trailgate and gut it waist high which due to a bad back will help alot

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

The Butt-Out tool was a great invention . It simplifies field dressing deer . I use a small tie wrap rather than a piece of string .


http://img.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vidmg.photobucket.com/albums/v313/fasteddie63004/ButtOutTool.flv">

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

It sounds as though everyone pretty much has his own variation for field dressing, yet all are pretty similar in most ways. Everyone who has done this a couple of times develops personal preferences, which is just fine.

I've had the following available on my website for several years and it seems to be useful, especially for those who have had little experience. I hope it helps someone again.

www.angelfire.com/bc/canuck2/gutting.html

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

to each his own but don't call someone elses practice rediculous. i have never ate the liver or heart (so i guess anyone who doesn't eat these are less of a hunter and rediculous). also, i see you are in Maine...where your deer are commonly 300 pounds (my grandfather use to be stationed up there and told me stories about the 300 pound deer in Maine). if i shot a 300 pound deer the tenderloins would be worth getting. the tenderloins on a 100 pound deer aren't even big enough to fill a small non zip lock sandwich bag. also i don't drag deer, that's what my game cart is for and there is no nasty stomach acid if you don't gut shoot deer or bust the stomach while field dressing.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

I agree with you that there's no need to call anyone's method ridiculous. As they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Butto ensure the best quality and taste of your game, you need to field dress the animal immediately after the harvest even if you don't want to remove the inner loins. Autolysis begins as soon as the animal dies and leaving the bowels and other enzymatic organs in the animal will have a negative imact on all of the edible meat.
Also, I'm not sure you are getting all you can from your animal as the inner loins are more than a sandwich-bag-full even on a fawn. Regardless of their size, they are the best cut of meat on the deer. There's no way I'd leave them behind!

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

i know you shouldn't leave the guts in for any lengthy period of time but i have never gutted a deer right after shooting it. i have also never tasted any bad or tainted venison from the guts being left in for a little while. what happens to these deer that are shot and left until the morning? even with cooler temp.'s the "stomach and bowel acids" are left in the deer for hours.

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

I agree with you there! Whatever way works best for you is the way you should use. I personally never heard of anyone not gutting a deer before but if it works for you then use it. I was always taught to gut a deer ASAP to cool down the meat. Once I find a deer, usually within an hour I'll have the thing gutted and spread open.
I also can't image leaving the tenderloins behind. Ive shot a few fawns before and they may be a little small, but you won't find any better cut of meat on any deer than the tenderloins of a young deer! My mouth water just thinking about them!!:)

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

thanks i plan on doing my first this year
i read everything i can on doing it

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sound right to me i plan on getting a game cart as well i think your better off to get to your truck then gut since the issue of dirt would be big if draging it throught he woods

now if it is a gut shot i will gut as soon i i get to it

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what gets me people say it is ok to leave a deer over night find it the next day and eat it but it is not ok to wait untill you get out of the woods to gut it

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I just remove the left ear and leave the rest in the woods!! But don't call me rediculous because I don't want to finish the job. To each his own.....

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i'm sorry i'm not "holier than thou" and walk on water like you obviously do. maybe you're just lazy because you don't keep the entire hide for clothing and ground up the hooves for medicine:eek:

some people need to seriously get a life, trust me...your shyt stinks just as bad as mine.

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lol lol that left ear is the best part of the deer and easy to carry

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The difference is a deer left overnight hasn't been moved. When you move an intact dead animal around is when you really stir the pot so-to-speak. In any case, handle them as you wish but I can assure you that you are in the minority on this one.

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i do agree with you kinda i do not think a deer should be put in a truck atv or what ever untill gutted but a 20 min hike out the woods i think would be ok

RE: Field dressing essentials!
 

up here you arent gonna have your deer out of the woods in 20 minutes lol not even close. its uaually a couple hour drag back to a road if your lucky. i come across a little brash probably but i was taught to not waste anything. i think its funny ppl worry about bullet damage cuz they dont want to ruin any meat. last time i checked tenderloins tasted better then front shoulder no matter how its prepared. i also disagree w/

"the loiins on a100 lb deer cant even filll a sandwich bag" are you kidding me?!! hahah are you sure you know where the loins are? youll go to a resturaunt and pay 30.00 dollars for an 10oz steak but not "waste your time" w/ the tender loins hahaha like someone else said, each to their own i guess.

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ya the tenderlion with be the first thing i eat off a deer
if the butcher gives them to me [:@]