I let the processor gut it.

Talk about interesting posts. The only time I've ever been able to "stand over" any deer that wasn't already dead was when I spined one, which I've only done twice in my life. I certainly wouldn't "wait for it to stop kicking", that's for shore! You could at least cut it's throat with a stick like "dude from Georgia" does.:bash:

I do both. I hunt a lot of farms with depredation tags for the farmer. I drag these deer home and field dress them there. I do the same thing in urban hunts. However on public land which I usually hunt I field dress them in the field (woods)which is usually a mile or so from the truck. Can't use motorized vehicles so I leave the extra weight behind. Farmers and city folks generally appreciate no gut piles in there fields or in their yards. Same way by the park swing. When getting permission you might use no gut piles as a selling point.

if ya live on the land that you are hunting..its ok to take it home...but if you live an hour away that aint cuttin it..imo(no pun intended)

on the spot is good...we have a cleaning spot..being on 40 acres, we dont have to travel far to get to it. all deer are tracked after 20 minutes and drug up to there....1 bow season i let one lie for about 2 hours....but other than him the guts spill 30 minutes after the shot or sooner depending on if they drop or not.

It all depends on how far I am away from the truck. I to gut an hour after I shot it.

interesting, is there anywhere where it's against the law to gut them in the field?

Early In... I'm not sure you understand my post...

Perhaps you haven't shot many deer with firearms, or perhaps you've done most of your hunting from treestands or at long range, when it may take several minutes or longer to get to the deer after you shot it.. The kicking would be over by then..

Many of my deer have been shot with a firearm at fairly close range, say under 100 yards...The ones that don't run and drop ( like a heart or lung shot) were hit close enough to the CNS so they dropped on the spot... Many of those deer kicked for a couple of minutes after I walked up to them.. They certainly did not require a finisher, or if they did, I applied it promptly... They were just going through there death spasms...To try to stick a knife in a deer that is still kicking spasmodically is just inviting injury to yourself..

I hope you are not suggesting that I allowed an animal to suffer unecessarily..

i take mine to the creek where i hunt and do it there makes for an easy clean up and wash out and wash off

I kind of was, but now that you icluded the details I understand.

i gut mine right where it lays. so once i get home i can start processing it