Champlain Islander

I gut them where they lay. Our deer are too big to drag when they are full of guts. Needless waste of energy especially if they are a mile from the truck.

Pygmy

Thanks...Glad to clear that up... No offense taken....

I have no hesitation to administer a "coup de grace" when appropriate... However, many animals, when hit in the neck or shoulders and dropped on the spot thrash around for a couple of minutes before they expire, just like a deer that you double lung with your bow may run 100 yards or so before it cashes in..

Kinda like a headshot turkey or a chicken with it's head cut off flopping around..I've seen THAT go on for 3 or 4 minutes ...

HuntingKS

On the spot. Get it cooling and don't have to worry about what to do with the gut pile at home. Less weight to drag too.

7.62NATO

Where or very close to where it drops. If I can find a downhill slope really close, I drag it there first, then gut. It probably is easier to gut from a tree, etc, but by the time I get the rope rigged up, I'd already be done on the ground.

Daveboone

I immediatly gut it, perhaps after moving it a very short distance to a knoll or terrain dip to assist in the rolling and draining. It is all about cooling the meat asap. If I am in a farmers field or someplace the gut pile may be unsightly, I just scoop em up and toss them into the brush. Deer are not bothered by the mess left behind. I have seen them hours later browsing near and sniffing the guts without any alarm at all. I actually had a game cam pic of a doe apparently nibbing at the gut pile. I am thinking attracted to the salt in the blood?
My brother in law always leaves the gutting to the butcher, with a delay of hours. Crappiest meat I ever have, year after year.

vadeerkiller

I'll go the other way on this, I don't gut mine at all. I usually clean them within an hour or two if warm outside. The only thing I'm missing by not gutting is the sweet meat.

driftrider

I always field dress my deer where they die, or as close as practical. I've been known to drag the deer 20-30 yards to a clear spot to make the task easier. Otherwise there is no good reason NOT to gut them ASAP. The guts are where 90% of the bacteria responsible for decomposition and spoilage are at the time of death, so removing them ASAP reduces the rate of decomp significantly. Also, removing the entrails and opening the carcass greatly speeds the cooling of the carcass (and allows you to pack the carcass with ice if necessary), which also preserves the meat. Thirdly, I don't know about you, but since the guts constitute roughly 1/3 the live weight of the deer, I'd rather remove them and lighten the carcass than drag the whole weight of the deer.

Mike

vabyrd

What in the heck are you talking about?

IL-Cornfed

I prefer to fielddress my animals in the field but not near any of my stand set-ups.

I've talked to several folks who prefer to dress their deer when they get home... they say this is to keep debris like dirt and such out of the cacass.

Scottdnramember

I hunt mostly in my back property. Any deer taken are loaded onto a trailer behind a lawnmower and moved to by skinning pole where I can do the job comfortably and easily and control where all the yuck goes.

This year (Yesterday) I took the carcas and guts from the last deer and placed in the back field to try a little Coyote/Fox hunting over it.

I hate to gut one laying on the ground. Hanging up is a lot easier faster and cleaner.