Gutting Deer
 

Do you guys prefer to gut a deer on the ground or hanging? I built something to hang the deer from for skinning, just curious if you prefer to gut from the ground or hanging. I've always done it from the ground, just because I've never had anywhere to hang. Thanks.

From the ground with the chest higher than the rear. I start my incision just below the ribcage. I field dress the deer in the field and get the chest cavity open so the meat can start cooling.

I'd take the ground and often cut up to the neck

Ground. I'm not interested in carrying something extra to hang the deer with. :)

Personally, I always gut on the ground, before I begin transportation. That way I have much less weight to drag (I hunt alone mostly), and the animal can begin cooling sooner. This is especially important on the warmer days that we have been experiencing in the last few years during deer season.
Keep in mind that I hunt in Northern MN and WI, so heat here is relative to southern states during the same time frame (the month of November).

We don't even gut our deer, just pull the hide down to the neck, and cut all meat off the bone. done, just like that

I don't gut a deer anymore personally.
Any "temperature" the guts have in them, won't influence the ham and shoulders much if at all, as they are on the outside of the ribcage.

I know many will start screaming at that, but I have retrieved so many deer the next morning for people over the years, without any "flavor" issues, that I started doing it this way, and now do all my deer.

I lay it on it's side, and cut the legs off at the knees.
I then cape out both legs and body from tail to head from the belly up, and fold the hide up over the back.
I then remove whole shoulder, and whole ham, followed by 1/2 backstrap showing, neckmeat, and whatever flank meat, misc. meat you can pick off.
Then, I fllp the carcass over, and do the same to the other side.

When done correctly, all that is left is a head, spine, and ribcage with organs intact.

Very little mess, except from wound(s).

I bought a used stainless restraunt table for $60, with a sink well built into it. Works great.

I have used a tailgate as well.

Just posting in case someone wants to do a deer this way.

Aren't ya missing alot of the backstrap that way?

He's also missing the tenderloins by not gutting it. As well as the heart, now that is a fine piece of meat, when fried with taters and onions.

That's what i'm thinkin! :( my favorite part.

You can reach in there and get your fingers under the T.loin, and pull them out (cut slit behind rear "blade"). Admittedly less than surgical, but it works easier than it sounds. They work out easy.

We have done dozens of deer over the years both ways. The meat difference is very small. Very little if any backstrap inside the cage depending on size. Tenderloin on normal 85lb southern doe is what..maybe a 1 lb? If that. If you don't take it.

Of course I do admit I don't eat the organ meat.
I have all the beef liver I can hope to deal with in my lifetime, so I'm good on my favorite organ.

For what it's worth, over the years, the meat I see wasted the most, is two nice fat shoulders, with an explosive hole blown through them, and a billion bone fragments from at least one shot from some mega-blaster.
What saddens me, is how most consider THAT waste, as an expected acceptable loss, with a jolly pat on the back.
The local processor and I had the same discussion. He gets comlaints some times because the finished product is less weight than the hunter thought it should be.
He has to say "you basically ruined the shoulders?!.."
He swore he was going to start taking pictures.

You would also be missing the rib meat. The rib meat gets ground. It is not tenderloin, but it is still meat that I do not want to waste.

Gutting the deer is the first step in preserving the meat and this is the reason we hunt. Why skip out on something that could ruin the deer. Also when gutting them you make sure that you've got a healthy deer. It takes what... a whole 5 minutes with a good sharp knife. I wouldnt take shortcuts here.

the only time i gut my deer is if i need coyote bait. otherwise i do not. it does not hurt the meat. it does not make it taste any different and to me its not worth it. the tender loin isnt enough to fill a man up and ribs aint worth messing with eather. backstrap hams and shoulders do me just fine. we aint got the 200lb deer yall have up north and out west. no neck roast eather.

nope, I am able to sneak in and get the tenderloins, as for the heart it is usually not there

i hang mine by the neck, make my cut from the rib cage down, and everythings exits itself. very quick and easy.

You can still get the Tenderloins out by either going in through the rib cage in the back or cutting going in through the top of the stomack without having to gut the animal.

I have always field dressed deer while they are on the ground . What is the advantage of hanging a deer and gutting it ?

thats just not right i think thats f'n gay

I start by cutting around the butt hole and spliting the pelvis bone, I then take the privates and follow the white hair all the way to the chest cavity on both sides, carefully not cutting the stomach open yet. I then take the blade and guide it with my index finger and open the belly up and move all intestines and crap off the side and pulling everything out. The butt should go with the instestines. I then open the diaphrm and reach up and pull the wind pipe out (cut if needed) and remove all vital organs. Get all blood out and ready to wash out.

haven't gutted a deer in years. you can get everything you want except the ribs and organs without gutting and there ain't much meat on the ribs. we even debone the hams as we go. you don't need anything but a knife to totally clean a deer.........tony....

we never take out the anus or bladder when gutting. we hang from the neck. we do not have freezer room for shoulders, necks,ribs. we just use the hams, backstraps, and loins.