How do you gut your deer?
 

Okay so how many of you guys split the hip bone when you are gutting your deer? And how many of you guys gut the deer without splitting the hip bone? And what about the rib cage how many of you guys split or do not split the ribcage? I know that I used to split both but last year a guy showed me away to gut the deer with out splitting either the hip or ribcage. It is much easier and quicker in my opinion. But lets get yalls opinions on the issue.

I guess I should say that, I hang the deer head up which is the opposite of how most people do it. I do it this way so that there is no chance for fecal matter or stomach contents (if damaged) to leak on to most of the meat. Any leakage goes downward.

After cutting the deer from top to bottom, I split the rib cage because it gives better access. I have a rib spreader which holds the sides apart. I cut the esophogas and cut right down the spine and cut the colon at the anal opening. That is when any leakage departs. If all goes well, the entire insides come out in one piece. I clean out the anal opening with a stick which, is pushed from inside out to clean any remains.

Sorry if this sounded like an anatomy lesson. With sharp knives the process takes 10-15 minutes depending on how numb my hands are.

I don't gut deer period.

we hang from hind feet, strip hide to the head, remove front legs, pull backstrap, squeeze in carefully and get tenderloin, debone meat right off hind legs, bang done. never touch guts.

yes a little meat wasted but we have a deer population problem and I do my part, when I kill 2 does a day when I am in depopulation mode I don't have all that kinda time.

I don't split the hip and most of he time I don't split the chest either.
I just reach in and cut the esophogus.

A sharp knife will slice right through the sternum of the rib cage right up to the neck. If you have a knife with a saw blade you can use that to saw apart the hips but what I do is cut around the rectum and with string I tie off the colon. Then from inside I tie off the colon in 2 places an inch or so apart, Then separate the colon between the two tie off spots. This prevents anything from coming out during the removal of the entrails. Then cut the diaphragm from the chest wall, reach up into the neck and cut the esophagus and everything comes right out.You can work to get the colon and rectum out now, or later when you can easily split the hips apart, with no worries of contamination since you have tied them off. A hatchet is also a good tool for splitting the hips.

zip from the v in the chest down around the genitals not cutting the bag, cut around butt hole or use butt out tool, reach in (poke through tissue) up the neck up to your shoulder and cut the esophagus as far up as possible, flip it over with legs spread and everything comes out, done.

Dang, must be a North Carolina thing...My buddies and I have amazed others on how we can get the tenderloin out without dropping the guts...

We debone the hams as well, unless someone wants a whole ham to smoke...Then we pop the ball and socket joint at the hip and remove the ham...The only time we use a saw is to cut off the tail and cut the front legs off...

Usually crack the ribs, use a butt out. Reach up, pull out the esophogas and 90% of the guts with it.

For the guys who don't gut - do you really want to drag that much extra weight? For a monster buck, you could be dragging 40-50lbs. unless you guys shoot your deer right where you can drive the truck to :D

I don't drag deer, quit that years ago...

Depends upon where I'm hunting, most of the time I run a 4-wheeler up to them and throw the deer on the front rack...

On game land, I carry a rachet pulley in my backpack...I find a tree to hoist the deer and debone in the field...I put the meat in garbage bags, put in backpack and come out with them...

I don't split the hip or chest. Just gotta roll up the sleeves and reach in!

I aint draggin crap more than 50-75 yds to a path I can get my 4 wheeler to.

I know what you mean, if I was way back in no where, I would be lightening the load though.

actually if I was in that case I would still do what I do, just out there and would carry a black garbage bag with me and just carry the meat out, and head if a buck. so I still wouldn't drag no 200+lb deer anywhere

Father in law splits the hip but I don't he does it so it cools faster but I don't do it in the field because I don't like all the dirt and leaves getting in there when dragging it.

X2 on the butt out that thing works great! I pull it out tie it then pull it back thru after its all free.

And save yourself a tag in the process. JK haha

I do basically the same thing, but I hang them head up! After I get everything off of the carcass, I let it down on its belly and reach in around the backbone and get the tenderloins.

Not an option in many states, especially those that require you register your deer before you can butcher it. I don't split either hip or ribcage. Just cut around the anus, cut the windpipe, and the entire guts come falling out if you can tip the carcass so that it's facing downhill.

I think too many people make a big deal out of gutting a deer...doesn't take long if you have a sharp knife and know what you're doing (10-15 minutes).

I've field-dressed a lot of deer. I've watched others do it various ways over the years. This video is by far the BEST way I've seen of doing it. Did it this exact way on my last deer--love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECdaKBbmGnU

In the field I don't split the ribs or the hips. I get the guts out and as much of the esophogus as I can without getting too messy. Once I get it home I hang it by the back legs and then split it open and get it cleaned out better and spread open to cool.

One the subject of tagging...Simple solution, carry a pen and a cell phone...I call in when I lay my hands on the deer, write down the verification number and I'm legal...

We get unlimited doe tags here, just pay $10 for two...So legally, we can kill 6 deer without buying more and if I need more I can get them...

Yep, that's in your state. In many states, you have to physically bring them to a registration place (often a gas station or other business). Can't have it quartered, skinned, butchered, etc until after you have that little metal tag affixed by the registration center. So my point remains the same...many (most?) of us don't have the luxury of butchering our deer on the spot.

No prob...I just didn't want you guys to think I wasn't tagging my deer...

We can now quarter it in WI, which I think is fairly new and that we used to have to bring completely intact deer to be registered.

This all reminds me of a joke... :barmy:

These two (ethnic choice is yours) are dragging out a buck by pulling on the legs. The horns are catching on every bit of underbrush and they're having a heck of a time. They come upon another hunter and he says "guys, you're doing that all wrong. Grab it by the horns and it will just slide along easily over everything" and so the two tried it. One of them says "geez, that guy was right, this works a whole lot better" and the other one says "yeah, I know, but aren't we getting farther away from the car?"

Oh well. :eek2:

There's no real need to split the pelvis or sternum to field dress. I cut around the anus and pull everything back into the cavity. Splitting the pelvis can result in breaking the bladder, which isn't really what you want.

Some guys like to get elbo deep in the yuck. I'm not one of them. I want it done fast and clean and don't really need to lighten them up because our drags are usually pretty short.

We drag them whole to a place where I can get to them with my lawnmower/tailer and load them up. Take them to the skinning rig I built and split them while still on the trailer from Rectun to jaw, using a hatchet to split through ribs beside sternum and breast bone.

Put on gambrel and hoist it up a bit, (with hand crank boat winch) cut out the brown hole, reach in and carefully pull all that through without damaging bladder or intestines. Cut it all loose from spine as it all falls into a big (old) cooler all the way to the tounge! Takes about 5 minutes total and I don't bloody past my hands. Everything but the front shoulders are boned while hanging adn I do them on the table the next day prepeing the meat for grinder. Everything I want packaged whole is vacuum packed the next day after a short soak in cold water overnight in the utility sink. Everything else gets pre-processed (cut up) for grinding, refrigerated overnight adn ground, packaged and froze the following day.

It takes 1 hour from the time the trailer backs in until the whole thing is in my sink ready for the next step. We use the cooler to also catch all the rest of the scrap and haul it off and bury it. We try to keep the smell down where we dump it by doin that but now the coyotes are thick enough that they clean it up pretty quick. Might not even bury the stuff this year.

Normally, I gut my deer as soon as I can after it expires. I cut around the anus and then use the butt out tool. If it's a doe I cut the milk sac out. If it's a buck I start in same place, but get the boy's privates detached. After that I start cutting up the center to halfway up the sternum to allow reaching in to cut the esophagus. I sever that and then make some cuts along the ribs to detach the connective tissue and start yanking. Everything usually comes out with maybe a few more remaining cuts.

Once back to the house I either lay it on a table or hang it up. I prefer to hang it. Then skin and quarter and place in cooler. Then I reach in my other cooler and grab a cold beer to celebrate!!

In Maryland, we can check in deer online. We have up to 24 hours to do so.

Why do you guys want to mess with the anus???

Learn to cut around the lower backbone and cut down to the ball
and socket joint on the ham...Take a stout knife and pop apart the
ball and socket and the ham comes off...No saw needed, no playing
with the anus...

Now you tell me, after I dragged a big boy out last weekend. ;)

Actually, wouldn't have mattered anyway, because it's easy for me to throw it on the cart. I'd rather butcher it back at the house than in the field (much more sanitary). Good to know though!

With a steak knife??? yep, my buddy just had fanny pack stolen on Sat, arrowed a doe Sun mornin, went back to the camper it was only thing he could find. Last year he came out of the forest with jacket sleeve cut off, we rolled on the ground laughing.....

I never field dress deer. But the place I clean them is on the same property. I take the legs off at the knees, skin the hind legs down to the hip then put the gambrel in. Hoist the deer up and take the head off, then skin down the hind legs, cut around the butt hole, pull the rectum up and tie it off. Run a chain with a rope on each end through a ring in the ground and tie around a golf ball and the hind quarter hide. Use the electric hoist to skin the deer. Then split the rib cage from sternum all the way and down the throat. Then cut the belly from the pelvis down to the sternum and the guts will fall out with minimal handling. When the guts are out and in the tub pull out the esophagus. Clean out with the water hose and put in the walk-in . We hang them with a Z shaped rod that goes up through the pelvic opening and hangs on a beam. Don't cut through the pelvis.

I cut as little as possible. I see guys dragging deer out that look as if they used a chain saw. Split ribs, split pelvis, all the glands (real or imagined) cut off and leaves and dirt all over exposed meat that is cut away by butchers because it is dried out. I remove the guts from the esophagus back to the butt hole and leave it in until I cut it up. It is a crime the way some people handle a deer after it is killed. No wonder they give it all away because nobody in their family likes the taste of venison.

cut the hide up to bottom of rib cage,down around the genitals then down to the anus on both sides of the piss tube. cut around the anus so its loose. go up cut the stomach lining down both sides to splene then reach in cut esophogus. flip deer on side everything rolls out and done. after you done a few you can get to having this process done in 5 minutes or less .

It's obvious from all the posts here that there's lots of good ways to accomplish the same end result.:cool2: I haven't tried it yet, but am intrigued by the gutless method; by all accounts it works well.

Here's how I've done it for several decades; no better or worse than many other variations.

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