To gut or not to gut.
08-23-2013, 11:43 AM
#41
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Virginia, near the Rappahannock where fresh water turns salty
Posts: 61
This is something dependent on area. Around here with guys running dogs they dont have the time to sit and gut the deer. They will load it in the truck that is tracking the dogs with radar and if they get a break will gut the deer. but not much down time when running dogs. Now if walk/ stalking or hunting from a stand always gut in the field. If its hot outside need to get ice in the cavity to cool the inside.
And they are just fine to eat. It's just not true that animals chased with dogs and killed are not fit to eat.
And I like to hunt that way.
And I stand hunt, still hunt, call, rattle and spot n stalk too.
But I live for the chase. Hunt deer, bear, pigs, bobcat, raccoon, rabbits, squirrels, o'possum, red and grey fox, coyote and groundhogs with a variety of hounds and chase and kill dogs. Don't have any bird dogs but really appreciate good retreivers and their hunting, flushing and retreiving etc...
Try it you'll like it.
10
08-23-2013, 12:00 PM
#42
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Deer Country
Posts: 2,244
Gut it where it falls. No way am I hauling an animal anywhere to gut it, certainly not to my house. Gut pile is usually gone in a day or two, critters gotta eat too. And in my experience, it doesn't hurt anything to gut near a stand. I've killed deer within 10yds of a gut pile numerous times, they don't pay any attn to it.
The coyotes will demolish a gut pile within 24 hours.
08-24-2013, 04:31 PM
#44
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Comance county, OK
Posts: 11,408
i almost always gut the deer where it falls. Here coyotes usually find the gut pile within an hour or two. A couple times coyotes have beat me to the deer. i've killed a lot of coyotes by setting up on gut piles.
08-24-2013, 06:12 PM
#45
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 1,462
Personally, I don't want to gut a deer near a stand that has just produced. If its a good spot, I don't want to bring coyotes around more than I have to. Even with the gut pile gone, the smell still lingers. I will say that I usually have a four wheeler or truck that will make it within 250 yards of where my deer go down and my buddies and I don't mind the extra weight on the drag out.
