CalHunter

If you're still looking at videos, here's a pretty good 4-part series from South Dakota. The link is for part 1 and look on the right side of the screen for parts 2, 3 & 4 although YouTube should cue them up sequentially after you finish each part.

bornagain64

https://www.qdma.com/field-dress-deer/

bronko22000

IMO the key to a good and thorough field dressing is a sharp knife and to take your time. A small pocket saw is great for cutting up through the ribs to get in and remove the lungs, heart and wind pipe.

Father Forkhorn

I'm surely going to echo some hints that have already been said.

Some paracord is handy--if you're in trees, tie the legs apart and out of your way.

Like they said,getting the head up is helpful. That paracord can be good for that.

I use the butt out tool, but it can certainly be done easily enough without it.


Sharp knife is a must.

Bob H in NH

It's really one of the most over thought about things, it's a simple concept:


- everything in there has to come out
- don't cut the stomach or intestines (if you do, move fast get it all out and then wash ASAP)


after that, it's all technique you figure out.

YTCLT

I’ll add a couple quick points. Dragging head first does work better because of the way the fur lies. When that was my only way of getting deer out I’d tie the front legs to the neck of a doe and/or put them between the antlers on a buck and drag head first. It makes the deer sleeker and it gets hung up less. However, if you shoot something you want to mount you have to be careful dragging because you can mess the cape up pretty badly. Finally, the game carts are great...when I got one I’d gut my deer, then walk all my gear out, remove heavy clothes and maybe even change out of hunting gear althougher if I could and go back and get the deer.

hunters_life

I started using this little trick a while back. Take the Gambrel off of one of those little light cheap Gambrel rigs you can pick up at Walmart. Just take the rope and tackle. Wrap the rope around the neck of the deer, toss other end over a limb high enough to lift the deer up off the ground by the head. If you are strong enough, you don't need the little block and tackle rig. But just remember, if you nail a 250-300 pound buck like they have around here, lifting that buck off the ground is far from easy. Having it lifted does make life easier though doing it on the ground is still easy enough. But this will help keep the inside cleaner and if the area is snowy or muddy it sure makes things cleaner. And CI's "bung out" method works very well. I thought the old man had a patent on that method CI.

MudderChuck

One thing I do I didn't see mentioned is, I make a cut, lengthwise on the bottom of the neck, cut the esophagus and make a knot in it (or tie it off with a string), then cut the trachea. You can then reach way up inside the rib cage (after spilling the guts) and grab the esophagus/trachea and pull, where the frontal body organs hang up, cut when necessary. If you pull hard most of it comes out and very little cutting is necessary.

The shape of your knife tip is important, a drop point or semi drop point works better IMO, less chance of nicking the guts.

Always nice to have enough water with you to wash up afterwords or to wash off your meat in case the bladder ruptures etc.

When you are digging around in there, mostly by feel, be careful of rib bone splinters.

Every time anybody mentions gutting, I get this mental picture of my five year old son half inside the body cavity of a large Hog trying to get the heart/lungs out. He was a mess, but it makes me laugh every time I think about it. I remember thinking at the time either I was going to put him inside a garbage bag or make him ride home with the Hog in the back of truck.

Champlain Islander

I miss your dad's opinions and certainly his knowledge. He was one of a kind. The roto cram was taught to me in the early 1970's by "Burt" a salty old timer that taught me to still hunt in the big woods.

Jenks

You can buy a pack of long plastic gloves at a farm store. Farmers and vets use them to pull calves, etc. They are very inexpensive for a pack of 10 or so and are great when field dressing deer, etc. I also keep a cheap new one gallon garden sprayer full of water handy. I let it sit out in the cold overnight while hunting. Do not pump any water into the pump or a freeze could ruin the pump. Cold water is great to wash out a fresh field dressed deer and helps to cool the meat, I always do this with the head elevated. I keep a 4-wheeler or pickup close with the sprayer in it.