Daveboone

When I was in Georgia hunting, the (much ) smaller deer made it very easy to quickly get back to camp to hoist on a gambrel and gut very neatly.
In NY most deer you want to gut first...it also as already mentioned, getst them cooling sooner. It realy isn't a good idea to open up the cavity in the field more than just from stern to the edge of the rib cage at that time to minimize getting soil, leaves,etc. inside....think quality of meat. the only trickly part in my opinion is avoiding puncturing the bladder if urine is in it. that takes some finesse...if it does squirt some pee, no crisis, just rinse it off as quick as you can.Am I remembering that Alberta is your local? if so, your critters are plenty big, and you aren't going to want to hoist them with a gambrel in the field on your own anyway.

Oldtimr

What? You only open the chest cavity to gut a deer? I am assuming what you are calling the stern is the sternum. I open my deer from the rectum to the neck and I have never had a problem getting dirt in the body cavity. The only way I can see this happening is if you drag them on the belly which would not be too smart.

Champlain Islander

I can't even imagine that. Dragged about a hundred and have not had one flip over ...yet

Oldtimr

Me neither.

8612472

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mrbb

there is NO BEST knife for this, all you need is a SHARP one, of what ever style you like
I have gutted hundreds of deer with everything from a simple razor blade (don't laugh they work great, cheap simple , and easy, and light to carry!)
to a SHARP machete, and everything in between.
the key to it is just having a sharp blade and being careful not to cut yourself or into the intestines!
take your time, go slow, NO race here
deer ain't made out of bullet proof material
so if the knife you have can cut and hold a edge for a while, you will be fine with it!

Divenut2

X2 ^^^^

Sharp Knife is key, and it does not need to be a long blade. I think a very sharp 3-4" blade is just about perfect. I have used an old Buck folding knife with a 4" blade for 30 some years and found it to be just right for field dressing game.

Champlain Islander

Yup I have field dressed a lot of deer over the many years I have been hunting. I have collected over a dozen knives in that time but always seem to fall back to my Buck 110 folder. Easy to carry and is small and lite enough to go on my belt or in my pack. Keeps a decent edge and is easy for me to sharpen. On thing with a folder though after using you have to make sure you clean out the inside of the handle for both moisture and chunks of meat. I had a nice commemorative Gerber folder that got put away with some meat left in the handle. I must have missed it after butchering a deer on the last weekend of the season. The following year I pulled it out and there was a pretty deep pit on the blade about halfway along it. Live and learn I guess.

Bob H in NH

sharp one! Shorter is actually better in my view, when you reach up into the neck to cut the windpipe, that's when I am most likely to cut myself, so smaller is better for maneuvering

Oldtimr

I gutted well over 100 deer many with a small flashlight between my teeth with a Gerber LST that has a cutting edge 2 1/4 inches long and even split the sternum on some with it. You don't need big, you need sharp and strong. And no they were not jacklighted deer, they were roadkills.