gutting a deer
 

Okay, i have been hunting for a few years, got a deer or two under my belt, but i have never really gutted a deer all by my self. We usually have a guy in our group that actually likes doing it. So of course we let him. I will be bow hunting by myself the next couple of weekends and if i get a deer, i just want to make sure i do it correctly and as fast as possible. Can anyone here detail the process for me? i would really appreciate it.

also, how fast after gutting should i get the deer cold or processed. It's still in the 70's here in WI

RE: gutting a deer
 

Go to the search function and type in field dress. You'll get tons of hits and a few with descriptions. Without a doubt, given those temps, I would be field dressing and skinning IMMEDIATELY. It would hang in my cool basement if I couldn't get it to the processor same day.

RE: gutting a deer
 

lol Don't sound so suprised there are people like us who exist. I enjoy skinning and gutting just bout as much as the hunt. Not sure if you are planning on doing this on the ground or with the animal hanging but here are just a few things to consider. Get the poop chute out of critter asap. I just cut around the outside of it then push it inside the animal. Then you should be able to grab it from the inside and pull it through the hips. When ya get this done split the pelvis with a bone saw and keep it open to cool off the meat. Splitting the brisket is important also in cooling as well as getting at the vital organs. When splitting the brisket be careful not to puncture the stomach. once the brisket is split run your knife along the membrane which encloses the gut cavity, there should be pressure on it so just nicking with the knife all the way up or down ought to do it. Then pull out the goddies all the way down to the neck where you must also remove the trachea and esophagus. You can just split the neck wide open down the front to get at the pipes easily, cut around them and pullem out. Everyone does things different, just do what ya gotta do to get the things out. I like to wash the animal off with a garden hose or something and split the animal down the spine, but if ya don't have an electric meat saw this would be time consuming. Just block the pelvis and ribs open for cooling.

RE: gutting a deer
 

I am that guy in our camp as well. I like to make sure it's done clean.

I start as Hiawatha mentioned but one point that is different from when I see others guys do it. After taking care of cutting around the rectal area. I head right up the the brisket and start there. You can get the cut started without cutting into the inards and then I lift the skin with a finger and draw the knife down all the way through the pelvic area.

It runs the knife with the grain of the hair and reduces hair in the meat and body cavity.

I have watched so many guys start at the rectum and because they are already down there the start cutting up the hide to the chest cavity. Hair getting all over the place as they go.

Nothing worse than trying to clean out hair that stuck to the meat and body. keep it clean.

Unless you are mounting I also spread open the chest cavity like H. mentioned. I had a good laugh last season watching my buddy sticking his arm up under the rib cage and up through the chest cavity trying to cut the windpipe. He was cursing because he couldn't get the windpipe cut by feel in this little doe. After watching him struggle i walked over put my knife pointing up the deer and with a few quick "pulls" cut through the breast plate and spread open the chest cavity. There he was looking right in at the wind pipe with room for both hands. We had a laugh and he proceeded to tell me he was always taught to start just below the chest cavity and reach up and in. Not a problem for a big animal and essential if you're caping it out but why struggle if you don't have to.

Get it out but try to do it clean as possible.