Field dressing a deer

fly2cast

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About 3 years ago I started quartering the deer in the field rather than bringing them home and tying up in the garage. It is so much easier to skin and quarter in the field than it is to hang them. Plus you can fit everything in a cooler and put on ice right away so you don't have to worry about temperature.

For those that hang them, is there any advantage to doing that?
 


guywhofishes

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maximizing the ability to stay away from hair is the only reason I hang them

I hang just to skin and part out. After that I dry age quarters and neck in a fridge for 10 days or so before processing

is "inflating the skin off" really as slick as it looks on youtube?
 
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Colonel Angus

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Only reason I would quarter in the field is if were warm out (danger of spoilage before getting home). Also my dogs love giving the deer kisses when they are hanging up, so they appreciate it :)
 

Kurtr

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Gutless quarter method for me from now on. I will never drag another deer
 


Walleye_Chaser

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Putting the meat on ice immediately is not the way to go, if possible. The meat will not go through rigor mortis and hence be much tougher when you do consume it!
 

Kurtr

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off and in game bags. Other than the one i have to leave the nut on i might bone it all also

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Retired Educator

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skin on or skin off makes no difference in aging. Think about the fact that every beef steak you have eaten is most likely aged skinless. You never see hide on in a locker plant. With practice you can keep them pretty hair free in the field. Helps to have game bags. Agree about the ice deal, not needed immediately and if it's too warm make sure the ice does not contact the meat.

I'm the same that I won't drag a deer very far. Use a good backpack and walking out is much easier than dragging. That and you don't need to dress the animal. I usually do more than quarter, I go boneless. Don't eat the bones do don't haul them out is my choice. Remember, you do have to bring out identification of sex and breed of deer in some units.
 


Enslow

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I want a .30-06 ackley improved with copper bullets.
 

guywhofishes

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off and in game bags. Other than the one i have to leave the nut on i might bone it all also

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maybe it's my age but boning out or otherwise processing "down on the ground" would have my back absolutely screaming 5 minutes in

I tend to be a "quality nazi" in how I approach boning and selecting cuts for roasts, jerky, grinder, etc. so I love having the no rush luxury of tending to that stuff in the warmth of my home - with a cold beverage and some nice dinner music on... maybe wearing my smoking jacket

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I dry age my quarters

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I probably just lack "on the ground experience" - but find myself worrying about hair/dirt/grass - I hate picking or trimming a bunch of crap off - and it doesn't seem to wash off for #### either
 

SDMF

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Peel them top-down from the midline of the back down to the elbow/knee. Ring around the pelvis and above the knee, plunge to the femur, peel around the femur, done. Knuckle @ the elbow up front, peel off the front. Grab the up-side strap. Done with one side. Flop over, repeat. Dive in for the tenderloins last.

No more hair on the meat than the standard gut/hang/skin while hanging and no blood on the garage floor @ home.

I'm not a believer in "Quick cool = tough meat". I believe in "As cold as you can (without freezing) as quick as you can."

I can do a lot of things at home to make things more tender. Slow down the cooking, add acid to the cooking process with tomatoes/tomato juice/paste. If really tough, ketchup and cola in a crock pot all day. Less acid longer would be an overnight soak in olive oil, some mild heat on the BGE with the diffuser in place and a pan of apple juice on top of the diffuser to keep things moist and caramelize the crust just a little, spend ~2hrs getting to ~130ish, pull, cover w/foil for 10min, slice and enjoy the "melt in your mouth" goodness.
 

Enslow

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I’m not sold on aging deer meat just because the fat all gets cut off. I thought aging is related more to breaking down of fat than anything bwtfdik.
 

SDMF

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I'm not sold on aging meat either. Once you've killed the critter, it can't get any older ya dumbasses.
 


Big Iron

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For those of you that quarter in the field- can you get a deer back to the truck in one load?
 

Bri-guy

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I've done both and like both depending on my situation. I honestly don't buy into the "aging" of wild game. There's no fat to break down in the muscle fibers like there is in a grain-fed cow. I have hung a deer for 10 days and really didn't notice any difference. If you do the gutless method correctly, there's not much more hair than if you hang it and skin it. And there's a lot less gut goo on your hind quarters too. That's probably the biggest benefit of the gutless method for me.

I think I get more burger meat when I hang it because I'll take chunks out of the flank, neck, etc. for a few extra pounds of meat.

The best and most tender deer I have taken have been bow kills where I let them sit overnight and rigor mortis set in before I found the deer. It's not ideal in coyote country, but there was a big difference in those deer and some decent research to back up this theory.
 

3Roosters

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I’m not sold on aging deer meat just because the fat all gets cut off. I thought aging is related more to breaking down of fat than anything bwtfdik.

Actually it has to do with breaking down of MUSCLE tissue versus Fat. Muscle= toughness...breaking down muscle tissue(aging) helps said meat more tender.
 

Kurtr

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For those of you that quarter in the field- can you get a deer back to the truck in one load?


depends on how hard you want to work. It was a chore with the eberlestock now i dont see it being bad with the kifaru.
 


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