Field Dressing Deer

[wjschmaltz]

If a person does the field dressing method and leaves X amount, say a shot up quarter... could wanton waste come into play? I don't think I've ever removed meat between ribs.

Anything that’s shot up I document with pictures and video in the field and leave it behind. Example below. Same with if I couldn’t get a plane for a week and a quarter starts rotting for some reason, I document it all with photos to show it needed to be removed to save the rest.

In AK, all edible meat must be removed. If a trooper can take more than a lb of edible meat off the carcass, it can be a ticket. I don’t believe the laws in ND are nearly as stringent. IMO, they should be. Most units require quarters and ribs of moose and caribou to remain on the bone until out of the field. The unit I moose hunt in only requires quarters so I leave the rib bones behind.

 

[riverview]

pretty sure id get a fine for wonton waste in alaska. i drag and hang for a minimum of 4 days

 

[Pheasant 54]

We have done the gutless method on our deer for about a decade , luckily the weather had never been brutal when we have done it .. As far as wanton waste we take all 4 quarters no matter what , then if we cannot use we discard once home . It is slick and basically no blood etc . We then just haul it out in meat sacks,

 

[Paddledogger]

No right or wrong way?

What are we supposed to argue about? How will Vollmer pay for fishing gas if we don't get this over 100 posts?

Come on people. This simply isn't going to cut it.

I agree...it's all personal choice.

 

[Rowdie]

Get a good fillet knife and a better sharpener. I use ceramic sticks and shave the hair off my arm clean. trim all the sinew off that you can and use the seam of sinew to separate the pieces. It helps to do it with someone that know their shit. I grew up learning with the old man and brother. Have cut up well over 100 deer and antelope.

 

[db-2]

As i said earlier. gutless for me. Kid learn me that.

But I had five kids, when the youngest one was old enough to go with me, he was old enough to take care of any deer that I might harvest (a little help from me, however). And that has not been very many.

I believe he is close to 40 so I have not gutted a deer for many of years let alone shoot one. God made the cow/calf man for a reason. Gotta love those cowboys.

Why one has kids just as my old man had his boys for besides the additional tag for him to use. That I have not done as I think I was well into my 20's if not 30 before I got to use my tag on a deer that I had shot. db

 

[db-2]

she did not quit she was voted out. db

 

[svnmag]

Another heart vid. I'm a squeamish/picky eater and I'm telling y'all heart is good. One thing that wasn't done in all the vids: The meat should be tenderized with a hammer or Jaccard. I even give backstrap a little spanking:

 

[svnmag]

Question: Do y'all feel egg totally is necessary? I grew up on moist meat being dipped in seasoned flour and gravy made with water/milk and sometimes leftover coffee. I don't ever recall a bowl of scrambled eggs. I'm damn sure Mom never used them on a random bass I brought home.

IMHO: "Eggwash" is best served by stirring it into a hot-assed bowl of grits with crumbled bacon and cheese.

That is all.

 

[sl1000794]

Question: Do y'all feel egg totally is necessary? I grew up on moist meat being dipped in seasoned flour and gravy made with water/milk and sometimes leftover coffee. I don't ever recall a bowl of scrambled eggs. I'm damn sure Mom never used them on a random bass I brought home.

IMHO: "Eggwash" is best served by stirring it into a hot-assed bowl of grits with crumbled bacon and cheese.

That is all.

I guess French toast is a no-no then.

Not sure what egg wash has to do with field dressing a deer tho.

 

[ndlongshot]

Have been doing gutless for over a decade. Super clean and convenient. No mess at home. Doesnt make a big mess in the hunting rig. Throw everything in game bags.

Drug a deer home this week because the weather was nasty and I wasn't sure if I was going to mount. I've caped on the ground but its easier hanging. Anyway, brought the whole carcass home and it was a quick reminder to how much extra work and time and mess is associated with that. Back to gutless.

 

[Pheasant 54]

We use Havalon's on the gutless method , better than a hot knive thru butter , however you have to be VERY careful so you dont end up heading to the emergency room .

 

[1lessdog]

I have did gutless for many years. I built a skinning pole that fits in my receiver and hoist them in the air. I skin them and bone out in the field. All meat is cut off the bone and put in gallon size freezer bags. And they go in the coolers full of ice to cool down. Once I get home I wash the meat off and cut it into steaks and cut into smaller pieces for sausage.

There is no mess at home and discard the carcass for the Coyotes and Fox to eat.

 

[scrotcaster]

I grew up in a butcher shop and I'd say 90% of the deer meat we got in I wouldn't eat. It was covered in hair and other crap. I'd guess close to 100% of them were field dressed and hung. Not a method problem, just people didn't know what they were doing.

Now that I have numerous years of breaking down animals in the field basically because that's the only option, that's probably how I will do it from now on even if I can drive a pickup to an animal. It's just nice and easy to do it gutless and very clean IMO. Use a gut hook to strip from base of neck to tail and down back leg and then another cut by the neck. Don't cut through any hair that way and bonus for not having to deal with guts and exit parts. Both methods work fine for people that know what they're doing, but that's the route I prefer now.

One of a couple moose this year. Got the inner loins out just fine. But it is easier if you got a hatchet with and can quickly take off them last few ribs. Each of our moose this year took 2 hours or less from taking pictures to ready to pack. Quick and easy. I'll add it was about 50 degrees this day. Just laid the meat out so air could get all around it and rotated frequently. And tarp it if raining. Wasn't in the freezer until 48 hours after the kill and just fine. Outside temperatures ranged from probably 40-55 degrees in that time.

@wjschmaltz Do you mind sharing what gut hook you use? I use a havalon but it cuts the hair, I feel that a gut hook might be a better option for this cut .. Thanks

 

[wjschmaltz]

@wjschmaltz Do you mind sharing what gut hook you use? I use a havalon but it cuts the hair, I feel that a gut hook might be a better option for this cut .. Thanks

I've exclusively used this knife for the last several seasons. I think it's a fantastic tool. The hook has still been effective after at least a half dozen moose, but at some point, it would need sharpening or replacement. To me, it's so handy that I wouldn't mind having to buy a new one every couple years but the one I have is on year 5. The havalons are good, but the blades are not as stout. I've seen numerous havalon blades snap off in an animal and I've yet to break one of the outdoor edge ones.

https://www.outdooredge.com/products/razor-pro

 

[Walleye_Chaser]

I use the razor pro as well and the gut hook sure is slick

 

[scrotcaster]

I've exclusively used this knife for the last several seasons. I think it's a fantastic tool. The hook has still been effective after at least a half dozen moose, but at some point, it would need sharpening or replacement. To me, it's so handy that I wouldn't mind having to buy a new one every couple years but the one I have is on year 5. The havalons are good, but the blades are not as stout. I've seen numerous havalon blades snap off in an animal and I've yet to break one of the outdoor edge ones.

https://www.outdooredge.com/products/razor-pro

Thank you for your reply and recommendation !

 

[svnmag]

I guess French toast is a no-no then.

Not sure what egg wash has to do with field dressing a deer tho.