Moose quartering opinions reference ribs and field dressing process.

Clay00019

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What is the purpose of leaving ribs on the rear quarters?

When we field dress a moose we cut the rear quarters immediately after the last rear rib and keep all ribs on the front quarters.

Our process (fly in hunting party of 4)
  • Gut and keep heart & tongue.
  • Skin and leave carcass on hide to keep meat clean as possible.
  • Chainsaw- remove head.
  • Chainsaw- split in half neck to tail.
  • Remove tenderloins.
  • Chainsaw- after the last rear rib to make the 4 quarters.
  • Chainsaw- remove leg end/hoof.
  • Game bag and carry out on a lightweight aluminum stretcher to the boat.
  • Final clean/hair removal and new game bags back at camp.
Thanks
 
I'm a bone-out-the-ribs kinda guy, leave that extra weight of the rib cage behind. That said, I've only shot deer and bear, so maybe I'm missing something with regards to moose?
 
I quarter a moose (or anything else for that matter) with a knife only. I cut the back quarters at the hip socket and front quarters at the shoulders. Other than the head and antlers, those are the only bones I take out of the bush. Depending on the pack out, I'll even debone all four quarters in the field and only pack out the meat.

Everything else is cut out and placed in game bags; neck meat, backstraps, tenderloins, rib meat, etc.

I 100% skin in the field when I quarter an animal and put the pieces in game bags as they come off of the carcass. I've lost meat on a September bull 10 years ago after having left the hide on quarters. Never doing that again.
 
Basically when you cut a beef animal you cut the 3rd rib down there about for the end of the t-bone steak and start of rib steaks. I like to strip out the whole loin right up to the shoulder blade on a game animal and get what steaks there are.
 
Scruffees way is the way. No need to use a chainsaw just a knife will do. Even to remove the head. With cwd running rampant on the prairies I would rather not cut the spine unless absolutely necessary.
 
True quartering is as said, run a bandsaw up and down, left and right to make 4 quarters
What we do with game is hardly quarters but thats the label used
four legs, backstraps and inside loins, neck meat is one large boneless,
and recently the rib meat comes off with the rib-roll method, from the flank to the brisket

one learns good knife work in the Yukon hunts where 'all edible portions' means 'all', white bones are left with no red attached
 
Yup scruffees way , but depending on time and distance I will take out the bones also my mutts like to chew on them.
Deer usually colder just gut them and haul home , then cut up in garage with knife debone them
 
Me, since I tried gutless method a several years ago, have done that ever since.

The last moose I helped out on we did gutless as they have never done it that way and wanted to watch and learn. After we finished and had all the meat removed, we used a portable Sawzall and removed both rib cages. Left the rib meat on purposefully as we were gonna have a rib feast over the open fire the next day in camp.

Most butchers charge by hook weight when you drop off meat if you choose a butcher, and charge you for the bone they just cut out. Unless close, and you really like soup bones, there is just no need for the extra weight of the back bone and hips.

If you butcher at home, and have the means to use all the bones, then go for it, and haul it out. For me it depends on access and trips to get the meat out. All the back bone is just dead extra weight for me, that if I bring home I then need to find a way to dispose of.

Me I try and carry a lite tarp and when I cut the 1/4's off get put on the tarp to cool, and get bagged as soon as I can. They keep cleaner that way, and no chance of fly contamination.
 
Skin one side, remove rear and front leg, place into separate game bags. Flip moose onto inside of hide from the skinned side and now repeat process on other side. Next skin out to head, remove head at atlas joint. Debone neck, backstrap, tenderloins and meat in between ribs. Hang back at camp and the day before flying out, debone the four legs.
Charter flights are expensive, I'd rather bring extra gear and food/drinks than fly out bones.
 
Chain around the withers, truck box mounted 3K quad winch and a loading ramp. Pull them in whole and ungutted. Drive to the nearest Hutterite colony and drop it off, come back in a couple of weeks for the meat.
 
I'm a bone-out-the-ribs kinda guy, leave that extra weight of the rib cage behind.
I'd never bone out the ribs, EVER! There is no finer stew (moose or beef) than short rib stew. With the meat left on cut the ribs in about 1.5" sections.

I know a fellow that always did his moose like you and lost the rib meat to the grinder until I advised him of how to cut and cook short ribs. He and his wife now rave on how good they are to eat.

We used to cut them all the time in the meat shop I worked in. Very old school stew. That's my absolute favourite cut and dish on the animal.
 
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