Do you gut your own deer?

[jaydog]

Growing up I started at the throat, the old man started at the arse and we met somewhere around the diaphram...... We could gut and quarter a moose in a few minutes no problem!
I still remember the first animal I shot after leaving home and thinking to myself "I wonder what you do with the bottom end???".
The circulation in my hands is pretty bad so doing my own gutting is a happy opportunity to warm up some frozen fingers!

 

[Suka]

Exactly, I've been on Nov. hunts where no matter who shot the deer it's a race to see who get's to gut it just so you can get some circulation back in your fingers.

I, too gut every newbies first deer, expaining and showing. 2nd one I hold the front legs and verbally guide through.

 

[kayaker1]

Other than learning on your first, how can you be a hunter if you don't/can't gut your own game??

 

[steve-o1979]

Other than learning on your first, how can you be a hunter if you don't/can't gut your own game??

Easy...go hunting...shoot an animal lol... if I have some other dummy that wants to do it, I'm leaving my knife right in the sheath

 

[OEM]

I've only hunted once (newbie), but the one deer I shot (so far), I gutted myself under the expert supervision of my hunting buddy. I have to say though, that I never expected so much steam! And the size of the liver was a really pleasant surprise!!

Can't say I can remember how to do it by myself again, but if I ever go hunting by myself, I'm going to print out some guides on how to do the gutting properly.

All in, it was not big deal for me to be covered in blood. If I were to do it again though, I would wear rubber gloves.

 

[Mike Oxbig]

Ewww blood! I buy my meat from the butcher where nothing was harmed!

I voted yes. I even gutted my first one years back under the supervision of a bunch of laughing buddies.

 

[brotherjack]

Can't say I can remember how to do it by myself again

Just go by this simple principle: cut open the belly, and anything in there that you don't wanna eat, pull it/cut it out and leave it in the bush. There are some techniques to make this faster and less messy, so by all means, reference the guides -- but that simple concept, is really all there is to it. In the same way, butchering your own is also very simple -- it comes as one big deer sized piece of meat. You cut it into little steak/roast/etc size pieces of meat and eat it. Again, there are some techniques that will result in a better job than others, but at the end of the day, if you can cut it up and eat it, you've accomplished the mission.

Not being intimidated is half the battle.

 

[crazydave]

Other than learning on your first, how can you be a hunter if you don't/can't gut your own game??

The only reason i will do the first one while they watch and help is to show them the proper way to do it. I know of a few that did their first deer by themselves that did such a bad job the meat was tainted and they were turned off from hunting for good. By showing new hunters how to do this i have found that they learn and continue to enjoy hunting, and also less edible venison gets wasted for no good reason.

 

[stormbringer]

And these guys that use rubber gloves...J.C. are you afraid to get your hands dirty.

You are aware of certain blood borne parasites in deer right?

 

[ikedaboy]

always. its my kill i want it dont right

 

[saskgunowner101]

You are aware of certain blood borne parasites in deer right?

I thought a guy only had to worry about using gloves with rabbit.....

 

[the keepa]

I have probably gutted a couple hundred deer and moose that I've shot(first one was when I was 13....more than 50 years ago...), but my newest hunting partner, half my age with probably 3 times as much gutting and killing experience insists on doing the chore .( he is one of those guys that can't sit still....unless he's on stand)
It is a pleasure to watch this expert clean the animal with no wasted movements....and much faster than me . All I gotta do is hold these legs , hold that leg , pull on this rib cage, shine the light in there, spread the hind legs ....which instructions I can mostly (after a dozen animals or so ) anticipate to his satisfaction .
We use the flat-toothed blade from a two-bladed Gerber folding saw to cut through the brisket and the pelvis and a very sharp short bladed knife to open up the animal from tongue to tush .
The only disagreement I have with him is skinning the animal ......I like to leave the hide on(weather permitting )until just before butchering ...less dried up meat...

 

[greywolf]

I gut and butcher my own, and we all help each other as well , but he who shot, gets the dirty work ! Also , I, for the fun of it, bought one of those "butt out " tools you can get at wholesale sports and cabela's , tried it for the first time last season , it works doggone it and very nicely at that. Just stick it into the butt end and turn about a half dozen times , it completely disconnects the bowel and lets you pull it out and tie it off. then we just go up to the neck and split the ribs (don't need no stinkin saw, good knife will do fine) split the pelvis yank it all out , keep liver and heart , done. Oh, of course you can either skin it or take it like that. I skin it if I'm going to just go straight to butchering w/o hanging , or if I hang it , then I hang it at -5 C with skin on . doesn't freeze and you can age for 16 weeks , tenderest meat you'll ever eat And no it doesn't get stinky or skunky tasting either. The -5 staves off the tendency to get that thin white mold. Also make sure it's -5 in a low humidity spot. I have a cold room just for that .

 

[grunt19]

Do all the work my self or with help if theres a hunting buddy around

 

[steve-o1979]

I gut and butcher my own, and we all help each other as well , but he who shot, gets the dirty work ! Also , I, for the fun of it, bought one of those "butt out " tools you can get at wholesale sports and cabela's , tried it for the first time last season , it works doggone it and very nicely at that. Just stick it into the butt end and turn about a half dozen times , it completely disconnects the bowel and lets you pull it out and tie it off. then we just go up to the neck and split the ribs (don't need no stinkin saw, good knife will do fine) split the pelvis yank it all out , keep liver and heart , done. Oh, of course you can either skin it or take it like that. I skin it if I'm going to just go straight to butchering w/o hanging , or if I hang it , then I hang it at -5 C with skin on . doesn't freeze and you can age for 16 weeks , tenderest meat you'll ever eat And no it doesn't get stinky or skunky tasting either. The -5 staves off the tendency to get that thin white mold. Also make sure it's -5 in a low humidity spot. I have a cold room just for that .

Why do you split the brisket up to the neck and split the pelvis for field dressing ? A lot of people do this, but I don't see the benefit... just seems like more work to me. We just open them up from the pelvis to the brisket... don't split the pelvis or the brisket at all. The hole opens up to about the size of a basketball.... no problem getting out everything that needs to come out.

 

[greywolf]

Why do you split the brisket up to the neck and split the pelvis for field dressing ? A lot of people do this, but I don't see the benefit... just seems like more work to me. We just open them up from the pelvis to the brisket... don't split the pelvis or the brisket at all. The hole opens up to about the size of a basketball.... no problem getting out everything that needs to come out.

Well Y'know I used to ask the same thing. I was told it was for air circulation throughout the cavity, and so I tried it and I got less mold forming I got it nice and dry inside and found with skin on I could hang it much longer , as opposed to friends who do it the other way. now of course if I ever manage to get that "trophy" buck and I want to mount the entire head I'd prob just go to the brisket, As for breaking open the pelvis , just for ease to clean it all out thouroughly , we even usually was out the entire cavity (bring a large pail of water for the occasion. totally clean equals less bacteria etc..... not saying the extra work will work for everyone but it works for us and when it comes to my food cleanliness is everything to us.

 

[steve-o1979]

Well Y'know I used to ask the same thing. I was told it was for air circulation throughout the cavity, and so I tried it and I got less mold forming I got it nice and dry inside and found with skin on I could hang it much longer , as opposed to friends who do it the other way. now of course if I ever manage to get that "trophy" buck and I want to mount the entire head I'd prob just go to the brisket, As for breaking open the pelvis , just for ease to clean it all out thouroughly , we even usually was out the entire cavity (bring a large pail of water for the occasion. totally clean equals less bacteria etc..... not saying the extra work will work for everyone but it works for us and when it comes to my food cleanliness is everything to us.

I gotcha. We don't have any trouble at all getting them nice and clean inside. As far as any mold forming, it won't be hanging long enough for that.

 

[woodchopper]

wow the poll is back from 2008

I'll add that I teach the new guys how to gut, mostly by explination and supervision, because you learn best by doing.

When hunting with my Dad I will do all the gutting, but then He's 84 and has done his share of gutting already I also setup and run the huntcamp, cooking, cleaning etc... but as I said he's 84 and has earned the tourist hunter treatment

 

[greywolf]

I gotcha. We don't have any trouble at all getting them nice and clean inside. As far as any mold forming, it won't be hanging long enough for that.

These days i'm getting lazy and like to get it over with, so I have been skinning and doing it all right out in the field , then bring it home and cut it up and straight into the freezer. BUT! that said , one year I shot this little doe, some jackass saw the little one and the mother, wanted the mother and shot her, then couldn't recover her either and stormed out of there (some folk just should never have a gun , let alone be allowed to hunt) well i found the little doe 2 days later still hanging around mama's rotting corpse , so i took her with my last tag ( last day of hunting too ) and I field dressed her out there and took her home and hung her from first day of December to middle of February (actually forgot I had her still hanging) anyway , checked her out and was surprised she was still viable meat. Long story short , took her in and butchered her up and ended up being the BEST meat we have ever had. She had hung for 16 weeks with skin and fur on , and was so tender, i almost didn't need a knife to butcher her with. So I tend to do one like that every once in a while still. -5 C with fur on , in a reasonably low humidity place, you'll get a skim coat of white mold (wipe of with a water vinegar solution and won't grow back then) Try it some time The meat is to die for .

 

[wasabi]

I liketohang my meat fro a long time too and I nonly wish I could have huted with mybDa to 84, but he only made it till 59.I sure miss hunting with those old geezers but maybe my nephew will get the chance with me. it sure was a pleasure to be in a hunt camp learning and takeing guff from the old "teachers" Too the old duffers and their memories.