Field Dressing Course
- Thread starter Umesaburo
- Start date
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
YouTube it, tons of great how to videos for free. It’s not as daunting as you might think, take your time and work cleanly. Everytime you do it it gets easier and faster.
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
Yep, what Butcherbill said. I learned from youtube vids and an old dvd, and didn't see anyone field dress a deer in real life until I had hunted for a few years so if I got it figured out, anyone can. What species are you gearing up for?
You need to specify what animal you want the course in. I found putting a rock in the hide video of skinning a deer quite interesting. A rock, a tree, a truck, a rope and voila deer is skinned.
Deer is relatively easy. Bear and moose are a bit more difficult.
Watching videos for beef will improve your skinning and processing.
Deer is relatively easy. Bear and moose are a bit more difficult.
Watching videos for beef will improve your skinning and processing.
Pointdexter
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland
I found this guy on youtube. I think he lives near me in the Fraser Valley somewhere, but he offers courses for hunting/outdoors/firearms.
Getting the guts out:
Quartering up and packing out
There's also another video in his channel on how to skin out a deer head so it's lighter to pack out. He shows that he stuffs the quarters into plastic bags but that's just to keep em clean until he can get back to camp and stuff them into a proper game bag for cooling.
Getting the guts out:
Quartering up and packing out
There's also another video in his channel on how to skin out a deer head so it's lighter to pack out. He shows that he stuffs the quarters into plastic bags but that's just to keep em clean until he can get back to camp and stuff them into a proper game bag for cooling.
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
Here's one of those important things that seems to be missed in every deer field dressing video. Tarsal gland removal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_qdNBC0o4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_qdNBC0o4
It seems harder then it is for the first few times. But after you do it a few time its easy and fast.
In Nova Scotia we use to send our animals in to be processed from our hobby farm. Then one time they were booked so i desided to do it my self. It was easy and the first one took maybe 35 minuted to gut, skin and quarter up. I did use the bucket of my tractor to lift and hang the sheep though.
Some people can do it as fast as gutting a fish
In Nova Scotia we use to send our animals in to be processed from our hobby farm. Then one time they were booked so i desided to do it my self. It was easy and the first one took maybe 35 minuted to gut, skin and quarter up. I did use the bucket of my tractor to lift and hang the sheep though.
Some people can do it as fast as gutting a fish
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Is quite literally many ways to get same thing done. An older rancher on farm we hunted in Southern Sask wanted us to bring in whole deer to his barn - in back of our truck - head towards the cab - he was "rigged and ready" - case skinned the deer as his rigging lifted deer out from truck box - once hanging, split it and then guts into wheel barrow - into pig pen. About slickest set up I had ever seen. Totally different if you are on foot in the bush by yourself - but basically get insides out without slashing them and spilling contents on meat. Was "Dad's" rule to always get insides out as soon as possible after the kill - right where-ever it was laying. We used to hang on ropes and skin in our garage in evening - but we had garage to do that in. Friends of ours hunted mule deer often - no trees - made a winch and gantry type thing that stood up in back corner of his truck box - could skin and lift deer carcass - no grasses, etc., then swing carcass into container in truck box. That worked very nicely, as well. Good to know more than one way to do - all ends up the same - but just to get from start to finish might be different, depending what you have, or where you are.
An extreme - to me - saw on TV or read in book with pictures - Northern guys took a caribou - gutted it - then skinned out one side laying on the ground - flopped it over and skinned other side - then butchered it right there - meat left on hide, bones getting tossed. At the end they made up into a roll - made a couple slits and the hide became like a pack - one guy walked away carrying it like a back pack - bones and guts left behind. I never did so myself, but think I would try that, with no other realistic options available.
Might be a "getting older" thing, or "more experience" thing, but small, sharp blade is all that you likely want or need - I think last several deer, and two elk, I did with a Swiss Army knife - "Hunter", I think - blade at most 4" long, perhaps 3/4" or less deep, might be 1/8" thick, or less, at the spine - is a folding knife - carry in pocket. Has a small bone saw - very handy for "aitch bone" and for alongside the brisket. Is stories in the West of guys getting jumped by cougar - wear a belt knife for that - so, really is about quick draw and to fight - is not so much about actual field dressing game. Many knives involved at home for skinning and butchering - likely all could be done in a "pinch" with that small folder. We used to use a bone saw when butchering - our knives have got "smarter" - have not used saws for years.
And, as posted above - the 10th one that you do, will be much, much easier than the first one - even if you had never seen it done, since you were about six years old.
An extreme - to me - saw on TV or read in book with pictures - Northern guys took a caribou - gutted it - then skinned out one side laying on the ground - flopped it over and skinned other side - then butchered it right there - meat left on hide, bones getting tossed. At the end they made up into a roll - made a couple slits and the hide became like a pack - one guy walked away carrying it like a back pack - bones and guts left behind. I never did so myself, but think I would try that, with no other realistic options available.
Might be a "getting older" thing, or "more experience" thing, but small, sharp blade is all that you likely want or need - I think last several deer, and two elk, I did with a Swiss Army knife - "Hunter", I think - blade at most 4" long, perhaps 3/4" or less deep, might be 1/8" thick, or less, at the spine - is a folding knife - carry in pocket. Has a small bone saw - very handy for "aitch bone" and for alongside the brisket. Is stories in the West of guys getting jumped by cougar - wear a belt knife for that - so, really is about quick draw and to fight - is not so much about actual field dressing game. Many knives involved at home for skinning and butchering - likely all could be done in a "pinch" with that small folder. We used to use a bone saw when butchering - our knives have got "smarter" - have not used saws for years.
And, as posted above - the 10th one that you do, will be much, much easier than the first one - even if you had never seen it done, since you were about six years old.
Last edited:
Potashminer, its funny you mention that you like to use a smaller knife when skinning or gutting. I'm with you there! After trying a few knives I had laying around turn you my favorite size is a very small knife to use for 95% of field dressing/skinning/deboning
I started with a 6" "buck knife", then just getting smaller until I had my smallest knife and it works perfect with total control
my main knife is a 2.75" fixed blade Gerber (I understand to knife snobs this wouldn't even be used as a paper weight, but it works for me) about 1/16 thick and my backup/knife for bigger things is my folder that lives in my backpack it has a 3.5" blade and about 1/8" thick so I can whack it to split bones or joints
one day soon I plan on spending some money and buying a nice 2-3" fixed blade knife for fishing and hunting.
I started with a 6" "buck knife", then just getting smaller until I had my smallest knife and it works perfect with total control
my main knife is a 2.75" fixed blade Gerber (I understand to knife snobs this wouldn't even be used as a paper weight, but it works for me) about 1/16 thick and my backup/knife for bigger things is my folder that lives in my backpack it has a 3.5" blade and about 1/8" thick so I can whack it to split bones or joints
one day soon I plan on spending some money and buying a nice 2-3" fixed blade knife for fishing and hunting.
Try this book if you're a reader. Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game. https://www.stuffers.com/products/b...ing-of-livestock?_pos=11&_sid=fb124bd82&_ss=r
You could always contact a guide outfit and see if they offer or would be willing to offer hands on practice ! other than that it would probably be youtube videos to get the basics then go hunting and get practical experience and try to invite a friend or relative that has done it before
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Potashminer, its funny you mention that you like to use a smaller knife when skinning or gutting. I'm with you there! After trying a few knives I had laying around turn you my favorite size is a very small knife to use for 95% of field dressing/skinning/deboning
I started with a 6" "buck knife", then just getting smaller until I had my smallest knife and it works perfect with total control
my main knife is a 2.75" fixed blade Gerber (I understand to knife snobs this wouldn't even be used as a paper weight, but it works for me) about 1/16 thick and my backup/knife for bigger things is my folder that lives in my backpack it has a 3.5" blade and about 1/8" thick so I can whack it to split bones or joints
one day soon I plan on spending some money and buying a nice 2-3" fixed blade knife for fishing and hunting.
My go to field dressing knife is a stainless PC paring knife, it holds a sharp edge and is so nimble. It’s only a couple bucks and they come with a couple bright options for handle colour so you don’t put it down and loose it.
Field dressing and butchering are to totally different things! If you can drive your truck to the dead animal(never happened to me)then maybe you can only gut it and drive it home!
If like me you are always a long ways away from the truck then you need to know how to field dress properly and efficiently, keeping things as clean as possible and as cool as possible too!
We don’t hunt deer up here but moose and caribou for the most part and moose ain’t anything like caribou lol!
I found the best way to learn is with an experience hunter or even better a few of them so you can see/learn different ways and pick what you like and work for you!
If like me you are always a long ways away from the truck then you need to know how to field dress properly and efficiently, keeping things as clean as possible and as cool as possible too!
We don’t hunt deer up here but moose and caribou for the most part and moose ain’t anything like caribou lol!
I found the best way to learn is with an experience hunter or even better a few of them so you can see/learn different ways and pick what you like and work for you!
You can watch all the videos you want, but I find most new hunters struggle more with the emotional challenge of field dressing than the mechanics of how and where to cut. It's easy to shoot an animal with a firearm. You aim, pull the trigger and it's dead. So easy. But field dressing requires you lay your hands on the animal, run your fingers through its fur, feel the heat of its body and finally cut it open. It's an experience that most people don't have these days and new hunters are rarely prepared for. Take some time to soak it all in and come down off the adrenaline high and the emotional roller coaster before taking out the knives. Then just cut it open. It's dead and you are going to eat it, so treat it with respect and try to waste as little as possible. That's all that really matters.
You will get bloody. You will accidentally knick the stomach and spill the bladder. You will hack up the tenderloins. Did I mention you will get bloody. None of it matters, you will get better with experience.
My last advice is to buy a brightly coloured knife.
You will get bloody. You will accidentally knick the stomach and spill the bladder. You will hack up the tenderloins. Did I mention you will get bloody. None of it matters, you will get better with experience.
My last advice is to buy a brightly coloured knife.
