One more bear downed again by SKS
- Thread starter rollingrock
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Here's some usefull information
This isn't my article by the way)
I learned this method of dressing animals on a Wyoming Pronghorn hunt. Antelope meat is VERY good, but only if you take care of it immediately. This means getting it on ice ASAP! I started quartering the animals with the "gutless" method and getting them on ice. Boy since we started doing this our antelope have never tasted better. I've gotten alot of "woah" and "how did you do that???" from other hunters or landowners when they see me take a critter apart in a couple minutes and deposit all the good eats on ice. Also, who really wants to gut a stinky antelope? LOL not me.
The "gutless" method can be done two ways, either by skinning the legs before removal or skinning them after removal. Personally I usually remove the quarters with the hide on to keep the meat cleaner, then skin each leg out after.
You can start with either the loins, front or rear quarters. There is no right or wrong way to do it. I usually do one sides front, same sides rear, flip the animal followed by the remaining front and finally the remaining rear. Then I cut out the loins and call it good.
For this example I also took pictures of how to cape an animal (for another guide) so the front quarters at least are already skinned. Hide on or hide off the legs, it really doesn't mater for the actual extraction of the quarters.
Lets begin. With the animal on its side, grab a frontleg and lift it up and away from the body. Place your knife into the "armpit" and cut right in the crease, angling slightly towards the ribcage. Cut away the meat, cartilage where it meets the ribcage. There are no bones in the shoulder of deer or elk that attach the front legs to the ribcage, its all held together with muscle and cartilage!
Keep lifting the leg as you continue making cuts as needed to free the leg.
Continue working your way across until the leg comes free from the ribcage. Most of it will cut free very easily, some cartilage can be stubborn but a good sharp knife will get through it.
Once the leg is free take care of it how you wish, either into game bags, coolers, panyards or whatever. You can even debone it now that its free and is actually alot easier to work with (hang it in a tree so you dont have to bend over while working with it).
Depending on the size of the animal I'm dressing, I'll either process an entire side then roll it over and do the other, or you can do the fronts then the rears. The order is largely irrelevant. Here I am continuing with the other front quarter only because for the caping guide I skinned out the other leg and wanted to get it in the cooler as soon as possible, antelope is time critical when it comes to getting the meat cooled quickly. Generally I remove one entire sides quarters before flipping it over.
As with the other front leg, pull up on the leg and cut away the meat and cartilage along the ribcage where it attaches.
Continue carefully until it comes free. Once it does, store as needed.
Thus far it should have been amazingly easy! Those front quarters come off with very little effort. The hinds are slightly more tricky, but they come off nearly as easy!
Ok lets begin by talking about how to do the hind quarters. These are attached to the pelvis by a hip bone and socket. Inside of the ball and socket is a tendon that must be cut. It isn't terribly hard, but I recommend in doing this for the first time, you just take your time. After doing it once, any future animals will seem easy. Also I really recommend you use your finger or thumb to feel around where the bones are so you don't dull your knife too much. There is also a bone at the top of the pelvis that we need to cut around, it is easily felt with your fingers to identify and then cut around.
Start by having someone lift the leg up off the body, or tie it to a bush / tree to keep tension on it. This frees up both hands and makes things alot easier. You can at this point skin the quarter before removal, or after. I chose to skin it after.
Begin by cutting along side the #####, back towards the rear of the animal.
Take short careful strokes.
Cut the skin towards the front of the hind quarter, and begin cutting the meat downward towards the hip and body. Be careful to keep your knife away from the belly area as we don't want to puncture anything.
Right in the middle of the leg is the leg / hip bone socket. You will be able feel it with your fingers. Moving the leg back and forth will also allow you to identify where this socket is. Cut the meat away around it, exposing the socket itself. With some minor pressure pulling on the leg, the socket will open up allowing you to cut the tendon inside (visibly right at the tip of the knife)
Carefully cut any muscle or cartilage around the ball and the bone should pop free from the socket.
Next identify the pelvic bone that sticks out, it will be easily found by feeling around with your finger. If not continue to cut the muscle away until you do. Here I am pointing to the tip of it with my finger. You will want to cut around this bone to free the rest of the hind quarter.
Here you can clearly see the pelvic bone exposed. Continue to cut the meat away from the hip.
A few more careful slices and the entire quarter comes cleanly off. Process it further how you want.
Flip the animal over and repeat for the other side.
Cut along the ##### down until you reach the ball joint. Carefully cut the muscle around the joint until the ball begins to pull out, cut the tendon inside.
Continue to cut the muscle until you reach the pelvic bone, then cut carefully around it.
Continue cutting muscle away from the pelvis until the quarter comes free. Process as needed.
Thats it! Not terribly hard was it? We are not done yet however, the best eating part still needs to be removed, the tenderloins.
Removal of the tenderloin / backstraps. As with the other steps, it can be done at any point but I usually leave it for last.
Begin by cutting the skin enough you can access the tenderloin. Next cut along the spine from the hip up towards the shoulder.
Using your fingers, carefully pull the loin away from the spine, and carefully cut the meat loose in small tiny knife stokes. This isn't a job to rush so take your time. It is hard to get it started, but once you do it comes off quite easily.
Repeat for the other side of the loin.
That's pretty much it! After a couple practice tries you should be able to do a deer or antelope within 10 minutes or so... yes it is that fast. The great thing is if you have a gutshot animal, you have almost zero chance of getting the fluids on your meat.
The downside to this method? Well there actually is one... the Fillet Minion. It is located inside the body cavity opposite the tender loins. For small animals like antelope I don't feel its worth the effort to remove. For deer I always remove it as its my most favorite cut of meat. For Elk its not even a question, I'd rather have that cut than any other.
You can extract it either by traditional field dressing or you can remove it actually after doing the gutless method but its fairly tricky. I do not have pictures of how to do this but you position the animal on its belly with the back in the air. Cut along the spine from where the last rib ends back towards the pelvis. Be very careful you dont puncture the internals. You can then reach up in the hole and cut free the Filet. Repeat for the Filet on the other side. I'll be blunt, this is tricky stuff. You better have a good idea of what the Fillet Minion is, how its attached and how to cut it free. This is good knowledge to have but best learned by removing it from traditionally field dressed animals.
This isn't my article by the way)I learned this method of dressing animals on a Wyoming Pronghorn hunt. Antelope meat is VERY good, but only if you take care of it immediately. This means getting it on ice ASAP! I started quartering the animals with the "gutless" method and getting them on ice. Boy since we started doing this our antelope have never tasted better. I've gotten alot of "woah" and "how did you do that???" from other hunters or landowners when they see me take a critter apart in a couple minutes and deposit all the good eats on ice. Also, who really wants to gut a stinky antelope? LOL not me.
The "gutless" method can be done two ways, either by skinning the legs before removal or skinning them after removal. Personally I usually remove the quarters with the hide on to keep the meat cleaner, then skin each leg out after.
You can start with either the loins, front or rear quarters. There is no right or wrong way to do it. I usually do one sides front, same sides rear, flip the animal followed by the remaining front and finally the remaining rear. Then I cut out the loins and call it good.
For this example I also took pictures of how to cape an animal (for another guide) so the front quarters at least are already skinned. Hide on or hide off the legs, it really doesn't mater for the actual extraction of the quarters.
Lets begin. With the animal on its side, grab a frontleg and lift it up and away from the body. Place your knife into the "armpit" and cut right in the crease, angling slightly towards the ribcage. Cut away the meat, cartilage where it meets the ribcage. There are no bones in the shoulder of deer or elk that attach the front legs to the ribcage, its all held together with muscle and cartilage!
Keep lifting the leg as you continue making cuts as needed to free the leg.
Continue working your way across until the leg comes free from the ribcage. Most of it will cut free very easily, some cartilage can be stubborn but a good sharp knife will get through it.
Once the leg is free take care of it how you wish, either into game bags, coolers, panyards or whatever. You can even debone it now that its free and is actually alot easier to work with (hang it in a tree so you dont have to bend over while working with it).
Depending on the size of the animal I'm dressing, I'll either process an entire side then roll it over and do the other, or you can do the fronts then the rears. The order is largely irrelevant. Here I am continuing with the other front quarter only because for the caping guide I skinned out the other leg and wanted to get it in the cooler as soon as possible, antelope is time critical when it comes to getting the meat cooled quickly. Generally I remove one entire sides quarters before flipping it over.
As with the other front leg, pull up on the leg and cut away the meat and cartilage along the ribcage where it attaches.
Continue carefully until it comes free. Once it does, store as needed.
Thus far it should have been amazingly easy! Those front quarters come off with very little effort. The hinds are slightly more tricky, but they come off nearly as easy!
Ok lets begin by talking about how to do the hind quarters. These are attached to the pelvis by a hip bone and socket. Inside of the ball and socket is a tendon that must be cut. It isn't terribly hard, but I recommend in doing this for the first time, you just take your time. After doing it once, any future animals will seem easy. Also I really recommend you use your finger or thumb to feel around where the bones are so you don't dull your knife too much. There is also a bone at the top of the pelvis that we need to cut around, it is easily felt with your fingers to identify and then cut around.
Start by having someone lift the leg up off the body, or tie it to a bush / tree to keep tension on it. This frees up both hands and makes things alot easier. You can at this point skin the quarter before removal, or after. I chose to skin it after.
Begin by cutting along side the #####, back towards the rear of the animal.
Take short careful strokes.
Cut the skin towards the front of the hind quarter, and begin cutting the meat downward towards the hip and body. Be careful to keep your knife away from the belly area as we don't want to puncture anything.
Right in the middle of the leg is the leg / hip bone socket. You will be able feel it with your fingers. Moving the leg back and forth will also allow you to identify where this socket is. Cut the meat away around it, exposing the socket itself. With some minor pressure pulling on the leg, the socket will open up allowing you to cut the tendon inside (visibly right at the tip of the knife)
Carefully cut any muscle or cartilage around the ball and the bone should pop free from the socket.
Next identify the pelvic bone that sticks out, it will be easily found by feeling around with your finger. If not continue to cut the muscle away until you do. Here I am pointing to the tip of it with my finger. You will want to cut around this bone to free the rest of the hind quarter.
Here you can clearly see the pelvic bone exposed. Continue to cut the meat away from the hip.
A few more careful slices and the entire quarter comes cleanly off. Process it further how you want.
Flip the animal over and repeat for the other side.
Cut along the ##### down until you reach the ball joint. Carefully cut the muscle around the joint until the ball begins to pull out, cut the tendon inside.
Continue to cut the muscle until you reach the pelvic bone, then cut carefully around it.
Continue cutting muscle away from the pelvis until the quarter comes free. Process as needed.
Thats it! Not terribly hard was it? We are not done yet however, the best eating part still needs to be removed, the tenderloins.
Removal of the tenderloin / backstraps. As with the other steps, it can be done at any point but I usually leave it for last.
Begin by cutting the skin enough you can access the tenderloin. Next cut along the spine from the hip up towards the shoulder.
Using your fingers, carefully pull the loin away from the spine, and carefully cut the meat loose in small tiny knife stokes. This isn't a job to rush so take your time. It is hard to get it started, but once you do it comes off quite easily.
Repeat for the other side of the loin.
That's pretty much it! After a couple practice tries you should be able to do a deer or antelope within 10 minutes or so... yes it is that fast. The great thing is if you have a gutshot animal, you have almost zero chance of getting the fluids on your meat.
The downside to this method? Well there actually is one... the Fillet Minion. It is located inside the body cavity opposite the tender loins. For small animals like antelope I don't feel its worth the effort to remove. For deer I always remove it as its my most favorite cut of meat. For Elk its not even a question, I'd rather have that cut than any other.
You can extract it either by traditional field dressing or you can remove it actually after doing the gutless method but its fairly tricky. I do not have pictures of how to do this but you position the animal on its belly with the back in the air. Cut along the spine from where the last rib ends back towards the pelvis. Be very careful you dont puncture the internals. You can then reach up in the hole and cut free the Filet. Repeat for the Filet on the other side. I'll be blunt, this is tricky stuff. You better have a good idea of what the Fillet Minion is, how its attached and how to cut it free. This is good knowledge to have but best learned by removing it from traditionally field dressed animals.
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rollingrock said:Has Alberta's spring bear season closed yet?
Depends on what WMU ?
However Troll hunting is legal year round......
rollingrock said:WTF?
Listen Numb Nutts, you're the one that continues to spew garbage and brag about hunting with a cheap-ass gun that is not intended for big game, with a cartridge/bullet that is not adequate or intended to be used on big game, regardless of whether or not it can kill!
Hunting with an SKS and that puny 123gr bullet is a f**king stunt and only an idiot would do it and brag about it!
You need to grow up and realize how stupid you look by spewing the crap you do! Have you never noticed that noone supports your pathetic SKS "hunting"?
FWIW a f**king .223 can kill big game also but only an idiot would hunt big game with one.
When I go hunting I always use calibers that are suitable for the game... if anything I am guilty of overkill.
For your info I use a .30-06 with 165gr Hornady BTSP or .300H&H with 200gr Nosler Accubond for deer; .338WM for bear and moose (225gr Nosler Parts or 250gr Nosler Parts or 250gr Speer GrandSlam); .45-70 with 400gr bullets on black bear and last fall I killed my bull moose with a 400gr Hornady IL out of a .416RM.
Oh yes, and this spring I have hunted black bear (unsuccessfully I admit) with a .458 Lott and 500gr Hornady's.
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Demonical said:
Facker, first of all you owe me an apology for falsely accusing me of hunting with fmj. I don't care what the fack you hunt with, how big your gun is and how 'ethical' you are when you hunt. If you have nothing useful to contribute, you'd better shut the fack up.
The choice of firearm is a personal option. There's nothing in BC prohibitting people from hunting with SKS, period. As a matter of fact, the more people hunt with SKS or other semiautos successfully, the stronger support the gun society will get to fight against the Liberal attempt of banning semiautos. Hunting isn't all about firearms. Hunting is about how you find your game and make efficient kills with sufficient tools, it's all about experience and skills.
Many years ago people only hunted with bows and spears, then with muzzle loaders, then with 'smaller' guns like 30-30 and they all did fine. SKS has been proven to be a sufficient and economy firearm to hunt with by many hunters from different countries. If you feel bad for not able to harvest your game with an expensive gun, then improve your skills like what I'm doing. Biatching like woman about what I use legally for hunting doesn't do you any good.
I used this cartridge extensively. All kinds of bullets, all kinds of applications.
Honestly, I'd trust an AK a little more than a SKS, and for game getting the 7,62x54 than the x39. When we shot tracers (night operation simulations) I was amazed by the drop it had after 300m. It is a powerful cartridge...it can kill elephants and the like with no problem.... but they must be full 30rd mags.
In today's hunting, we strive for one shot-one-kill for every hunter out there and even though I know a lot of guys that can shoot a bear's eye with a 22LR from 100yds, I cannot recommend someone to do so. What one writes down as advice or example can/will be taken seriously by others. One can be a very good hunter, and if one trains enough to stalk a bear and shoot him from up close, then an SKS would do the job. However, there are a lot of guys out there who see these fun-for-plinking SKS' on the shelf and they'll more than sure try to replicate your exploits. The volley will certainly leave a hunter like yourself, with a bad taste in his mouth.
I know you make a point, and you're right, I already said that.... 7.62x39 will kill. Even with FMJs... They will not pencil thru.... that is what solids do. Quality military ammo (if you can get it) will tumble causing massive damage. That's what the steel core is for. There's a huge difference between FMJs.... they're not all the same.
We shot AKs under 2MOA and many hunters have rifles that will never shoot that good, specially in field condition. But again, it is not a good message for hunters, from hunters. I'm sure you can satisfy your curiosity about this cartridge' pottential w/o having to post it.
Back in Ontario, one can hunt moose with a 410 ...with slugs. How would you view my story about getting a moose with a 410?
Like hunting deer with a .50 BMG..... it can be done, but what's the point?
Honestly, I'd trust an AK a little more than a SKS, and for game getting the 7,62x54 than the x39. When we shot tracers (night operation simulations) I was amazed by the drop it had after 300m. It is a powerful cartridge...it can kill elephants and the like with no problem.... but they must be full 30rd mags.
In today's hunting, we strive for one shot-one-kill for every hunter out there and even though I know a lot of guys that can shoot a bear's eye with a 22LR from 100yds, I cannot recommend someone to do so. What one writes down as advice or example can/will be taken seriously by others. One can be a very good hunter, and if one trains enough to stalk a bear and shoot him from up close, then an SKS would do the job. However, there are a lot of guys out there who see these fun-for-plinking SKS' on the shelf and they'll more than sure try to replicate your exploits. The volley will certainly leave a hunter like yourself, with a bad taste in his mouth.
I know you make a point, and you're right, I already said that.... 7.62x39 will kill. Even with FMJs... They will not pencil thru.... that is what solids do. Quality military ammo (if you can get it) will tumble causing massive damage. That's what the steel core is for. There's a huge difference between FMJs.... they're not all the same.
We shot AKs under 2MOA and many hunters have rifles that will never shoot that good, specially in field condition. But again, it is not a good message for hunters, from hunters. I'm sure you can satisfy your curiosity about this cartridge' pottential w/o having to post it.
Back in Ontario, one can hunt moose with a 410 ...with slugs. How would you view my story about getting a moose with a 410?
Like hunting deer with a .50 BMG..... it can be done, but what's the point?
stubblejumper said:So you consider listening to a bear bawl for ten minutes after being shot, then having to shoot it again an efficient kill?
Have you hunted bear? Tell me how many bears you shot have had a bang flop and died instantly?
eltorro said:
I know what you're saying, especially about the FMJs. Good FMJs can actually create bigger exit wounds than most hunting ammo. But I can't tell if people out there hunt moose with shotgun chambered with slugs, but I know people who have been hunting deer with 12 ga and slugs out to 100 yards.
Shooting AK under 2MOA (at 100 meters?) is very good indeed, and I think you can challenge any soldiers from any AK countries. As a matter of fact a lot people can only put the firt bullet on the target while doing three shot burst. But why you trust AK more than SKS? As a fact SKS is more accurate than AK. Or you're more used to AK?
Is your memory so short that you don't remember posting this
Although I have baited for myself and others, and have helped several people take bears for themself,I have only killed one black bear in addition to my grizzly.I wanted a colored bear and after taking my cinnamon colored black bear,I don't need or want another black bear rug,so I haven't killed another black bear since.As to the two bears that I have taken,the black dropped at the shot,and was dead within seconds.I fired two shots into the grizzly within about three seconds,and it was dead within seconds as well.In addition,any bears that were killed in my presence were shot again if they were not dead very soon.
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beergut said:
I don't want to prove anything. Hunting with that cal is just my preference, and I did it. I didn't create any thing here, but some people paid too much attention on what I use. I don't think everyone here cares what I use for hunting. It's just not very many people here tell you that they hunt with SKS.
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