how to gut/prepare a dear?

[Matt85]

im hoping to go hunt dear for the first time this year. unfortunetly i cant find any one who really knows alot about hunting to go with me. so... im kinda wingen it with a buddy from work.

something im unclear on is what the heck do you do with the dear after youve shot it? :redface:

if yall could fill me in on what i need to do with the dear before i drag it outa the woods it would help me out big time.

as usual any hunting tips and advice would be appreciated.

thanks
-Matt

 

[rabjr]

Well, if you gut a dear you just may end up in prison for a very long time...

If you want to learn how to gut a Deer, there are sites on the web that detail how to and if you go to youtube and type in "how to field dress a deer" there are several videos which you might find helpful. Always better to watch it being done than read and look at stills for the first timer...

 

[William O.]

First and formost be sure that you and your buddy comply with all laws and regulations that your state specifies, such as how much, if any, hunter/blaze orange you must wear, identification that you must carry with you while hunting such as game tags and what to do with them once you have shot a deer. Some states require that you must be able to prove what sex (buck or doe) your animal is by leaving the head intact or by other means. Get on to your state's Parks & Wildlife/Depertment of Natural Resources website or you might want to contact your local game warden, they can be a wealth of information. Be sure that you and your hunting buddy go out to the range together and sight in your rifles and make sure that both of you observe safe handling of firearms. You don't want find yourself deep in the woods with someone you don't trust with a slingshot.

Here's some youtube videos that might help you; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKm42ql7NSw

 

[Bill Hall]

It's pretty much an automatic thing to gut a deer as soon as possible after the kill. All that blood and internal organs go bad really quickly, and getting them out helps cool down the meat in the rest of the body. There are some advanced boning techniques on youtube, but you should just stick to the basic gutting routine as a beginner.

You're not trying to get the guts out so much as you're trying to protect the meat from spoiling. Cool that meat down as soon as possible by first gutting the animal. Bill

 

[VTdeerhunter]

Matt;

First of all, good luck this year, I hope you and your buddy are successful....

How the animal is handled once it hits the ground is directly related to how good the meat will be on the table...

Field dressing is pretty easy, and as was said before make sure you do it right away.

Second, get it hanging in a cool environment (out of the sun of course)

Unless you are going to cut it up yourself, make sure you locate a butcher or processor before hand and understand where he is and what his hours are, then get the deer to him as soon as you can to hang in the cooler. Missing the drop off time at the butcher and making the animal lay in the back of your truck overnight is not the best plan if you can avoid it.

 

[Spikebuck]

Field dressing is easy, but hard to explain...better to watch some youtube videos.

If you're at all interested in processing your own deer, check out Bill Hesselgrave's website as he has one of the most unique processing techniques ever as he literally "filets" deer such that one side is an entire filet that then gets cut up in steaks, chops, roasts, etc. and his videos are very affordable. http://hessvideo.com/ Per his website: "Care and Processing of Venison takes you from the field to the freezer using only knives. The techniques you learn will work on all the big game you harvest. "

Most of all...WASH that deer out as soon as possible after dressing. I use a hose and let cool water run in the carcass for about a 1/2 hour to speed cooling of the meat and wash out the blood or anything else that may have gotten inside while dragging it out. I split the pelvis during field dressing to open that canal where the rectum resided and make sure everything is flushed out really good. And as others have said, get it processed and in the freezer or to a butcher with a cooler as quickly as possible. I've never really had "bad" or "wild" tasting venison.

If you've never hunted and don't know anyone that has, TRACKING your deer should be something to learn something about in advance. Deer don't always just fall over at the spot or even within sight. Tracking Wounded Deer by Richard P Smith is an excellent resource...I've referred to my copy many times over decades. http://www.richardpsmith.com/book-twd.php

Best of luck to you!

 

[stormcrow]

Here is a link to the best video set I've seen on field dressing and processing (for $13) from the KDFWR. And don't forget to bring a good knife along. Good luck with your hunt!

https://secure.kentucky.gov/Mall/Store/7803440a42df458c815d9db55890b738/Product/5ec5d4530c384a58af441a914bf23317/

 

[Moose Guide]

This will make more sense after you have gutted one!!! Place deer on its back and tie back leg to a tree or bush to hold it spread eagled. Using a sharp knife(drop point is best for gutting) cut through skin at bottom of rib cage(center of body), insert knife in cut with cuting edge up sliding it toward the pelvis(be careful not to cut the guts). The gut cavity should now be open! Now cut through the diaphram seperating the guts and lungs and reach as far toward the neck as you can feeling for the wind pipe(it will feel like a vacum cleaner hose), once you find it, grab on and cut it loose(don't cut yourself)! Now pull it out while cutting anything loose that is attached to the body! The last thing is to cut around the bumm hole and cut loose the conecting tissue, once it is loose pull it through the pelvis, your deer is now gutted!!! Now cut free the penis(if it is a buck)and take the bladder out through the bumm hole!! BE SURE TO FOLLOW ALL APPLICABLE STATE OR PROVINCIAL GAME LAWS
If you want, you can phone me and I will explain it better!

 

[Matt85]

some good information all!

war hawk your description is great. in fact something i was curious about is how the wind pipe felt so i would know what to feel for. (believe it or not, its not mentioned any where)

i will continue to research as much as i can. if any one has more info or advice please post it.

:bow:

 

[jethro224]

Most of all...WASH that deer out as soon as possible after dressing. I use a hose and let cool water run in the carcass for about a 1/2 hour to speed cooling of the meat and wash out the blood or anything else that may have gotten inside while dragging it out.

I used to do that before a butcher friend hollered at me for it. He said that washing with water only promotes spoiling. He said that the dried blood will seal out lots of bad stuff. The only time you should wash the carcass out with water, according to him, is if the deer was gut shot.

If you've never hunted and don't know anyone that has, TRACKING your deer should be something to learn something about in advance. Deer don't always just fall over at the spot or even within sight.

I can't agree more with this! In my experience, more often than not a deer will run off before falling over after a perfect shot to the boiler room. Many times they don't even leave a blood trail for a ways. Learn all you can about finding game before your hunt. Never assume you missed because the deer didn't flop right over or you don't find blood at the sight.

 

[rabjr]

I used to do that before a butcher friend hollered at me for it. He said that washing with water only promotes spoiling. He said that the dried blood will seal out lots of bad stuff. The only time you should wash the carcass out with water, according to him, is if the deer was gut shot.

:thumbsup:

 

[Matt85]

my buddy has this idea you need to cut the hind legs off at the knee durring field dressing. he says its to get rid of scent glands in the legs.

i have not seen this mentioned in any videos or online texts. is there any merit to what hes saying?

 

[rabjr]

We never touch them until the deer is hanging up in the cooler. Strip the hide, they go right a long with it. Unless one of the guys actually want to save them.

 

[Moose Guide]

Just leave the glands alone, there is no need to remove them! A lot of hunters used to believe that they would taint the meat if left on, so they would skin them off and then use the same knife to gut and skin the deer.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I have always washed out my game, I do it in the driveway, with a hose and a stiff brush. I have goten nothing but praise from my butchers for it. One guy even accused me of bringing in a beef instead of a cow elk.

 

[mooman76]

im hoping to go hunt dear for the first time this year. unfortunetly i cant find any one who really knows alot about hunting to go with me. so... im kinda wingen it with a buddy from work.

something im unclear on is what the heck do you do with the dear after youve shot it? :redface:

if yall could fill me in on what i need to do with the dear before i drag it outa the woods it would help me out big time.

as usual any hunting tips and advice would be appreciated.

thanks
-Matt

Sounds like the blind leading the blind.

Actually it reminded me of a friend of mine and me when we did our first hunt about 30 years ago. Nether one of us had done a big game hunt so it was out first. We both hunted but always small game. It was an adventure I will always remember. Good luck on yours.

 

[Stumpkiller]

my buddy has this idea you need to cut the hind legs off at the knee durring field dressing. he says its to get rid of scent glands in the legs.

i have not seen this mentioned in any videos or online texts. is there any merit to what hes saying?

Leave 'em. I was told early on to remove them. But now I just leave them be. If you rub up against them while the legs are spread and you're working inside - perhaps that's a good thing as you're adding deer scent to your clothing. ;-)

Outdoor life used to have a very good illustrated tutorial that was in several of their annual issues.

Here are some links to various DNR/DEC departments.

Ohio DNR

MO DNR

KS DWPT

MN DFW

 

[Spikebuck]

According to professional meat processors I talk to, it is Federal Law that all beef, pork, etc is washed with water. They have highly recommended that my washing technique be continued. I'd have to respectfully disagree with your butcher. Anyone ever smell blood that's sat overnight...PPPPPUUUUUUU! If my deer has to hang overnight, they smell like perfect, fresh meat in the morning.

 

[Spikebuck]

This is from the Federal Best Practices Document: http://www.bifsco.org/CMDocs/BIFSCO/Best Practices/BestPracslaught Sept 09.pdf

Pre-evisceration carcass wash:
Carcasses should be subjected to a water rinse and/or antimicrobial treatment shortly after hide removal.

Carcass Wash
The carcass washing procedure is designed to remove incidental contamination (blood specs, bone dust, hair, etc.). Carcass washing is designed to impact carcass quality and to prepare the carcass for chilling. The washing should proceed from the top of the carcass in a downward direction to prevent recontaminating an area. Washing should be completed before shrouding, if applicable. :
If using a wash cabinet, the carcass wash should address the spray patterns, the pressure of the water, the volume of water applied, and the time the carcass is in the cabinet. The pressure should not be high enough to drive the contamination into the fat and carcass tissue. Also, the drains must be working properly to prevent backup that could create additional contamination as the carcass passes through the wash cabinet.
The cabinets must have a preventive maintenance schedule to ensure that the equipment is functioning as designed, including nozzles, filters, etc. The parameters of the equipment should be documented to demonstrate that it is efficient.
If the carcass wash is conducted by hand with a hose, then the lift must be sufficient to reach the top of the carcass and the wash should be sufficient to clean the carcass.
Carcass wash areas, hoses and equipment should be mainand sanitary condition.

 

[Matt85]

hosing out the deer will be pretty much impossible. at best i would be able to rinse it out using one or two 1 gallon jugs of water.

at any rate it looks like im going to miss the start of the season. my hunters safety coarse wont be till the 7th and my buddy wont be available to join me till later.

im not willing to go alone and even if i was i wouldnt know where to go.